(06 Apr 2021, 7:20 pm)L469 YVK wrote But GNE would've thought out everything before taking on a commercial risk. There is always scope for development. 

The X11 is a simple and straightforward concept. No if's and no but's or complex ticketng. It's a case of:

- Day trip in Whitby and or Scarborough
- These are the prices
- These are the times (the timetable)

If it proves itself, GNE will expand the offering. The big advantage over a coach trip is you can simply turn up and go (no pun intended). And before getting onto capacity, if that proved to be an issue, GNE (and or EY) would be agile in responding to that no doubt given their recent track record.

Really?

Two people board in Newcastle and get off in Whitby. What else is the bus doing apart from leech money on its trip to Scarborough, back to Whitby, back to Scarborough and then back to Newcastle via Whitby?
You're telling me that everything has been thought out before taking on commercial risk? I applaud them for doing something different and I applaud them for accepting the inevitable loss they're going to make.

There's absolutely no chance of them making any revenue from that day out at all. None whatsoever.
At least by letting people travel on it locally, you're reducing any loss. Slightly. Despite paying out nothing extra or incurring any additional costs?
But won't do so, incase it impacts on social distancing or people are forced to make their way back by other means. When (as Dan said so himself), the weather will impact on day-trippers and the numbers travelling.
Even though the weather won't impact on people travelling or commuting for work, seeing family, getting to uni after some time back home etc.

Regardless of the weather, a 6 hour round trip on the X11, plus an hour or so combined either side of it for travelling and connecting to/from the X11 for the sake of a couple of hours in Whitby or Scarborough is going to attract the very bravest of souls with the strongest of bladders. 
The additional income can make a difference and there are many ways of achieving that and overcoming the problems or the shrug of the shoulders we keep seeing. 'can't do this because of x', 'can't do this because of y'. So what? Do something about it so that x and y are overcome. That something doesn't need to be expensive or out of the ordinary either. It just needs to overcome x and y.

I want this to work and I want it to change the way operators think about services.
Like the X55, it could achieve so much. I just hope it doesn't go the way of the X55.