(19 Feb 2017, 9:05 pm)Pulsar wrote Used the X24 yesterday for the second time.
10:55 Newcastle- Sunderland
13:07 Sunderland- Newcastle
Both 24003 (SP57 CNJ)
The 10:55 trip arrived in Newcastle on time at around 10:50 and was busy with people alighting at Newcastle. Good to see people are using this route. The trip to Sunderland was less busy with around 9 passengers on board as we left Pilgrim Street on time. Inside the Omnilinks are noticeably longer than a normal single decker and the leather seats make for a comfortable journey. I noticed plugs too but didn't try these to see if they work. The journey passed fairly quickly and the bus handled the route including the A19 well. We picked up a few more people before arriving in to Sunderland at 11:30.
The 13:07 arrived and left about 3 minutes late. This time there was around 7 people leaving the city centre towards Newcastle but we did pick up quite a few before reaching the A19. Again the route passed fairly quickly although we arrived about 5 minutes late in to Newcastle due to traffic in the Gateshead area. There was quite a queue for the bus as we left it in Newcastle.
Overall, the omnilinks I have tried so far, 24003 yesterday and 24002 on my first journey 2 weeks ago handle the route well although they do seem to be off the road a lot which is a shame as I think they make for a more comfortable journey and impression for passengers. The only complaints are the darkened windows make the interior a bit gloomy and on all my trips so far, the temperature has been very high on the buses. 2 weeks ago my return trip was on Gas Bus 28030 which also handled the route well, better than I thought and even though I found this a comfortable journey, I heard passengers saying they preferred the leather seats of the omnilinks.
Hope the route is a success and provides competition for the Metro.
We'll have crossed paths, then, as Big'un and I were on 24002, leaving Newcastle at 12:55. There was a good loading on that bus, pretty much half full for most of the journey, which is better than the X34 was when we tried it. Those seats provided a very comfy ride.
I reckon that once word gets out it will prove very popular, particularly if there's through ticketing to the Metrocentre. Ha;f hourly is a decent frequency and, from our perspective, not having to negotiate lifts at Monument or Haymarket is a big bonus (Neither of the boys can manage escalators and, while Littl'un loves catching the metro, it's awkward if we can't get a carriage end seat at busy times because he doesn't cope with strangers sitting facing him)
Also, we're both fairly light sensitive, so the tinted windows were quite soothing - I like sitting in the back of our car with tinted windows because I can still read my phone when the sun's bright!
Edit: I agree about them being warm, though, but the same can be said of GNE's Streetdecks. They're pretty oppressive, even in winter.