(28 Jan 2020, 4:55 pm)Dan wrote Least I'm not in the firing line for abuse, like the folk who have commissioned the timetables have been!

Yeah, I was going to let you off, but I don't think I was harsh enough on you before! Also, I feel like I haven't been complaining enough recently, and I know you love it when I do  

As we all know, I'm a fan of consistency. Something which I believe the X21 is still lacking.

Lets say, I wanted to travel from Newgate Street to Bishop Auckland as someone who knows absolutely nothing about the Bishop Auckland area
If you look at the app, they all terminate at Durham. Very confusing for anyone wanting to travel further. Even I had no idea which one went to Bishop Auckland!
So you think to yourself, I'll just look at timetable at the stop. Oh, would you look at that, no mention of Bishop Auckland at all! Would anyone from Newcastle really know where West Auckland is? (And I know this is a Nexus issue not GNE, but the average person won't know the difference)
Oh, I'll just look at the front of the bus then. It says Durham in big writing, so I'll have to wait until it gets a bit closer to see if it goes to Bishop. By the time it's gone through all the destinations before Bishop Auckland, it's basically at the stop giving little time for it to stop. (I also know they have to display Durham as the main destination as it's a split service, but it's very confusing for passengers, especially when all go to Durham, but not all continue onwards, once again, the average person won't know, or care)


Now, imagine I wanted to go to West Auckland from Newcastle.
Once again, the app only says Durham. Useless
The timetable is very helpful, even saying exactly which stop it terminates at in West Auckland.
Same issue with the destination display
But when you get on board "This is the X-Lines X21 service to Bishop Auckland" you hear, "I thought this went to West Auckland!" you cry! No mention of West Auckland at all, not even when it goes through the list of stops along the way.
That's alright though, because at at Chester-le-Street it changes to "This is the X-lines X21 service to West Auckland". Although, I don't think that would have happened without a driver change as it said the Bishop Auckland version first.

Also, I noticed that they've re-recorded the "Thank you for travelling with Go North East" bit rather than just cut off the "This bus will terminate at the next stop". She says it slightly differently.
And is it a tight loop of the River Wear, or a coil of the River Wear?

*based on a true story, although I may have dramatised it a smidge!