(08 Aug 2021, 2:55 pm)L469 YVK wrote I wouldn't say wipe out considering GNE are looking into an EV solution for their Cobalt & Coast routes and have actually reverted them back to their full Jan 2020 PVR rather than cutting back.
Arriva on the other hand still haven't invested in their alleged "goldmine" route despite the VDL DB300s approaching 10 year old. Arriva will always have the slight edge between Blyth and Rake Lane even if they went down to every 20 mins because "it goes up the motorway". But GNE now have an extremely competitive offering between Battle Hill and Newcastle along the Coast Road corridor.
In fairness I was talking about the rest of the network rather than the Coast Road. The Streetlites on the 1 which has been just been dropped to every 20 minutes for example and the rest of the network which is ran by GCT in the evening (when they bother to run that is). If Arriva if we're actually in the mood to take routes they could easily extend all the 306's through with brand new buses and really hit the 1 hard on the Coast especially with all the connections Arriva offer at Whitley to everywhere. Obviously that won't be happening though. Stagecoach have already hit hard the rest of the route with the 22 extension to Cobalt.
(08 Aug 2021, 3:35 pm)V514DFT wrote Theres also areas in North Tyneside Arriva wont touch with the same kind of demand as GNE,Wallsend being one that springs to mind, all Arriva have is the 553 that is usually ran with 13 year old knackered Solo's, even the older solo's on the Little Coasters are newer than that
Not sure why Arriva would serve Wallsend that's Stagecoach territory and they've been doing a good job at being a pest aswell towards GNE (22 extension to Cobalt in particular).
Anyway that was about Peterlee not North Tyneside, don't want to drag it into another North Tyneside thread there's been enough.