RE: Go North East: Upcoming Service Changes v2
Sunderland to North Shields via the tunnel is a logical journey people may wish to make (a pity that the 9 timetable is idiotic), but no-one (except perhaps a dedicated bus enthusiast) is going to travel via a lengthy circuitous route from South Shields to Jarrow then through the tunnel to North Shields when they can go via the ferry (unless they get seasick!). So extending the 5 to North Shields would be useless to most prospective passengers wanting to cross the Tyne and deter those from Sunderland from travelling by bus; it can only be for the operational convenience of the company in matching frequencies.