(27 May 2021, 5:54 pm)big mac wrote Ah, yes, I forgot it went to the Galleries.

Hopefully it will be regular fares with day/week/monthly tickets being accepted.  Also, hopefully this will apply on all of the night services as it would be a bit unfair if, for example, it was regular fares on the 56 and 60 but not the N21.

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(27 May 2021, 7:58 pm)Andreos1 wrote No idea if it will last, but on the bottom of the 24hr tickets, they specifically say that they're valid on the X9/10 and night services.
Hopefully it continues and they're all valid.

One of the many barriers to it not working previously was the ticketing arrangements imo.

(27 May 2021, 8:24 pm)big mac wrote I think the two main reasons for them not being successful were the ticketing and the fact that there were no other connecting services that ran during the night.  So if you weren't lucky enough to live right along the route of a night bus, unless you were prepared to get off and walk a fair distance to get home it wasn't much use. 

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(28 May 2021, 10:31 am)streetdeckfan wrote These 24/7 services are all well and good, but once again are still useless for most people unless you happen to live and work (or drink!) on one of the three routes!

I would find the N21 very useful on a Sunday night as I could get the bus down to Pity Me and then get a lift the rest of the way when my mother finishes work at 2:30am. But, since there's no N49 I'd either have to walk the 2 miles into Gateshead, or get a lift to Gateshead, at which point I may as well just get a lift all the way there.

Even if they just did a 2 hourly service on some of the other key routes during the night, it would probably make the services a lot more useful for people!

(28 May 2021, 10:31 am)streetdeckfan wrote Even if they just did a 2 hourly service on some of the other key routes during the night, it would probably make the services a lot more useful for people!

(28 May 2021, 12:12 pm)mb134 wrote Realistically though, there's only so many night services that can be justified. It's not like in London and Edinburgh for example, where the night buses are mainly inner city routes, the GNE night buses are a different kettle of fish - particularly the ones you're suggesting. 

Demand for 5 of the 7 days per week on all of the services GNE are doing is probably minimal at best (reliant on shift workers who don't drive, I'd imagine), hoping for a boost on the weekends. Further increasing operational costs on further routes which don't even serve a large city, is only likely to make the whole nightbus operation cease again. You'd have to fork out for additional drivers (who will probably be on an enhanced rate given the hours), extra fuel, extra associated maintenance costs, potentially costs to keep an extra depot open overnight or costs for route learning. Couple all of that with the fact that GNE aren't even charging a premium fare (as they did previously, and as many other operators do) for those services, margins will be slim to begin with regardless.

(28 May 2021, 12:12 pm)mb134 wrote Realistically though, there's only so many night services that can be justified. It's not like in London and Edinburgh for example, where the night buses are mainly inner city routes, the GNE night buses are a different kettle of fish - particularly the ones you're suggesting. 

Demand for 5 of the 7 days per week on all of the services GNE are doing is probably minimal at best (reliant on shift workers who don't drive, I'd imagine), hoping for a boost on the weekends. Further increasing operational costs on further routes which don't even serve a large city, is only likely to make the whole nightbus operation cease again. You'd have to fork out for additional drivers (who will probably be on an enhanced rate given the hours), extra fuel, extra associated maintenance costs, potentially costs to keep an extra depot open overnight or costs for route learning. Couple all of that with the fact that GNE aren't even charging a premium fare (as they did previously, and as many other operators do) for those services, margins will be slim to begin with regardless.

Screenshot_20210528_150058_com.google.android.apps.maps.jpg (Size 510.75 KB | Downloads 46)

(29 May 2021, 7:41 am)Michael wrote Night services start again tonight.... wonder who'll be the first get some photos.

I have a question about the 60 - "The service will also connect with Cityrider 56 at Park Lane Interchange in Sunderland to provide shift workers with an easy way of getting to Nissan".

Wonder if this means it'll interwork as 2/3 minutes isn't much time to go from stand D to Stand T - and of if any of them is late then they would miss the bus.

(29 May 2021, 9:59 am)BFK wrote Yes the services 56 & 60 interwork using corporate liveried Streetlites.  Services 4 & 50 are also using corporate liveried Streetlites as all 4 services are operating from Deptford depot.

(29 May 2021, 10:20 am)Michael wrote Thank you for the information, which stand in Park Lane will the 56 and 60 use?

(28 May 2021, 12:12 pm)mb134 wrote Realistically though, there's only so many night services that can be justified. It's not like in London and Edinburgh for example, where the night buses are mainly inner city routes, the GNE night buses are a different kettle of fish - particularly the ones you're suggesting. 

Demand for 5 of the 7 days per week on all of the services GNE are doing is probably minimal at best (reliant on shift workers who don't drive, I'd imagine), hoping for a boost on the weekends. Further increasing operational costs on further routes which don't even serve a large city, is only likely to make the whole nightbus operation cease again. You'd have to fork out for additional drivers (who will probably be on an enhanced rate given the hours), extra fuel, extra associated maintenance costs, potentially costs to keep an extra depot open overnight or costs for route learning. Couple all of that with the fact that GNE aren't even charging a premium fare (as they did previously, and as many other operators do) for those services, margins will be slim to begin with regardless.

(29 May 2021, 11:54 am)streetdeckfan wrote Let's be real, they'd be better off not running the night services during the week at all. Like you say, margins will be slim.

So, to me you either go all in, and make it a cohesive network so people are actually able to use the services at night, or you don't bother at all.

The thing they've done this time to try and make it more attractive is making the fares palatable for most passengers, but the issue still remains that unless you live and are travelling to a place directly on one of the routes, you're screwed.

Even running a very limited service on some of the other key routes, such as the X-Lines network, or the 49, 27 etc. would make it so the night buses aren't only of for the people living in city centres!

(29 May 2021, 4:02 pm)Micheal Aaron wrote Before the night buses were cancelled. Wasn't it just the N56 and the N21. As that's the only two buses I remember having the N Branding on it. Which I liked tbh

(29 May 2021, 2:37 pm)big mac wrote What type of passenger is GNE targeting with the overnight 60? I get the 56 as it runs past Nissan so obviously there's a potential market there with shift workers on weekdays as well.  However with the 60 does it go past any major sites of employment? 

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(29 May 2021, 10:34 pm)Ds1197 wrote It seems Deptford are running the late night 50 journeys