(29 Dec 2021, 10:51 pm)busmanT wrote I picked up the Arriva Christmas/New Year leaflet from Eldon Square timetable "rack" - there were plenty of them alongside the GNE one. It included full Boxing Day timetables.

Excellent to see!

I hadn't seen these, but a massive step in the right direction and just a crying shame that their information online wasn't updated to reflect the fact that services were in fact running. Arguably this is probably where most users would look first (or the app).

(29 Dec 2021, 11:06 pm)Storx wrote I'm not sure why your surprised it's no different to the fact that every other service in the Birtley / Chester Le Street area, pretty much, costs more than the 21 for a similar distance and I'm not sure I need to say why but it involves the X12.

I'm not sure that's true.

Go North East standardised its fares on most routes a good while back now - I believe it's £3.60 for a single on services 21, 25, 28 and X21 from Chester-le-Street to Newcastle, and £3.10 from Birtley to Newcastle on the 21 and 28. Likewise services on shared corridors such as Old Durham Road (where cheaper fares have always historically been offered on service 57 compared to other services on this corridor) have been standardised now.

This is how it should be - users shouldn't be penalised on another corridor because there isn't any competition, especially for end to end journeys where there (technically!) is. The Coastliner ticket is great value, and better than their competitor, but this should be opened up to the other 'X' services operating between the same places in my view. An adult single on one service being more expensive than a day ticket on the other makes no sense at all.