(06 Dec 2020, 2:15 pm)Dan wrote Why not?
Both Go North East and Stagecoach have evening/Sunday services in this batch of tenders, and if another operator (regardless of who it is) is awarded the contract, the only person that loses out is the customer. It is complex and difficult for customers to understand, and quite often the daytime operators' tickets aren't valid on the evening/Sunday service (unless they pay Nexus to accept them). The daytime operator certainly doesn't lose out if they do not operate this contract currently (which they don't, Gateshead Central Taxis do) as they've already made the decision not to operate them on a commercial basis as they've deemed those journeys not commercially viable.
There's no bias at all here, as I'd argue the same even if Go North East operated the Stagecoach service 32A on evenings and Sundays, despite the fact that when Go North East did operate this contract last, they allocated Euro 6 Wright Streetlites, which are newer and of a higher customer specification (Wi-Fi, USB charging points and next stop announcements) than the Stagecoach buses allocated during the day.
As well as the extra work, that also acts as great marketing for GNE as it gives the passenger a direct comparison between two operators, something that is quite difficult unless they operate the same route.
It's the same situation with the GNE operated 86 to Toft Hill, the couple times I've needed to go to Toft Hill, I've waited for the evening GNE service. The buses are nicer and the drivers are friendlier, I can imagine in that situation, someone's experience on the GNE service can impact whether they take the Arriva 6 or GNE X21 to Durham