(09 Jun 2021, 9:14 am)Andreos1 wrote I think that's part of the bigger problem and something operators need to address.
I've mentioned the 194 missing out a section of route in Fatfield at chucking out time and I'm sure the 27 was the same along Kells Lane/Dryden Road at one point.
It was as though operators didn't want to have to deal with passengers and discouraged people using them back from the pub.
Surely counterproductive?

As it stood until very recently, we all know it was often cheaper getting a taxi back from the pub. Especially if there's a group of friends out.
The evening deal last year and now the £1 fare are both cracking initiatives and along with a flexible, attractive network it may go a long way in repairing some legacies of decisions made in the past.

The Quayside seems to be having a bit of a renaissance (from what I've witnessed anyway) and even if it doesn't get back to 90s levels of popularity, I do still think there's enough people down there to sustain some sort of network. 

Taxi drivers are like bees to a honeypot. They go where the demand is.
If there's taxis, there's potential bus passengers.

We've seen soft improvements (fares and on-board features).
Let's see some hard improvements to the network.

Personally I think the difference is people's drinking habits. Over the last few decades we've got from drinking in the early evening to 11pm so buses we're still running so they were an option. Nowadays there's a large chunk of people who'd rather drink in there house and won't hit the clubs until 10pm'ish and stay out until 3am so there's no option to use the bus if they even wanted to. I can't see it ever changing personally as there'll never be demand for a full network at 2/3am in the morning for a few punters especially in town.

The evening fare is a great idea but I'm not sure it's targeted at the target market who go down the Quayside and will be more for your mature audience who stick to local pubs and possibly the likes of Grey Street who aren't there to get mortal lets say.

You'd be better off having later journeys on the Q3 rather than running the Q1/Q2 imo.