(20 Jun 2020, 7:41 pm)L469 YVK wrote It's not so much about changing the bus network but rather "streamlining" it.

To be fair, there's nothing in the current form that needs to change in terms of routes. But in terms of frequencies and passengers vs demand, Arriva are going to need to adjust accordingly on some of their core routes.

Passenger numbers post social distancing will likely reduce to some extent, hopefully not too much. But Arriva can't keep running around using the bare minimum in terms of vehicle quality. They need to start doing things properly. Having the correct vehicles for the correct PVR and suitable spares available (and NOT an ex-London boneshaker tarted up in MAX branding & spec).

That's not streamlining though, streamlining is where you merge bus routes and remove duplicate bus routes in the same area service similar or the same purpose. It's just reducing the frequency. The Blyth expresses have ran at similar frequencies but as different disguises for the same or similar frequencies for years now without being subsidised at all. There's other routes you'd target before those.

For the record when it comes to frequencies it's
X7/X8 - Every 15 Minutes
X9 - Every 30 Minutes
X10/X11 - Every 10 Minutes

You can't combine the X9 with the X10 and X11 as they're 2 different bus routes like you did above.

Arriva have suitable spares usually for the network however they're 1493, 1497, 1501-1505. However they've chosen that it's better to have an older decker on rather than a single with limited capacity.

Also I'd rather be on a ex. London 'boneshaker' than have my bus timetable reduced, not everyone is obsessed by fancy branding and useless features. There's no point having newer buses sitting around in a depot being unused and they're not bad buses even given their age. They're not the only operator who do it up here who have ex. Brighton deckers instead.