(29 Nov 2025, 9:27 am)Kuyoyo wrote Have you ever been out on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve? Literally, everything dies off mid afternoon, especially on Christmas Eve, so what is the point of having buses running around carrying fresh air for the majority of the evening wasting money (since they'd have to pay drivers wages etc) when they can pull service earlier in the evening and get everything parked up ready for the next working day.

Sorry but every year you post this same rant - it's getting boring now......

Have to agree, personally I wouldn't be subsidising any boxing day service either. The fact Arriva can't be bothered to even open up and would rather give it to another operator for the day pretty much sums up how much they value it. 

It's not like County Durham falls apart with riots because they don't waste money on it.

(29 Nov 2025, 2:21 pm)Storx wrote Have to agree, personally I wouldn't be subsidising any boxing day service either. The fact Arriva can't be bothered to even open up and would rather give it to another operator for the day pretty much sums up how much they value it. 

It's not like County Durham falls apart with riots because they don't waste money on it.

Hopefully, the example set by Northstar in running a previously tendered service commercially on Boxing Day, should see Nexus reduce their subsidies in future on services running to/from major commercial centres, where it's business as usual for most shops, and of course, shoppers wishing to take advantage of the sales.

(29 Nov 2025, 2:21 pm)Storx wrote The fact Arriva can't be bothered to even open up and would rather give it to another operator for the day pretty much sums up how much they value it. 

Maybe they value giving their driving staff a couple of guaranteed days off, with their families, vs a day worth of profit?

Highly unlikely it's a "can't be bothered" attitude. Probably more a stance overall, whether it's a popular decision or not.

(29 Nov 2025, 6:49 pm)Superman wrote Maybe they value giving their driving staff a couple of guaranteed days off, with their families, vs a day worth of profit?

Highly unlikely it's a "can't be bothered" attitude. Probably more a stance overall, whether it's a popular decision or not.

If they could make a profit, they’d do it. There’s obviously not enough in it 

Let’s not pretend they care about employees, they are a commercial entity (admittedly a very bad one) and where profit can be made, across the country, services are running

It's probably more that drivers would likely demand extra pay (not sure about GNE but Stagecoach offer double time), thus reducing profit margins.

This will sound stupid as an idea however in my head a Boxing Day ticket should be made £4.00 however available all day on any mode of transport

Within the core Newcastle and Gateshead area aka the metro system route....

Create special short local services which connects to metro stations and then allow the metro to take the blunt of the core services....

FOR EXAMPLE

A bus service could do a Kenton loop (10/11 6/7) short 30 min loop to Regent Centre...

Another service could have a short loop to Great park and loop back to Regent Centre

Create the Xservices to Northumberland to curtail at Regent Centre to save time

By forcing passengers onto the metro we make useful use of buses of time and effort

Afterall they are already subsidised so a £4 allday ticket is to ease the strain as the metro already operates on a fixed cost

Key Metro Stations hub like

Kingston Park
Regent Centre
Four Lane Ends
Whitley Bay
North Shields
Wallsend
Byker
Heworth

Create a forceful short service but you must connect with the metro to continue key journeys

Technically you could have one bus do a few short local loop services to a metro station as oppose to having them commuting into the city centre

You could technically have the 308 operating a Blyth to whitley bay metro as an example

(Yesterday, 12:37 am)DaveFromUpNorth wrote This will sound stupid as an idea  however  in my head a Boxing Day ticket should be made £4.00 however available all day on any mode of transport

Within the core Newcastle and Gateshead area  aka the metro system route....

Create special short local services  which connects to metro stations and then allow the metro to take the blunt of the core services....

FOR EXAMPLE

A  bus service could do a Kenton loop  (10/11  6/7)  short 30 min loop to Regent Centre...

Another service could have a short loop to Great park and loop back to Regent Centre 

Create the Xservices to Northumberland to curtail at Regent Centre to save time 

By forcing passengers onto the metro we make useful use of buses of time and effort

Afterall they are already subsidised so a £4  allday ticket is to ease the strain as the metro already operates on a fixed cost

Key Metro Stations hub like

Kingston Park
Regent Centre
Four Lane Ends
Whitley Bay
North Shields
Wallsend
Byker
Heworth

Create a forceful short service but you must connect with the metro to continue key journeys

Technically you could have one bus do a few short local loop services to a metro station as oppose to having them commuting into the city centre

You could technically have the 308 operating a Blyth to whitley bay metro as an example

I get what you're saying but not sure it's the best idea.

Personally I'd make special boxing day routes and try and serve more areas. Yet again in Northumberland we're funding 4 BPH between Blyth/Cramlington and Newcastle on the same corridor. Yet if you lived anywhere else in the same towns or nearby villages/towns you've got the square route of f'all. 

Do we really need to be funding the 43 AND X10/X11...? Personally I wouldn't be running the X10/X11, at all, and just extend the 43 to Blyth via the X10/X11 route.

That money then being used to subsidise stuff like the 2 and 57A instead because weirdly enough not everyone wants to go to Newcastle and would give everywhere some form of service, with the ability to change onto other services/Metro if they do need to go to Newcastle. 

Right now the vast majority of Blyth, Cramlington and Seaton Valley have zero service.

I'm not against special services on Boxing Day. However, current passengers are used to the routes they have now. So a duplication of what is in play today - on Boxing Day, is probably more appropriate than once a day special services meandering around.

Personally, I think what's worse, and a bit third world, is that the North East doesn't have a single bus running on New Year's Day.. Yet other areas run a Sunday service. Even Lothian runs buses on New Year's Day and most the city is drowning in alcohol!!

(Yesterday, 10:24 am)Storx wrote Do we really need to be funding the 43 AND X10/X11...? Personally I wouldn't be running the X10/X11, at all, and just extend the 43 to Blyth via the X10/X11 route.

Or that and maybe give Dinnington a service in the process and a frequency boost on the Great North Road corridor.

(Yesterday, 2:41 pm)Kimlfixit wrote I'm not against special services on Boxing Day. However, current passengers are used to the routes they have now. So a duplication of what is in play today - on Boxing Day, is probably more appropriate than once a day special services meandering around.

Personally, I think what's worse, and a bit third world, is that the North East doesn't have a single bus running on New Year's Day.. Yet other areas run a Sunday service. Even Lothian runs buses on New Year's Day and most the city is drowning in alcohol!!

Aye I get that but just think on Boxing Day it should be more about getting as many people with a service. 

Right now there's 4 BPH along Dudley Lane yet if you live in High Pit or the West side of Cramlington you've got nothing. 

Just seems a bit broken, why should they be subsidising that with their taxes and gain nothing? 

The 43 being every 30 minutes is overkill aswell when the Stagecoach 30/31 is running. That could easily be halved with the second 45 minute being a 57a from Cramlington to Whitley for example and give most of Seaton Valley a bus service.

(11 hours ago)Storx wrote Aye I get that but just think on Boxing Day it should be more about getting as many people with a service. 

Right now there's 4 BPH along Dudley Lane yet if you live in High Pit or the West side of Cramlington you've got nothing. 

Just seems a bit broken, why should they be subsidising that with their taxes and gain nothing? 

The 43 being every 30 minutes is overkill aswell when the Stagecoach 30/31 is running. That could easily be halved with the second 45 minute being a 57a from Cramlington to Whitley for example and give most of Seaton Valley a bus service.

It does seem perverse that Low Moorsley gets a boxing day bus, but not Dinnington.

(29 Nov 2025, 9:27 am)Kuyoyo wrote Have you ever been out on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve? Literally, everything dies off mid afternoon, especially on Christmas Eve, so what is the point of having buses running around carrying fresh air for the majority of the evening wasting money (since they'd have to pay drivers wages etc) when they can pull service earlier in the evening and get everything parked up ready for the next working day.

Sorry but every year you post this same rant - it's getting boring now......

Aye, I have. 
Queues for taxis a mile long and they're charging a premium because they can.