ARRIVA COAST ROAD AND NORTH TYNESIDE SERVICE ANALYSIS

Back in May 2010, the 44 serving pretty much the same route as the 308 between Whitley Bay and Rake Lane but serving the Marden Estate. After Rake Lane, buses served New York and Norham Road before continuing directly to Newcastle only calling at Willington Square. It must be said that serving the Marden Estate and Norham Road was not feasible and due to low profits, service 44 was withdrawn. Several attempts at similar buses have been made since then until September 2013 but they all didn’t work out.

On the 1st September, service 306 was extended from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay Town Centre via Beach Road, Preston Road, Harrington Road and the Broadway. Although this reinstated a bus for the residents in the Marden Estate to Newcastle, realistically speaking, service 306 is too long of a route and many people are only using the route between North Shields and Whitley Bay since the link was created and many of the residents who live in the Marden Estate are now either using the Metro or using the car. Also, although service 308 is very popular, too many people are using it due to the fact that the 44 no longer exists and as a result, the journey times on service 308 are increasing consequently causing much unnecessary inconvenience to passengers.

What Arriva now need to look at, is to balance the interests of the shareholders, to the interests of the passengers.

Service 308 should remain the same as it is despite minor timetable changes to accommodate a newly revised service 306. Service 306 would operate every 15 minutes between Newcastle and Whitley Bay. Buses would operate via the current route between Haymarket and Preston Road. Instead of serving Christ Church, buses would serve North Shields Metro, Bedford Street and Howard Street. Buses towards Newcastle would serve Northumberland Square. From Howard Street, buses would continue to Manor Road via the normal 306 route and from there, buses would serve the exact same route as Go North East’s Coaster service between Percy Park Road and Whitley Road in Whitley Bay. However, from Whitley Bay, one bus every 30 minutes from service 306 would continue to Newcastle as service X38. Service X38 would serve all of the 308 stops between Whitley Road and Billy Mill Post Office. From Billy Mill, buses would then operate limited stop to St Mary’s Place and Haymarket only calling at Willington Square. Service X38 buses to Whitley Bay would terminate at York Road before changing back into service 306 to Newcastle via the Coast and North Shields. Evening and Sunday buses would operate every 30 minutes to Whitley Bay and 1 bus per hour would continue to Newcastle as service X38 every 60 minutes.

If Arriva implemented these changes, the benefits would be massive:
• Much unnecessary pressure would be taken off service 308, thus improving reliability at Blyth Depot due to the option of a faster express service for people on the 308 route and people who usually get on services 306 and 308 at Billy Mill and Willington Square.

• The residents of the Marden Estate despite there not being much money in it for Arriva, would have a faster bus service to Newcastle. Also, the residents who need access to Rake Lane Hospital wouldn’t have to change buses and would have a direct service to the Hospital on the same bus. Through fares would be available for services 306 and X38 between Tynemouth and Newcastle via Whitley Bay. Journey times from the Marden Estate to Newcastle would take no longer than 45 minutes and journeys to Rake Lane Hospital would take no longer than 25 minutes.

• If Arriva timetabled the 306 to arrive a couple of minutes before GNE’s Coaster service between North Shields and Whitley Bay, many free pass users, Network One users and people who by single and return fares would use service 306 and as a result, services 306 and X38 would certainly be profitable providing that the fares would be reasonably competitive.

• Services 306 and 308 would still offer the convenience of a frequent bus service for people who need convenience and service X38 would provide a point to point service for people who simply need to get from A to B.

• A newly revised service 306 and new service X38 would certainly balance the interests of the shareholders at Arriva whilst increasing passenger satisfaction and convenience. Services 306 and X38 would be very profitable for the user groups and categories described above in this report. The profits of service X38 between Whitley Bay and Newcastle plus service 306 between North Shields and Whitley Bay, would over mitigate the losses a standalone service would generate only serving the Marden Estate. The cost of passenger satisfaction and convenience would be almost minimal in return for healthy profits and much needed convenience.