(04 Oct 2021, 11:50 am)Rob44 wrote to be fair this wasn't aimed at you. I tend to agree with 99% of what you post! But you could say Gateshead is a hub but how many buses turn around there and return to kibblesworth, birtly QE hospital, wreckenton? Not many I tell you. I may have made this up but I'm sure when the Metro first started in the 80's the buses that did continue to Newcastle only dropped off at Gateshead metro - if you were in Gateshead and wanted to get to Newcastle the Metro ( and maybe the cross tyne service 1 ) were the only choices. Now it seems like GNE rival the metro by charging slightly less to get to Newcastle as do arriva from haymarket to regent centre.
If you are comparing team valley to a bus stop on Durham road personally i choose durham road due to the pubs i could pop into. I don't fancy sitting in McDonalds or costa then having to leg it to the bus stop for my connection. I rather be in a pub having a pint and just have to cross the road to the bus stop. Obviously talking about team valley as it sis now. If they spent ALOT of $$$ on it this may be different)
I get what your saying about Gateshead and it is true what your saying but imo Gateshead is too far into Tyneside to be worthwhile as a change point so there's no point stopping buses there as it's an inconvenience for passengers and the bus has done the worst bit already pollution wise etc.
The transport hubs need to be further out like Heworth, Four Lane Ends, Chichester and the Regent Centre for it to be worthwhile, but the Regent Centre needs a good refurb to make it good enough as it's a grim place to wait atm.
The first 3 work quite well as there's a few people going to town who change at each of them. It's more of a failure of a mass transit system heading to the West End and SE Gateshead which is the problem (I know I'm bringing trains in again). There's too many buses along certain corridors going further afield. West Road, Durham Road, Sheriff Hill, Great North Road and Bensham Bank are all particularly bad for it which argubly shouldn't be all there.