(21 Nov 2019, 10:08 pm)Storx wrote It's alright going into Newcastle but not so much the other way. If I was standing at the High Level Bridge, Market Street or Newgate Street in the rain at 7pm in the middle of winter without any idea that the bus I'm waiting for has been terminated at Gateshead and the next one isn't coming for 30 minutes I'd be less than amused. Not to mention drivers not knowing why I'm getting on with a return on different bus route etc.
I'd rather sit on one of the ex Varios at Blyth for an hour than wait for 30 minutes in the rain - if you've never been on one of those it's not something you would've wanted think the opposite of GNE's new buses.
Even still, those stops you mention have a bus leaving to Gateshead every few minutes. I think the main issue in these situations is the lack of communication, it would be good if there was a way for delays or cancellations to be communicated to passengers waiting at stops. This is why I think smart displays at stops should be rolled out, even if it's just an e-ink display in place of the regular timetable
The upside with GNE is that the buses have radio communication so it's possible for control to tell the drivers that passengers may board with the incorrect ticket, but Arriva don't have this luxury. I've even had drivers in the past stop at my stop to tell me that another service has been cancelled