(22 Jul 2020, 11:43 am)Andreos1 wrote I've said the same for years.
For a significant period (early 80's/late 90's), they were:
24 - Allerdene
25 - Wrekenton
26 - Barley Mow.
28 - Kibblesworth.
All went as far as Harlow Green (I think the 24 went down Chowdene and back up to Harlow Green off memory).
In the late 90's/00's, they started to muck around with it and I'd argue that each change they've made, has made things worse.
Recently, they've relied on extending the 1 or diverting the 25 - rather than have a service, dedicated to what is clearly a market in need of some sort of reliable, frequent alternative.
In some aspects, I can see why extending an existing service would make sense - such as having through passengers, supplement those making short hops. However, the insistence on sending everything they come up with to/from/via Wrekenton seems to be a strange obsession - the only consistency over the years perhaps?
There was that 'consultation' a few years back, supported by eezypeazy on here. The sample size was ridiculously small, the response even smaller, but GNE jumped on the PR bandwagon and said something about 'listening to the people', when they restored services in the area.
The 29 (with some investment and an increase to frequency), could be an option.
As it stands, it clearly doesn't do the job for commuters. It doesn't need anything other than the timetable to evidence that.
In terms of sending everything to Wrekenton, after the section of route at Waverley Road, there isn't really anywhere much else to go after that, so it makes sense as the only obvious terminus point.
For the survey they did, I remember it was worded in such a way that basically only gave people the choice of either a reduced frequency but a direct service to Newcastle,or maintaining the same frequency but terminating at Gateshead. So, it was laughable to say the listened to the people, really.
The 29 definitely something that could be used as part of the solution, I'm just not quite sure exactly how in terms of what changes. An extension to Newcastle and an increase in frequency, certainly though.
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