(12 Jun 2015, 8:11 pm)Jimmi wrote The 85/685 is one of those weird services for passenger numbers, seen it carrying a decent amount of passengers at times then other times it has been carrying less passengers. Based on loadings from Newcastle.
Could the 85 be one of those services like many in Newcastle where you have more passengers heading into Newcastle on a morning and then carry more heading out of Newcastle on an evening.
I've only done the 85/685 once and it had a fair few passengers across the route although the Brampton to Carlisle stretch carried the most passengers when I rode it.
I do agree, on the same service day-to-day you can see any loadings, I think this has part to do with it being on a touristy bit of country.
Brampton and Warwick Bridge are, essentially, mostly housing with most people travelling to Carlisle. You only have mugs like myself who commute daily from outside Brampton into Carlisle!
(12 Jun 2015, 8:11 pm)Dan wrote re Arriva X85 -
I haven't seen this service for quite a long time now. Last time I saw it, it was running something daft like 10 minutes after the 685 and 5 minutes after GNE's X85, and always departed Newcastle empty. Think there was service changes which changed how the timings worked though, so they were a bit more...sensible.
Second-to-last time I was on it (late last year), it was operated by a 306-branded Streetlite Micro Hybrid (I think this is a booked working on the 1715(?)) and there weren't many on, however last time (Pulsar operated) it was full of business people and seemed to be mostly weekly passes.
To give them credit though, I think Arriva's fare system is simpler than GNE's zone-based Buzzfare. Having the ticket for 85 called 'Northumberland Zone' makes it a bit easier rather than Orange/Purple/Cherry.
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