(04 Dec 2024, 11:07 pm)Storx wrote It's 3 isn't it? I'd assume anyway, it being a 90 minute round trip.

Thought the additional runs were Newcastle to Chester-le-Street only?

(05 Dec 2024, 10:42 am)Adrian wrote Thought the additional runs were Newcastle to Chester-le-Street only?

Yeah, it has 45 minutes to run from Newcastle to CLS though. Went from 6 BPH to 8 BPH, I think? I'm questioning myself now.

(05 Dec 2024, 3:02 pm)Storx wrote Yeah, it has 45 minutes to run from Newcastle to CLS though. Went from 6 BPH to 8 BPH, I think? I'm questioning myself now.

If I recall correctly, it was two extra buses funded by the BSIP for the frequency increase and, effectively, one extra bus for punctuality. Three in total.

The latter does seem to have vastly improved with buses not bunching anyway near as often.

The downside, as I mooted a couple of weeks ago, is that the BSIP funding is being pump primed into a route that the operator isn’t showing enough care nor consideration for. Given GNE takes the revenue risk on this (the BSIP funding doesn’t cover the entire cost of the additional buses), they ought to be doing everything within their power to market the service, generate growth, and operate it to their very best ability, so that the entire cost is covered and this is something which is sustainable at the end of the BSIP.

26th January 2025

Sunderland changes - https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...washington

South Tyneside: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...nuary-2025

---

According to VOSA, X10 down for changes on the same day.


I'm on my phone and in the Airport so cba to copy and paste the changes on here.

(06 Dec 2024, 4:26 am)Dan wrote If I recall correctly, it was two extra buses funded by the BSIP for the frequency increase and, effectively, one extra bus for punctuality. Three in total.

The latter does seem to have vastly improved with buses not bunching anyway near as often.

The downside, as I mooted a couple of weeks ago, is that the BSIP funding is being pump primed into a route that the operator isn’t showing enough care nor consideration for. Given GNE takes the revenue risk on this (the BSIP funding doesn’t cover the entire cost of the additional buses), they ought to be doing everything within their power to market the service, generate growth, and operate it to their very best ability, so that the entire cost is covered and this is something which is sustainable at the end of the BSIP.

A very motley bunch of buses being used on the 21, including dual doors which can’t be accessed by wheelchairs at Durham or Eldon Square. Whilst the single door converted E400 are on schools or Gateshead locals.

(06 Dec 2024, 3:43 pm)Michael wrote 26th  January 2025

Sunderland changes  - https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...washington

South Tyneside: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...nuary-2025

---

According to VOSA, X10 down for changes on the same day.


I'm on my phone and in the Airport so cba to copy and paste the changes on here.

One of them appears to be the 2A being axed with the 2 being changed to 3x buses per hour and curtailed at Sunderland.

Not that the website clearly explains that. Yet another example of a lack of attention to detail.

(06 Dec 2024, 5:17 pm)busmanT wrote A very motley bunch of buses being used on the 21, including dual doors which can’t be accessed by wheelchairs at Durham or Eldon Square. Whilst the single door converted E400 are on schools or Gateshead locals.

Not to mention a number of stops along route, which was a problem when the Vykings operated the route in the 2010s.

(06 Dec 2024, 5:41 pm)Adrian wrote One of them appears to be the 2A being axed with the 2 being changed to 3x buses per hour and curtailed at Sunderland.

Not that the website clearly explains that. Yet another example of a lack of attention to detail.


Not to mention a number of stops along route, which was a problem when the Vykings operated the route in the 2010s.

Never seen such badly worded passenger information, 61/62/62a seemingly to replace 39/39a/39b but it reads as they’re in addition to, as well as misinformation about frequency between Boldon Asda and Jarrow, stating it’ll be 2bph when it’ll in fact be 4. 

Also very little information on more exact routings leaving a lot of guesswork and assumption to be made.

What a mess, I feel sorry for the people who get the 61, that journey will be a bit more of a trek now. The timings of services from Peterlee to Sunderland are already so bad, god forbid this is going to make them any better.

(06 Dec 2024, 5:57 pm)pbjd wrote Never seen such badly worded passenger information, 61/62/62a seemingly to replace 39/39a/39b but it reads as they’re in addition to, as well as misinformation about frequency between Boldon Asda and Jarrow, stating it’ll be 2bph when it’ll in fact be 4. 

Also very little information on more exact routings leaving a lot of guesswork and assumption to be made.

They seem more bothered in getting their tabloid-style headlines in, rather than accurate information about the service changes.

Left arm doesn't know what the right is doing.

Services 35 and 36 - Sunderland – Boldon – Jarrow – Lukes Lane 

Service 35: This service has been revised to operate an hourly route connecting Sunderland, Hylton Castle, Boldon, Fellgate, and Jarrow. This service will provide new links between Fellgate and Sunderland on Monday-Saturday. 

Doesn't the Metro already provide this link??

(06 Dec 2024, 3:43 pm)Michael wrote 26th  January 2025

Sunderland changes  - https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...washington

South Tyneside: https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-ch...nuary-2025

---

According to VOSA, X10 down for changes on the same day.


I'm on my phone and in the Airport so cba to copy and paste the changes on here.

An additional observation.   The 25 between Newcastle and Chester-le-Street is being renumbered 22.   That's on the South Tyneside changes with 5 becoming 25 / 25A.

I suspect there's more changes coming.

(06 Dec 2024, 6:09 pm)Adrian wrote They seem more bothered in getting their tabloid-style headlines in, rather than accurate information about the service changes.

Left arm doesn't know what the right is doing.

And to think GNE were finalists in North East Marketing Awards last night......

Must have been for Santa Bus eh, which seems once again to get more marketing than actual services that fare paying people need to travel on!

(06 Dec 2024, 4:26 am)Dan wrote If I recall correctly, it was two extra buses funded by the BSIP for the frequency increase and, effectively, one extra bus for punctuality. Three in total.

The latter does seem to have vastly improved with buses not bunching anyway near as often.

The downside, as I mooted a couple of weeks ago, is that the BSIP funding is being pump primed into a route that the operator isn’t showing enough care nor consideration for. Given GNE takes the revenue risk on this (the BSIP funding doesn’t cover the entire cost of the additional buses), they ought to be doing everything within their power to market the service, generate growth, and operate it to their very best ability, so that the entire cost is covered and this is something which is sustainable at the end of the BSIP.

Thanks for confirming, had a feeling it would've been 3 buses with all the layover still being there, I know in the years past it used to have ridiculously short turn arounds.

On the changes good to see the 2/2A/39/39A/39B/60/61 numbering mess sorted out. Just a shame they didn't sort out the 2/32/60/61/78 mess on Chester Road at the same time. Not to mention the 2 now being every 20 minutes the buses are going to be bouncing all over each other. Very messy.

The 25/26 are a mess. Hourly bus services are useless for anyone in urban areas and unacceptably infrequent imo.

At least it's not just me that finds some of these changes confusing and unnecessary.
Is this another go at a service 36? Must be the 3rd time in like 13 years. See how long it lasts for this time.
Stagecoach have managed to make cross-city services work so wonder why Go North East can't seem to make them work.

(06 Dec 2024, 6:53 pm)citaro5284 wrote And to think GNE were finalists in North East Marketing Awards last night......

Must have been for Santa Bus eh, which seems once again to get more marketing than actual services that fare paying people need to travel on!

They need to decide whether they want to be a bus operator or social media influencers. I've no issue with community activities like Santa Bus, but it shouldn't be at the expense of getting the basics right.

It's laughable that they win any kind of marketing award. The Angel, once the flagship route of their network, but I bet none of them could explain how they're marketing it with a fleet allocation cobbled together by Stevie Wonder...

(04 Dec 2024, 6:18 pm)Storx wrote They'd be better building a new bus stop on Percy Street and pulling the 21 out of the bus station. When a service is every 7.5 minutes it doesn't need to serve a bus station, especially when all the buses go the same route at least (people beyond CLS should be using the X21).

Anything 12 minutes or above, where all the buses goes to the same destination (ie. not the 10/10A/10B) should be nowhere near a bus station unless there's ample space and the stands aren't pull in and reverse ie. Gateshead and Middlesbrough.

Maybe we should be using the x21 but sometimes the Durham 21 is there and the x21 that leaves at roughly the same time nowhere in sight, in the flesh or on the app, and I'm not risking it.

(06 Dec 2024, 8:53 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Maybe we should be using the x21 but sometimes the Durham 21 is there and the x21 that leaves at roughly the same time nowhere in sight, in the flesh or on the app, and I'm not risking it.

Aye don't blame you, the X21 should be more frequent imo, would make those issues a little less of a problem, it arguably would've been better use of BSIP money than the 21, especially if at the same time it was advertised as the new 10 minute service South of Durham rather than the 10 20 0 10 service they've got right now. Awful waste of resources having 2 buses following each other for 45 minutes or whatever the 6/X21 is.

(06 Dec 2024, 9:35 pm)Storx wrote Aye don't blame you, the X21 should be more frequent imo, would make those issues a little less of a problem, it arguably would've been better use of BSIP money than the 21, especially if at the same time it was advertised as the new 10 minute service South of Durham rather than the 10 20 0 10 service they've got right now. Awful waste of resources having 2 buses following each other for 45 minutes or whatever the 6/X21 is.

And needs better buses allocated too! Either Enviros or if the cascade chain from the Angel EV's means StreetDecks ending up on the Cobalts......some B9TLs which have had relatively easy lives in comparison to the rest! And other than being maybe a 'bit worn', they're still a nice smooth and progressive ride given their age!

The bit that got me was hidden in the South Tyneside changes

Customers who currently travel on service 25 Newcastle – Chester-le-Street should note that this service will be renumbered service 22, with minor timetable changes.

Which is obviously where the passengers of the 25 would look for information. ..

Absolutely buzzing to wait for my 61 and have three turn up at once because they all caught up to each other on Chester road! I have absolutely no clue why they have chose to merge the 61 with the 39? I can’t say anyone in murton/seaham is needing to be up pennywell for whatever reason apart from work and still keeping it at every half an hour too? Does this mean it wont call into park lane anymore then or will it do something like the 2? Into park lane on its way to pennywell and missing it out going to murton? Either way compared with the other changes the whole thing is a shambles. Nobody should have to wait an hour for a bus unless the ridership is destitute and it flys through the middle of nowhere, the least a service should be, combined frequency or not is every 30 mins. People aren’t going to be wanting to get the bus when the only one that takes them home is once an hour, this whole turn up and go thing is great if you live on a main road, but god forbid you live in an estate with houses like most people.

I really hope they plan on re-writing the whole changes before they post them on social media, most confusing thing I've ever read.

(07 Dec 2024, 5:00 am)ALavery wrote Absolutely buzzing to wait for my 61 and have three turn up at once because they all caught up to each other on Chester road! I have absolutely no clue why they have chose to merge the 61 with the 39? I can’t say anyone in murton/seaham is needing to be up pennywell for whatever reason apart from work and still keeping it at every half an hour too? Does this mean it wont call into park lane anymore then or will it do something like the 2? Into park lane on its way to pennywell and missing it out going to murton? Either way compared with the other changes the whole thing is a shambles. Nobody should have to wait an hour for a bus unless the ridership is destitute and it flys through the middle of nowhere, the least a service should be, combined frequency or not is every 30 mins. People aren’t going to be wanting to get the bus when the only one that takes them home is once an hour, this whole turn up and go thing is great if you live on a main road, but god forbid you live in an estate with houses like most people.

To be fair the 60-63 changes have been crying out to be done for years. It was an own goal having them all over the place when you look at other similar corridors like the Great North Road in Gosforth which is similar. 

Mind not sure what the 'now' turn up and go nonsense is about since they've decreased the frequency from 14 buses an hour to 12 buses an hour. I'm not including the X6 here as that's also nonsense. 

The Ryhope area is confusing though as I'm not sure what's doing what route. The 63 seems to be doing the 39 route. 61/62/62A is doing the 2/2A route though. 

It feels like it's something like this:


(60 - Blue, 61 - Green, 62/62A - Purple, 63 - Red)

The 63 is very unclear whether it's doing the estates or not, but would make sense since it's no doubt getting the Solo's now, similar with the 61 rejoining at the Green or going via the bypass. I could be very wrong though.

Mind that said, one change I would've made is merged the 33 and 63 together and made a massive loop, would've been an easy change to make and open up new connections.

Changes are now on VOSA (might be a tad clearer!)

PB0003954/1286
Cancellation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 25 (25) Chester-le-Street Newcastle

PB0003954/732
Cancellation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 2 (2, 2A) Washington Silksworth

PB0003954/1093
Cancellation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 5 (5, 5A) Jarrow South Shields

PB0003954/806
Cancellation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 35 (35, 35A) Boldon Low Moorsley

PB0003954/805
Cancellation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 39 (39, 39A, 39B) Sunderland Doxford International

---------------

PB0003954/1456
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 25, 25A (25, 25A) Jarrow South Shields

PB0003954/1458
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 35, 36 (35, 36) Lukes Lane Estate or Jarrow Sunderland

PB0003954/1459
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 62, 62A (62, 62A) Doxford International Pennywell

PB0003954/1454
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 2 (2) Sunderland Washington

PB0003954/1455
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 22 (22) Chester-le-Street Newcastle

PB0003954/1460
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 63 (63) Silksworth Sunderland

PB0003954/1457
New GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 32 (32) Low Moorsley Sunderland Docks

--------------

PB0003954/1203
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 9 (9) Sunderland North Shields
PB0003954/801

Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 20 (20, 20A) University Hospital of North Durham Sunderland

PB0003954/1162
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 33 (33) Silksworth Sunderland

PB0003954/1205
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 26 (26) Lukes Lane Estate South Shields

PB0003954/777
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 60 (60) Parkside Sunderland

PB0003954/1165
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 61 (61, 861) Pennywell Peterlee

PB0003954/824
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X10 (X10) Middlesbrough Peterlee

PB0003954/823
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED X10 (X10) Peterlee Newcastle

PB0003954/1273
Variation GO NORTH EAST LIMITED 24 (24) Sunderland South Shields
------------


X10, 20/20A down as variations

Nothing on the Sunderland changes page about the 20/20A................

When I read it initially yesterday, I started to think it was just me. 
Maybe I'd rushed through it or hadn't read it properly. 

Maybe I was starting to show symptoms of a degenerative disease! 

Thanks for reassuring me that it's none of those things. 

Some unusual changes. With the 25/22 renumbering hidden away as mentioned by others.

The end of an era! It's been the 725/X25/25 for as long as I remember.
Renumbering it as the 22 is maybe a subliminal attempt to try and link it with the 21.
It will probably take more than a change of number and some comments hidden away in an irrelevant service change piece to do that though.
Shared timetables? A paired brand?

(07 Dec 2024, 9:47 am)Storx wrote To be fair the 60-63 changes have been crying out to be done for years. It was an own goal having them all over the place when you look at other similar corridors like the Great North Road in Gosforth which is similar. 

Mind not sure what the 'now' turn up and go nonsense is about since they've decreased the frequency from 14 buses an hour to 12 buses an hour. I'm not including the X6 here as that's also nonsense. 

The Ryhope area is confusing though as I'm not sure what's doing what route. The 63 seems to be doing the 39 route. 61/62/62A is doing the 2/2A route though. 

It feels like it's something like this:


(60 - Blue, 61 - Green, 62/62A - Purple, 63 - Red)

The 63 is very unclear whether it's doing the estates or not, but would make sense since it's no doubt getting the Solo's now, similar with the 61 rejoining at the Green or going via the bypass. I could be very wrong though.

I can’t see passengers from Murton, or those going to/from Dalton Park, being happy with these changes. I can see Arriva’s 22 getting busier.

(07 Dec 2024, 10:41 am)busmanT wrote I can’t see passengers from Murton, or those going to/from Dalton Park, being happy with these changes. I can see Arriva’s 22 getting busier.

Yeah agreed like personally something like this would be much cleaner:


With the 33/63 being merged to create a massive loop also doing Hollycarrside aswell and the 60/61/62 forming the 7.5 minute quick route via Ryhope Green instead.

Quite a few benefits of that loop service ie. Silksworth to ASDA and Grangetown to Sainsbury's which no doubt the complaints will be coming soon for ASDA aswell. I don't really understand why anyone really wants to use the 63 towards Sunderland as it's serves very little.

Much better for everyone, the little loop near Cherry Knowle on the 61 serving those 2 stops as they probably would benefit having a service and wouldn't be the end of the world.

Right now they seem to be going all over each other.

(06 Dec 2024, 5:41 pm)Adrian wrote One of them appears to be the 2A being axed with the 2 being changed to 3x buses per hour and curtailed at Sunderland.

Not that the website clearly explains that. Yet another example of a lack of attention to detail.

Glad it's not just me - I couldn't make sense of the Washington changes.  Totally unclear what the route is going to be if serving Barnwell and Harraton but not via Shiney Row as currently?  Presumably direct via A182 so cutting service to Sunderland from the likes of Mount Pleasant?  Nice of them to introduce need for additional connections and therefore cost for folk with these "improvements".

Really do hope they re-write the changes up, as previously said, they're a complete mess.

Wonder what the 20/20A changes are?

(07 Dec 2024, 2:18 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Glad it's not just me - I couldn't make sense of the Washington changes.  Totally unclear what the route is going to be if serving Barnwell and Harraton but not via Shiney Row as currently?  Presumably direct via A182 so cutting service to Sunderland from the likes of Mount Pleasant?  Nice of them to introduce need for additional connections and therefore cost for folk with these "improvements".

2A from Sunderland to Mount Pleasant, 2 from there to Washington I'd guess.

Yet more changes that prevent me from taking public transport over taking the car.