(12 Sep 2013, 8:30 pm)busman101 wrote Hold up - I'm just suggesting that bus is much cheaper than the train ! Plus there's a Market in Hexham every Tuesday !!!
The addition of the X84 and X85 into the market will over-saturate demand and eventually neither GNE, Arriva nor Stagecoach will make any money, ultimately reducing the service for customers overall in 12-24 months time.
Its a bit like the OK1. Blatantly obviously a kick at the competition, but it didn't work (and the market was again over-saturated between Bishop & Darlington). This X84/X85 stinks of the same thing.
The X7 looks to be another failure too, only ever see people on it between Peterlee & Sunderland. Poor marketing, and it de-valued the X9/X10 brand along with it! (just look at the X7 and X9 together in the same photo!) The only passengers on it south of Peterlee are simply extracted from the old X9/X10 patronage or from the 21a at Wingate (which is another example of GNE applying service changes to kick competition and NOT for the better value to the north east network). If that hasn't been varied or withdrawn by Christmas, I for one will be very surprised.