(03 Apr 2021, 1:38 am)6049 wrote I think two birds could have been killed with one stone here by  starting at Eldon Sq, then serving Central and going over the Redheugh to Gateshead.

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Exactly. As it stands, a vaste swathe of punters in the city centre are going to board the 28/28a.
They're automatically reducing the potential for passengers to use the alternative, by making the footprint the B1 travels in the city centre, small.

I understand the costs of using Eldon Square and how that may have impacted on the overall viability of the service, but I'm struggling to see how a smaller footprint and therefore lower potential passenger numbers - stack up on a cost/benefit analysis. 

An Eldon Square - Central - Gateshead option would have ticked so many more boxes for passengers and made it more appealing over the existing options than a Central - Gateshead option. Particularly when you consider the hike between Eldon Square and Central and the comparable journey times between the 28/28a and the B1.