(10 Sep 2017, 9:34 pm)busmanT wrote 11X and X39 changes/curtailment are hardly major cutbacks - any passengers who used the X39 to Gateshead can easily change buses in Central Newcastle, and similarly anyone who used the 11X.
My only niggle here is that it reduces the appeal of bus travel if you force people through interchanges and extended journey times. Additionally a single ticket holder now has to either stump up twice or buy a day ticket. Of course, no one expects an operator to run at a loss or for everywhere to have a direct service but it does dampen the appeal.
I am heavily incentivised through work to use public transport but I've colleagues who'd rather sit on the A1 for an hour than Consider getting a bus and it's those people you need to attract to sustain growth.