(06 Dec 2020, 6:15 pm)MurdnunoC wrote
Is it true that it is being renumbered back to the 14 post-COVID as the route doesn't adhere to the X-Lines ethos, as explained by Roger French in his blog, of being:

"an X-line route will pretty much take a direct trajectory much as you would if you drove a car between the communities across the region. Meandering routes are left for other bus services."

Source: [color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54)]https://busandtrainuser.com/2020/11/05/a...n-x-lines/[/color]

I really dislike this "its pretty much as direct as a car" lark - it absolutely isn't. Nobody from Consett to Durham is popping through Lanchester front street or Witton Gilbert. 

Then there's the X70, I imagine most of Consett drop by Tantobie and Burnopfield on their drive into Newcastle. Oh, and don't forget all of the people who follow the X71 route via Leadgate, Medomsley, Hamsterley Mill and Burnopfield instead of just sticking to the A692. 

I get the point that the services are quick, and likely quicker than people expect the bus service to be, but regular folk just aren't going to believe that a bus will take as direct a route as the car will (mainly because they don't). It's also something that Joe Bloggs will read about then wonder why it turns off the fastest route to "x" to serve a small village while they sail past in their car. Of course punters want it to be reasonably quick, which they are, but I imagine that the more appealing things about the X-Lines brand are the interior features. 

The only routes in the North East that I can think of that would be able to say they are "pretty much" as direct as the car would be the ANE stuff between Newcastle and Morpeth, with the "pretty much" covering the Regent Centre stop and the SNE X24. Possibly the X9/X10 but then Dalton Park/Peterlee/Billingham/Stockton aren't exactly on the direct path between Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

Edit: Just seen your post from an hour ago, didn't realise there'd been another page of discussion between me starting this reply and finally getting around to finish it.