GNE appear to have focussed the customer consultation by distributing leaflets in the areas directly affected.

My understanding is that the 10/10A/10B will continue together to provide a bus every ten minutes on the Crawcrook - Ryton - Blaydon - Metrocentre - Newcastle route. At the 'outer' ends, each operates every 30 minutes. Together, during the daytime, the 10/10B provide a bus every fifteen minutes from Prudhoe to Newcastle (10B replacing 11 at Prudhoe Interchange and running via the existing 11 route into Crawcrook). During the Monday to Friday peaks, a new 11A runs via the existing 11 route to Newcastle - two journeys in each direction.

Elsewhere, a 'new' service 11 runs Newcastle - Business Park - Blaydon - Ryton - Crawcrook - Woodside - Folly - Greenside - High Spen - Chopwell - Blackhall Mill, Monday to Saturday daytimes, every 30 minutes, with extras in the weekday peaks. Together with the existing 32, this maintains a bus every fifteen minutes between Blaydon and Newcastle via the Business Park and Newcastle College (every 10 minutes weekday peaks). This service would replace the existing 69A, which would be withdrawn, but on the upside, together with existing service 47, Blackhall Mill, Chopwell and High Spen get a bus every fifteen minutes towards Newcastle via two different routes; High Spen gets a daytime bus through the northern end of the village every 30 minutes to Newcastle, something it hasn't had for years; Woodside gets a doubling of its bus service.

Evening and Sunday services would remain largely unchanged.

It looks to me as if there'll be more winners than losers with these proposed changes. The 10 has never really justified Peter Huntley's gamble on increasing the former 602 service, but at least the company gave it a decent shot. Prudhoe sees an increase in buses to Metrocentre, and Greenside, Folly and Woodside get more and better connections. Chopwell does really well out of this!