(27 Sep 2013, 12:26 pm)AdamY wrote ...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.An interesting debate, and I'll be the first to admit that none of us has the full picture here.
But one pensioner, four times a week, does not a viable service make. Indeed, a 70 seater full of pensioners every hour of every day would not a viable service make, because of the 'no better, no worse off' rule imposed on bus operators. Ditto children travelling at reduced fares.
I did some maths in the Spirit Buses thread suggesting that a bus needs to make about £30 an hour to be viable and that this could be achieved with about eight passengers per hour at an average fare of £3.75. I've no idea what the fares are on the R services, nor what the concessionary reimbursement rate is. IIRC, the PVR is 4, so between them they need 32 boardings per hour (more if the average fare is lower, less if the operating costs are less than £30 per hour per bus). If its not viable, then the ITA, at its discretion, can meet the shortfall, on the basis that this provides important links for the people who do use it, and that's their right - ie., they can run buses as empty as they wish as long as they can afford it.
Apologies if this has drifted off from "GNE - latest" somewhat... Anyone care to bring us back on topic with some Latest news?