(26 Jan 2020, 2:13 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote Reinstate the 183/77. Or any direct service between Washington & Metrocentre
Extend a 33 to The Galleries via Doxford Park and another to Houghton. Would Bring Back 4 buses an hour from sunderland to the herringtons.

(26 Jan 2020, 2:33 pm)cbma06 wrote The 33 been down before, but as 37/38 didn’t end well , what’s wrong with X1 and X66 maybe direct service from Washington to Metrocentre is not profitable with only 1 or 2 who will use it, nothing wrong with hopping aboard a X1 to Gateshead then jump on board the X66, direct services are non existent these days as there’s a reason why, why don’t you email GNE your suggestions and then there will tell you why your suggestions will not work.


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(26 Jan 2020, 9:29 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Unless you have a day ticket, direct services are a lot cheaper than having to change.

A single on the X1 from Washington to Gateshead is £3.60. The X66 from Gateshead to Metrocentre is £3.10. That's £6.70 to go ~10 miles.

A single ticket on the X21 from Tindale Crescent to Newcastle, a journey of nearly 30 miles is only £5.30. A return is only £6.50 so you can go from Bishop Auckland to Newcastle, and back, for less than Washington to Metrocentre!

If we look at it cynically, the reason why direct services are none existent is because not having a direct service promotes the use of more expensive day tickets!

(26 Jan 2020, 9:51 pm)BusLoverMum wrote But a castles day saver is £6.30 so cheaper than a return.

(26 Jan 2020, 2:33 pm)cbma06 wrote The 33 been down before, but as 37/38 didn’t end well , what’s wrong with X1 and X66 maybe direct service from Washington to Metrocentre is not profitable with only 1 or 2 who will use it, nothing wrong with hopping aboard a X1 to Gateshead then jump on board the X66, direct services are non existent these days as there’s a reason why, why don’t you email GNE your suggestions and then there will tell you why your suggestions will not work.


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(26 Jan 2020, 10:22 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote I would rather shop in eldon square, because i think the x66 gets too crowded.
Would Increasing X1 and diverting it over to the Metrocentre work. Maybe off peak X1A's.
Or X22 to The Galleries, Withdraw X88 as well.

---

Has removing the 36 in may 2019, caused any issues. The Herringtons have gone from 6 buses to two to sunderland. Even around 2002 you had the 142, 160, 161, 163 & 164.

(26 Jan 2020, 9:18 pm)Malarkey wrote Q3 - North Shields - Billy Mill - North Tyneside Hospital - Cobalt - Wallsend - Walker - St Peter's Basin - Ouseburn - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre - Gosforth - Regent Centre - Great Park - Wideopen - Killingworth
Q4 - North Shields - Royal Quays - Howdon - Roshill - Wallsend - Walker - St Peter's Basin - Ouseburn - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre - Gosforth - Regent Centre - Great Park - Wideopen - Dinnington - Newcastle Airport - Kingston Park
Every 15 Minutes Combined Monday to Saturday, Every 30 Minutes on a Sunday

42 - Kingston Park - Newcastle Airport - Dinnington - Wideopen - Annitsford - Burradon - Killingworth - Forest Hall - West Moor - Quorum Business Park - Four Lane Ends - Longbenton - Benton Asda - Wallend
42A - Killingworth - Forest Hall - Benton Asda - Wallend
Every 30 Minutes Monday to Saturday, Service 42 operating Hourly on a Sunday only

(26 Jan 2020, 11:54 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Interesting suggestions.

I wonder if a Quaylink service could be extended to run between Gosforth and Kingston Park. 

I don't think North Shields and Cobalt need any more buses. Also you have a lot of similarities with the Q4 and 42 services.

GNE could do something with these suggestions.

(26 Jan 2020, 11:54 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Interesting suggestions.

I wonder if a Quaylink service could be extended to run between Gosforth and Kingston Park. 

I don't think North Shields and Cobalt need any more buses. Also you have a lot of similarities with the Q4 and 42 services.

GNE could do something with these suggestions.

(26 Jan 2020, 10:55 pm)streetdeckfan wrote That's one of the reasons why I go to the Metrocentre from Gateshead on the 1A. Nobody else is stupid enough to do it so it's always empty!


The X66 is an awful experience, the capacity is far too low, especially during peak times. It's not uncommon to have to wait until the next one because the queue is too long

(03 Feb 2020, 6:13 pm)big mac wrote Is there any GNE service which has regressed as much as the x66 over the last decade or so, because I can't think of one?
It used to be treated as their flagship route with the articulated buses and loads of marketing about it being non stop and connecting to loads of other services etc. Now it has buses on it that aren't suitable for the route because of the capacity, isn't non stop and doesn't get "plugged" very much GNE. 
Why has it declined so much?

(19 Feb 2020, 12:46 pm)NEB2020 wrote Suggestions...

1) IndiGo - Repaint Green & Rebrand 'Villager' 
> Washington Villager
> East Durham Villager

2) New Open Top Service - Breeze
> Sunderland - South Shields
> Route: Fawcett Street, Docks, Glass Centre,
                Roker, Whitburn, Marsden, SS Ferry.
> Transfer ToonTour Buses To Deptford (Allows For Replacements On ToonTour & Gives Opportunity To Keep Them A Little Bit Longer - Otherwise It Was Pointless Branding Them).

(19 Feb 2020, 12:55 pm)JP6004 wrote Villager name quite good, although cant see another open top service especially covering that distance

(25 Feb 2020, 11:43 pm)Storx wrote Since the demise of the 19 I was thinking of a way of getting it to work however this would involve 2 councils, possibly Cobalt, and the NHS all working together.

20 (Hourly): 42/42A Route from North Shields to Cobalt, direct to Earsdon via Shiremoor skipping Northumberland Park, 19 bus route to Ashington, extended to Wansbeck Hospital
20A (Hourly): Same as 20 until Boghouses then 58 bus route to East Hartford

These buses would be branded for the NHS and be an extended shuttle bus linking all the three hospitals together as currently it's very difficult to get between them. There would also be discounted fares between Shiremoor Metro and Northumbria Hospital which would give a frequent but a reasonable priced fare between the hospital, Seaton Delaval and Holywell to the Metro which you can't really do currently without going via Newcastle or back tracking via West Monkseaton which is 3Z on the Metro. I know if it was marketed well it could become popular as the X7 is too slow at peak times but the current 19 is too expensive.

This would replace the 58, the 335 between North Shields and Cobalt and the Northumberland NHS Shuttles Buses and get all the subsidies which go into all 3 but creates lots of new links such as East Hartford to anywhere, the links between the 3 hospitals and keep the Cobalt link for SE Northumberland and also may help with the serious parking issues at the new hospital. You would lose the 2 daily service from Seaton Sluice to Cramlington however but they carry fresh anyway atm.

(25 Feb 2020, 11:43 pm)Storx wrote Since the demise of the 19 I was thinking of a way of getting it to work however this would involve 2 councils, possibly Cobalt, and the NHS all working together.

20 (Hourly): 42/42A Route from North Shields to Cobalt, direct to Earsdon via Shiremoor skipping Northumberland Park, 19 bus route to Ashington, extended to Wansbeck Hospital
20A (Hourly): Same as 20 until Boghouses then 58 bus route to East Hartford

These buses would be branded for the NHS and be an extended shuttle bus linking all the three hospitals together as currently it's very difficult to get between them. There would also be discounted fares between Shiremoor Metro and Northumbria Hospital which would give a frequent but a reasonable priced fare between the hospital, Seaton Delaval and Holywell to the Metro which you can't really do currently without going via Newcastle or back tracking via West Monkseaton which is 3Z on the Metro. I know if it was marketed well it could become popular as the X7 is too slow at peak times but the current 19 is too expensive. 

This would replace the 58, the 335 between North Shields and Cobalt and the Northumberland NHS Shuttles Buses and get all the subsidies which go into all 3 but creates lots of new links such as East Hartford to anywhere, the links between the 3 hospitals and keep the Cobalt link for SE Northumberland and also may help with the serious parking issues at the new hospital. You would lose the 2 daily service from Seaton Sluice to Cramlington however but they carry fresh anyway atm.

(26 Feb 2020, 8:34 am)GNE6312 wrote The 58 isn't GNEs service to replace it is arriva operated and an NCC contract

(26 Feb 2020, 11:19 am)Andreos1 wrote It's that word again. 
It keeps cropping up over and over. 

I bought a 24 hour ticket at the weekend. I needed to use the bus the following day. 
A mate (who didn't need to use the bus the next day), bought a single for the same trip.
I paid just over £3 more to use the bus as much as I wanted the next day in addition to the one-off journey we made that day.

I've no doubt who got the bargain and who got ripped off.

Getting back to the subject of the 19. It has indeed slowly started to fall away over the years. 
After the initial fanfare of 'special vehicles' and all the funding its attracted over the years at various points of the route, we are now seeing it operate as a shadow of its former self.

streetdeckfan wroteAs I've mentioned before, for the one off journey, buses aren't exactly cheap, but I wouldn't say they're expensive either. Plus, with the changes last year it's often the same price for a return as it is for a day ticket.

I don't know about the figures, but I'd imagine the amount of people buying single tickets is quite low compared to buying returns or day tickets.
The last time I bought a single ticket was when I realised that I'd left my pass in the house and went back to get it (I got a lift to the bus station). Even before that I started paying for the monthly ticket, I would always buy day tickets because I'd be travelling on at least 2 buses to get anywhere (and unless you live in or only travel to a city centre, or happen to only travel along one route, you probably will too).
Plus, I'm the sort of person that would spend the extra to get a day ticket and once I've finished just go to Hexham, or the beach, or anywhere interesting really!

(26 Feb 2020, 12:11 pm)Ianthegoon wrote My wife spent years buying single tickets because she didn't realise that returns were a thing!  I guess if the operators don't advertise them, how would people know?

(I didn't know because I'm also on day tickets of some kind or another ….. why take one bus when you can take twenty??!!!)

(26 Feb 2020, 12:02 pm)streetdeckfan wrote As I've mentioned before, for the one off journey, buses aren't exactly cheap, but I wouldn't say they're expensive either. Plus, with the changes last year it's often the same price for a return as it is for a day ticket.

I don't know about the figures, but I'd imagine the amount of people buying single tickets is quite low compared to buying returns or day tickets.
The last time I bought a single ticket was when I realised that I'd left my pass in the house and went back to get it (I got a lift to the bus station). Even before that I started paying for the monthly ticket, I would always buy day tickets because I'd be travelling on at least 2 buses to get anywhere (and unless you live in or only travel to a city centre, or happen to only travel along one route, you probably will too).
Plus, I'm the sort of person that would spend the extra to get a day ticket and once I've finished just go to Hexham, or the beach, or anywhere interesting really!

(26 Feb 2020, 12:32 pm)Andreos1 wrote Whether the amount of people buying singles or not, is low doesn't matter. 
There is a market for them and they need to priced in such a way that people find them attractive and it encourages people to use the bus. 

I often need to buy singles due to the nature of my work. 
I get the train to the station, use the train to another part of the country and come back a day or two later. 
I won't be the only one and it costs a fortune for me to use the bus in this manner (check out Houghton - Durham single fares). 

Prior to the weekend, I last used the bus in mid December. Circumstances meant I had to buy a single then (check out the price of a single from Newcastle - Houghton). 

If the 24 hour tickets hadn't been launched, then both mine and MrsC's ticket at the weekend would have been a single, alongside the one my mate bought. 
It would have been a single for both myself and MrsC the following day too.
The cost of each of those singles just fall below the cost of a day ticket.
It would have been nice to have gone to Hexham or the beach, but time and circumstances didn't allow us to do so. As I imagine it wouldn't quite a few others.

(26 Feb 2020, 11:19 am)Andreos1 wrote It's that word again. 
It keeps cropping up over and over. 

I bought a 24 hour ticket at the weekend. I needed to use the bus the following day. 
A mate (who didn't need to use the bus the next day), bought a single for the same trip.
I paid just over £3 more to use the bus as much as I wanted the next day in addition to the one-off journey we made that day.

I've no doubt who got the bargain and who got ripped off.

Getting back to the subject of the 19. It has indeed slowly started to fall away over the years. 
After the initial fanfare of 'special vehicles' and all the funding its attracted over the years at various points of the route, we are now seeing it operate as a shadow of its former self.

(26 Feb 2020, 12:02 pm)streetdeckfan wrote As I've mentioned before, for the one off journey, buses aren't exactly cheap, but I wouldn't say they're expensive either. Plus, with the changes last year it's often the same price for a return as it is for a day ticket.

I don't know about the figures, but I'd imagine the amount of people buying single tickets is quite low compared to buying returns or day tickets.
The last time I bought a single ticket was when I realised that I'd left my pass in the house and went back to get it (I got a lift to the bus station). Even before that I started paying for the monthly ticket, I would always buy day tickets because I'd be travelling on at least 2 buses to get anywhere (and unless you live in or only travel to a city centre, or happen to only travel along one route, you probably will too).
Plus, I'm the sort of person that would spend the extra to get a day ticket and once I've finished just go to Hexham, or the beach, or anywhere interesting really!