(26 Jun 2021, 11:23 pm)Storx wrote GNE don't deserve the 335 and should be blocked from running it imo. Half the bus route is literally an ex GNE route, if GNE can't run it commercially then they shouldn't be getting it through a subsidy as it just promotes bus companies to suddenly decide that they can't run any marginal services anymore because why not let Nexus pay to run it instead.
Personally I think the 335 is a waste of tax payers money anyway as most the route is covered by other services (42A / 309 / 310 / 11 / 19 / 53 / 1 (SNE) / 63 / Metro) and if there's no direct link then it's only 1 change where the services are all every 7 minutes or so mostly at Four Lane Ends or Killingworth for Quorum from places. The limited subsidy money should be about serving communities with little / no service at all.
Pretty certain that's what some operators may base their business model on.
It's a pretty low risk way of dog p!ssing up a tree and marking their territory.
Unless of course they lose the tender. Then it seems to be a case of waiting with baited breath until an independent mucks it up or they decide it is suddenly economicly viable afterall (see the case of Nexus, GCT, GNE and the 97).