(29 Aug 2016, 8:45 pm)Jimmi wrote Is it the same for service 870 between Trimdon Village and Bishop Auckland Technical College?
Timetable: http://www.cartogold.co.uk/durham/pdf/Fo...NE_870.pdf
Bishop Auckland Technical College is another kettle of fish really...For the last academic year, transport was provided by a mixture of journeys on existing public services (the 1, 5/5a and X21 from GNE) which additionally served the college, as well as 'dedicated school transport' provided for by Garnett's and Lee's that ran from Barnard Castle, Stanhope, Tow Law and Trimdon.
If you haven't already guessed from the places served by the former 'dedicated transport' Arriva has clearly won a contract, or reached an agreement with the school, to provide all transport to and from the college (or at least Bishop Auckland) from September, and hence the reason behind the upcoming changes. I assume the main reason why is because it was easily achievable for Arriva. The journeys from the X21 are a simple transfer across to the 6, the Tow Law journeys a transfer to the X1, the Barnard Castle and Stanhope journeys met by extensions to the 6 and the X1 and lastly the Trimdon journeys which have had to become the 870, because obviously there was no alternative service with an easily met route extension.
So yes, the 870 was formerly 'dedicated school transport' but no it was not run by Arriva.
Last year's timetable for the Technical College is available here. The only major differences in the routes is that the service from Stanhope will be largely incorporated into the other routes with the section from Stanhope being added as an extension to the Tow Law service (which altogether will become part of the X1) while the section from Willington will be added into the Trimdon service (which will become the 870).
I presume the reason why the X1 and 6 (Barnard Castle) journeys do not stop at the college is that they are through journeys while the others all terminate in Bishop Auckland and so naturally extend to the college.