(23 Jul 2020, 9:41 am)Andreos1 wrote I agree, I don't think there is that much demand to/from Harlow Green.
It's a useful location to get the bus pointing in the right direction again, it allows for the main drag through Low Fell to be covered and the length of time it takes to get there from the town, means you can use a pretty low PVR and associated resource.
Send something through Birtley and all of a sudden you're looking to increase the resources cost, are at the whim of the many traffic lights and hoping that nowt happens on the A1 - for not much in the way of financial return, as the demand to/from the Gateshead or Newcastle isn't always there imo.
I'd completely forgotten about the Tyne Rider Metrobuses mentioned above - a low cost entry in to the Durham Road bus war, which used Harlow Green as a terminus for probably the reasons I mentioned previously.
As I said previously though, I don't think Harlow Green is the place to spin the bus round. Ditto Wrekenton. They might be convenient for operators, but they're both intermediate stops imo, which won't attract the through passengers, which help supplement the short trips.
I was talking about the 25 there btw. Could possibly do send one 21 every 30 minutes around the Harlow Green Loop then send the other 21 every 30 minutes to the Gold Medal R'bout or even Team Valley then continue with every 15 to CLS, 30 to Durham. Merges 2 routes into one, not sure what PVR decrease you'd get mind.