(08 Feb 2017, 6:06 pm)South Tyne Lad wrote This then gets me onto the 306/308, While its obvious the best service provision would've been Sapphire or Frequenta, Arriva have chose MAX as it's a " Premium " brand so can compete with GNE's offering on the same corridor, Without the hassle of Sapphire Trained Driver's, NSA's and Uniforms etc

The biggest thing going on that corridor is frequency alone. Before the Jul 2016 changes, Arriva had a major touch between Station Road and Newcastle but since GNE changed it, GNE have an edge now as well as on most 309 Newcastle bound journeys due to the timings. Unless a student wants to save some money for 'Digital Mondays' or somebody wants to charge their phone, punters will take the first bus that comes.

After that, it's down to ticketing / frequency and although both are on par with ticketing depending on individual needs (local vs further a field travel etc), Arriva also have an edge on evening services with more early / late buses including the timing of them