(11 Aug 2021, 10:56 am)mb134 wrote Aye, hopefully the app (I know, reaching here) makes it a bit more straightforward for folk.
Edit: I think the 0834 you mention will run dead to the depot, so won't be picking anyone up and as such will only need to drop off passengers, same with the evening trips. It looks like there will still be one peak board too, whatever works that 0834 and the 1651/1714 evening trips.
Having looked at the X21/22 times in the morning peak to Newcastle compared to the 'old' (when it was last every 20 mins) timetables, here's the differences:
New times: X21 - 0536 (from Ash), 0546, 0610, 0635, 0700, 0715, 0740, 0810, 0830, 0850, 0915 (then every 20 mins)
X22 - 0507, 0554, 0624, 0649, 0714, 0734, 0759, 0824, 0849 (then every 20 mins)
Old times: X21 - 0546 (from Ash), 0601, 0621, 0641, 0701, 0721, 0741, 0806, 0831, 0856, 0916 (then every 20).
X22 - 0516, 0605, 0635, 0655, 0715, 0735, 0755, 0820, 0850 (then every 20 mins)
So same number of journeys, but the first few of the day are quite a bit earlier. First full X21 is a full 15 minutes earlier from Newbiggin and is accommodated by the 0601/21/41 moving to an 0610 and 0635. First 3 X22s are 10 minutes earlier.
In terms of the 35 towards Morpeth in the morning peak, again compared to the last time it was every 20 mins:
New timetables: 0522 (from Ash), 0601 (from Moor Est), 0622, 0652, 0722, 0737, 0752, 0827, 0854 (35A from Spital), 0924, 0959 (35A from Spital)
Old timetables: 0522 (from Ash), 0601 (from Moor Est), 0627, 0647, 0707, 0727, 0747, 0807, 0832, 0857, 0917, 0937, 0957
Fair play for them trying the earlier services to give credit to them and seems there's been some thought into it. Guessing the 7am'ish runs are the busiest since they're all bunched up together must be every 8 min'ish roughly from Ashington I guess.
Similar with the changes with the 35, wonder if we might see more of it going foreward in having more runs in the mornings at the peaks and then going less frequent off peak which certainly makes sense from a cost point of view really rather than having a flat out service all day but buses carting fresh air between 10am - 4pm. I'm sure there's plenty other routes which similar could be done if they wanted, 43 and 46 in particular, maybe 55 aswell.
Got to give credit to whoever is doing the timetables lately there's been a bit of thought in them, which is unlike Arriva who especially around 2010 made some rather questionable decisions.