(29 Mar 2017, 10:30 pm)beefcake wrote The X11 was a Saturday only service, leaving the interchange around 10 minutes after the train iirc. Unfortunately, I can see the X55 been as short lived due to the infrequency of it, and I can only see it been used as it's the first bus that arrives and people decide to use their concessionary pass to go somewhere different, which was the case the only time I used the X11. It's going to be a shame as, in my opinion if marketed properly, could've offered real competition to the train, as both will take around 50 minutes from Hartlepool, and adding WiFi could've been a clincher. It'd be interesting to see how the TTX compares to the train from Middlesbrough as an example, as they take a similar time to complete the route, with the bus being £19 a week cheaper, and offering onward connections with other services.
I'm gunna hold my breath and hope Stagecoach but in a bit of effort with the marketing here. Towns of a smaller size support occasional
services to Newcastle. A rail return to Newcastle costs £8.50 from Hartlepool. I'd imagine Stagecoach would pitch a return on the X55 around £6, hopefully with some group discounts and introductory offers. The route through south-west Hartlepool means it should pick up a few passengers directly from their homes rather than them having to travel to the train station first.
The journey time competes with the train, but it is ambitious. Google Maps has the journey down as 47 minutes from Hartlepool centre to Newcastle, Stagecoach have given 58. If I were in Stagecoach I'd push 'Hartlepool to Newcastle in under an hour' as my selling point. If passenger's on Victoria Road are used to only getting as far as Sunderland or Durham in such a time, I can see them being tempted onto the X55.