(04 Nov 2020, 8:39 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote Go North East has always been my favourite operator! Nexus services could be operated by Stanley Travel/A-line/Phoenix but for ticket acceptance it's best if a major operator run them, or ticket acceptance be in place on smaller operators.
Competition is dead. Someone on here said recently (streetdeckfan?) they refuse to use Stagecoach (I use them reluctantly and refuse to use Arriva!). In the West End, Stagecoach is the most frequent, but expensive and restrictive in destinations, and I prefer GNE. GNE operate the most places in the North East, so offer the best value. Yes, they are more expensive in GNE-only territory, but competition is dead, buried and not coming back. Stagecoach only run locally for the most part, Arriva is mostly rural, neither would be missed.
Never used Weardale, but their buses are really old!
The majority of the region has no choice to what operator they use, because there is very little in the way of competition outside of City Centres and key corridors. Derwentside for example, you have no choice but to use Go North East, so they can charge whatever they want. Where I live in Durham has the same problem - we have a GNE bus a couple of times on a Sunday, but its a 100% Arriva monopoly outside of that - and they do charge what they want, for a pretty appalling service.
When buses were deregulated by Maggie Thatcher, the idea was that competition will lead to the best results. The reality is that we've seen very little in the way of competition - just one huge turf war. Buses are ran for profit, not for those using them.