(09 Nov 2015, 12:17 pm)BusLoverMum wrote It is likely that they did have a return or day ticket. I'm guessing you're talking about Pity Me or Framwellgate Moor, in which case there's 6 21/X21 per hour as opposed to just 2 X12. Buying a ticket that can be used on any of the services costs a lot more for little gain.
Where I live, we only have an GNE services on a Sunday, and that's only once every 2-3 hours. I've never used it. Just travelling between here and Durham, I've got the choice of a 20 minute £7 return journey on Arriva or a 40 minute journey, for about 3/4 of the price with Scarlet Band. I never choose the cheaper journey when I'm not with Big'un because it feels a lot more than twice as long on those buses!
I do buy an explorer rather than an Arriva day ticket for visiting Newcastle, though. It gives me a lot more options fr getting home again than just the X12. Those options extend beyong the 6 possible GNE buses. If there's a problem affecting the buses to Durham from NCL, then I can get the Metro to Sunderland or even the X9 to Peterlee. If i don't mind a slightly slower journey, I can get the X1 to Houghton le Spring and the 20/20A on to Durham - both frequent services that make up a bit for going round the houses. Travelling via stanley takes about the same time as that alternative or there's always the slower buses to CLS, like the 28 and X25.
None of those options would be available if I remained loyal to Arriva.
(Though the one time there was an accident closing the A1, which did make the journey through CLS to Durham impossible, the metro was off, too!)
This is all guess work, but taking into account all of them (not including me) letting the X12 go and 4 not boarding a 21 - I can only guess they were waiting for an X21 and were travelling to a point on that route.
A route well shadowed by ANE.
I have no other reasoning as to why they would let two buses into Durham go and wait for a 3rd, after standing for a period of time already.
I have had a look at the prices for travel in that area.
ANE Durham District: £6.40 £17.40 £58.10 £590.00
GNE Two Zone: £6.30 £24.90 £86.54 £877.00
I get totally what you are saying about paying for convenience - but for anything more than a day, that is an awful lot more money to fork out for the guys in the example - who also have the choice of ANE services from the Arnison Centre (it was Pity Me I boarded and they all came up Abbey Road).
I often pay for convenience when staying within T&W, buying a Day Rover when travelling beyond the one zone. When travelling for a few days off the bounce, the Network Ticketing options is often the ticket of choice.
The price gap is nowhere near as big as those listed above though.
Sources:
https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/globalassets...es-map.pdf
https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east/b...ek-annual/
https://www.simplygo.com/prices/
Fares listed: 1 day, 7 day, Month and annual.