(26 Nov 2020, 11:23 pm)Storx wrote Sounds like you described the North East there to be fair.
- Timetables most people don't care about really but the bus stop information as of late is horribly out of date up here.
- The same bendy buses which because London didn't want them ended up here on the 58 and had the same awkward problems they had down there.
- The Borisbus was stupid tbf, but they were popular and it's lead to the Enviro City and the new Wright bus aswell.
- Tyne Bridge down to one lane, Askew Road shut, numerous local bridges shut - all for cycles.
- Buses have been cut here for years, including some with Arriva in the next weeks, half of Stagecoach routes are still in Covid timetables and GNE couldn't cut more if they tried and we've had price increases above inflation to add salt in our wounds.
- Also with TFL they have an excellent Tube / Train service, integrated tickets so you can use that slow bus to nearest tube and get somewhere quick, much newer fleets which have a lot of requirements for USB etc coming in, next stop information for over a decade now (we've still barely got it), contactless for years now (we've just got it).

There's definitely issues down there like a large black hole where it's unsustainable and it making stupid losses every year but it's much better than up here tbh.

Bus stop information in the north east provided by Local Authorities - run by politicians
Tyne Bridge one lane - political decision
Tube / Train service up here is Metro - run by politicians
Integrated tickets called Network One
Much newer bus fleet paid for by TfL cross subsidising from the Tube, with its very high fares

Of course the is the Congestion Charge in London, bringing in lots of extra money to pay for bus services, as well as the Low Emission Zone - we haven't either in the North East so services will never be as good.