(20 Feb 2022, 8:59 pm)V514DFT wrote GNE used to run a 335 and 336,then Arriva had the 337

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Cant stand GCT,slapdash shoddy half arsed attempts at services that are a lucky dip as to if they turn up or not,lucky i have the 22 to fall back on,by the sounds of it theres no service around Howdon

(20 Feb 2022, 9:22 pm)Storx wrote Aye remember the 337 from Wallsend to Whitley Bay. Used to be a pain as it came exactly the same time as the 10 (I think it was then) usually with a broken display light so you wouldn't have a clue whether it was the right bus or not. Can't remember the 335/336 though tbh.

There's the 317 doing Howdon though ran by Stagecoach  (if the tender goes through).

(20 Feb 2022, 10:00 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote I know it's speculation, but are we likely to see any changes during this 'cooling off' period such as services being taken on commercially? The 22 going to Whitley Bay sounds like a mistake, perhaps Newcastle to Whitley Bay and then a separate route to and from Throckley.

(20 Feb 2022, 9:22 pm)Storx wrote Aye remember the 337 from Wallsend to Whitley Bay. Used to be a pain as it came exactly the same time as the 10 (I think it was then) usually with a broken display light so you wouldn't have a clue whether it was the right bus or not. Can't remember the 335/336 though tbh.

There's the 317 doing Howdon though ran by Stagecoach  (if the tender goes through).

(20 Feb 2022, 10:00 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote I know it's speculation, but are we likely to see any changes during this 'cooling off' period such as services being taken on commercially? The 22 going to Whitley Bay sounds like a mistake, perhaps Newcastle to Whitley Bay and then a separate route to and from Throckley.

(20 Feb 2022, 10:21 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote I know it's speculation, but are we likely to see any changes during this 'cooling off' period such as services being taken on commercially? The 22 going to Whitley Bay sounds like a mistake, perhaps Newcastle to Whitley Bay and then a separate route to and from Throckley.

(20 Feb 2022, 11:18 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'd hazard a guess that some of these services suddenly become financially viable and the daytime operator decides to keep them going forward.

However this whole Whitley Bay rumour and extension to Hillheads Estate. There's one over Westerhope. Could it be that Hillheads Estate the 22 is going to and not Whitley Bay? Especially when the 71 has been mentioned in these changes as only running between Westerhope and the town. Severing any connections beyond there.

(20 Feb 2022, 11:40 pm)Storx wrote I don't believe there's any changes to the 22 at all - https://bustimes.org/registrations/PB0002404/4

There's been a variation submitted and the only change is a change to one of the morning 22X's. It's just hearsay imo and someone potentially looking at the night bus map, someone mentioning Stagecoach in Whitley which was obviously the 317 and putting 2 + 2 together.

(20 Feb 2022, 11:18 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'd hazard a guess that some of these services suddenly become financially viable and the daytime operator decides to keep them going forward.

However this whole Whitley Bay rumour and extension to Hillheads Estate. There's one over Westerhope. Could it be that Hillheads Estate the 22 is going to and not Whitley Bay? Especially when the 71 has been mentioned in these changes as only running between Westerhope and the town. Severing any connections beyond there.

(21 Feb 2022, 12:07 am)Ambassador wrote Taking away who owns what or operates what, the absolutely massive issue here one that Nexus, the operators and Gannon and his band of morons still haven’t addressed is smart ticketing across all operators so it doesn’t matter if your 21 is run by Dave from Allerdene Coaches or GNE, you buy a reasonably priced ticket and no matter who operates that bus at 9am or 9pm..your ticket is valid.

Stop making it difficult and complicated to use public transport, people already don’t want to use buses, don’t give them even more excuses not to.

(21 Feb 2022, 8:15 am)Rob44 wrote What is a reasonable price though? I 'm sure i saw an add for the NEtwork 1 ticket for unlimited travel in tyne and wear for under 3.5 a day?  Is that not reasable? 

Out of the three you mention, who would you be more inclined to suggest are the stumbling block? Nexus who's basic job is to integrate transport in tyne and wear, the Gateshead chief who basically got elected on getting the transport system sorted or the operators... who advertise there own tickets above multi operator tickets and in this covid era of losing money probably don't what to share...... hmmm

(21 Feb 2022, 8:39 am)Storx wrote Gannon is head of NECA or whatever it's called these days. It's a Nexus / NECA / Council issue though, it's mental how far the North East is behind pretty much every other area. It doesn't help that Nexus has serious conflicts of interest in running the Metro at the same time and runs it as competition rather than integrating with the buses.

Network One should have been abolished years ago and merged with Pop and it needs to be regionwide not just Tyne and Wear.

(21 Feb 2022, 9:06 am)Economic505 wrote It was the Tories that privatised the buses , forcing Metro into competition. Those old enough will remember the integrated transport system prior to 1986. In those days , there weren’t flashy liveries on buses , instead we had a regular and extensive service , Day and night. Today, we have flashy liveries (GNE especially ) hiding a massively shrinking service. This started well before Covid. 

As we have seem on the Railways, privatisation has failed, hence why they are coming back towards state control. Only a matter of time for the policy to be extended to buses.

(21 Feb 2022, 8:39 am)Storx wrote Gannon is head of NECA or whatever it's called these days. It's a Nexus / NECA / Council issue though, it's mental how far the North East is behind pretty much every other area. It doesn't help that Nexus has serious conflicts of interest in running the Metro at the same time and runs it as competition rather than integrating with the buses.

Network One should have been abolished years ago and merged with Pop and it needs to be regionwide not just Tyne and Wear.

(21 Feb 2022, 10:34 am)DeltaMan wrote Does anybody have a graph of bus ridership up to deregulation?

(21 Feb 2022, 10:44 am)Andreos1 wrote https://amp.ft.com/content/ecafc009-ef40-4d4a-9df5-bb4abe2ed8a8

Here's one.

(21 Feb 2022, 9:06 am)Economic505 wrote It was the Tories that privatised the buses , forcing Metro into competition. Those old enough will remember the integrated transport system prior to 1986. In those days , there weren’t flashy liveries on buses , instead we had a regular and extensive service , Day and night. Today, we have flashy liveries (GNE especially ) hiding a massively shrinking service. This started well before Covid. 

As we have seem on the Railways, privatisation has failed, hence why they are coming back towards state control. Only a matter of time for the policy to be extended to buses.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:11 am)streetdeckfan wrote Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how people can complain about the hub and spoke model used by the likes of GNE and having to change buses, but then go on about how great it was having to change at Gateshead to the Metro to get to Newcastle.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:06 am)MurdnunoC wrote Only getting the paywall there.

£1 for four weeks.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:11 am)streetdeckfan wrote Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how people can complain about the hub and spoke model used by the likes of GNE and having to change buses, but then go on about how great it was having to change at Gateshead to the Metro to get to Newcastle.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:11 am)streetdeckfan wrote Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand how people can complain about the hub and spoke model used by the likes of GNE and having to change buses, but then go on about how great it was having to change at Gateshead to the Metro to get to Newcastle.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:22 am)MurdnunoC wrote For most people, you didn't. It's a myth that all buses used to terminate at Four Lane Ends, Heworth or Gateshead. Some did, mostly local services, or the predecessors to tbe likes of the 4 or 82 (or whatever), but you were able to travel into town from, say, Washington using express services (X4, X5, X94) much like you were now. Likewise, you could travel from much of North Tyneside into Newcastle using the 356 (or 354/355 as it was numbered previous to that) - and, of course, the Coast Road services have always been there. As for Gateshead, Durham Road and Old Durham Road had services into Newcastle with longer-distance services providing that conduit, as did Bensham and Saltwell.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:48 am)Rob44 wrote Maybe i worded what i said wrongly but before Maggie privatised the buses was the idea the the TWPTE buses would arrive at a metro station and the metro would be there ready to take you on to the city centre. Of course this was dropped in 1986.

Also of course buses ran to Newcastle from Durham road but from what I could remember these only DROPPED OFF in Gateshead and went to worsick street bus station? obviously that's who i remember it but it was 35 years ago and i was a teenager at the time.

(21 Feb 2022, 12:12 pm)Andreos1 wrote That's it basically.
The PTE buses would terminate at say Gateshead and the distance work operated by Northern/United (which was pretty much limited stop anyway), would drop off on High West St, before heading to Worswick St.

It worked differently with other bus stations/interchanges - but Gateshead was the one I was most familiar with pre-86.

(21 Feb 2022, 11:48 am)Rob44 wrote Maybe i worded what i said wrongly but before Maggie privatised the buses was the idea the the TWPTE buses would arrive at a metro station and the metro would be there ready to take you on to the city centre. Of course this was dropped in 1986.

Also of course buses ran to Newcastle from Durham road but from what I could remember these only DROPPED OFF in Gateshead and went to worsick street bus station? obviously that's who i remember it but it was 35 years ago and i was a teenager at the time.

(21 Feb 2022, 12:43 pm)MurdnunoC wrote As Andreos has already stated, it was the case that buses did indeed only drop off in Gateshead.

However, I think you may have missed the point I was trying to make - which was it was a myth that all buses terminated at interchanges across Tyne and Wear instead of carrying on to Newcastle. So, for example, if you lived in Wrekenton or Low Fell, it was possible to get a bus into Newcastle without having to alight at Gateshead. If you lived in Saltwell, it was possible to catch the 301 (which, in 1986, went along Saltwell Road and onto Kibblesworth) into Newcastle; or if you lived in Lobley Hill or Whickham, it was possible to catch the 647, or one of the Stanley buses into town.

If you lived in Deckham or Felling, it was possible to catch the 527 (or 522/529 as it was previous to that) to Malborough Crescent if you didn't fancy changing at Gateshead, though it was a lengthier route which took you nowhere near the city-centre.

(21 Feb 2022, 1:03 pm)Rob44 wrote  And you seem to be missing mine. It was stated the Gannon had a conflicted of interest being "in charge" of the Metro and the north east transport authority.  It was correctly pointed out that the Tories privatised the buses in 86? What I'm say in prior to 86 buses and the metro would have worked together and it was suggest seen as the same company "ran the buses and the metro" that would work in tandom together. So if de reg hadn't happened buses would have stopped at interchanges and customers would have change to metro rather that 16 GNE buses carrying fresh air going over the tyne brigde, and cloggin up ( and loosing time) in Newcastle meaning we now have CAZ