(27 Sep 2013, 12:26 pm)AdamY wrote I wouldn't argue against what you say on certain sections of the route (or at certain times of the day). Between Clara Vale and Crawcrook (or Barlow and Winlaton), for example, I have only ever observed one or two people on the bus. However, between Ryton and Crawcrook (or Winlaton and Rowlands Gill/Highfield) there are usually more than one or two people using the service. As you're no doubt aware, the R3/R4 runs between Rowlands Gill and Clara Vale via Winlaton Mill, Winlaton, Blaydon, Stargate, Crookhill, Ryton and Crawcrook. As you can see, the bus serves a number of small communities along its route. If the bus, as you claim, only carries one or two people per trip, then it must not pick up any more passengers after the point where you have observed the bus or, indeed, dropped off any passengers beforehand.

I also don't understand how you've reached the conclusion that the 'one or two' people the bus carries only travel once or twice per week unless you've carried out detailed analysis proving this to be true. The R5 appears to be mostly used by pensioners carrying people between Rowlands Gill and Highfield. Presumably, they travel to the Gill to use local amenities such as Tesco, Doctors, or the Bank. Now, I know at least one pensioner who uses this service at least three or four times a week. Could it be possible that other pensioners use this bus more than once or twice a week? Also, the R3/R4 and R6 are used by schoolchildren travelling between Highfield/High Spen/Rowlands Gill and Blaydon and Winlaton (for St Thomas More School). So there's another demographic potentially using the service more than once or twice per week. Also some people I know use this bus to travel to work in Blaydon, perhaps others do too.