(08 Mar 2022, 7:27 am)Omega54 wrote They haven't pushed the route, nor have put the route past 7pm for people who are finishing late, and there is no X10. Or the X10 is too busy at Gateshead which does happen. I still stand by my Seaham idea, and you could use some of the older streetdecks as they don't really have a issue with a 16' plate on it every now and again. Going from seaham to newcastle, no only because it is much faster than the 56, but also it is a eXpress.  

Everytime I got on it, people were asking what is this service, even Washington drivers if you were going to Newcastle would say 'wait for the X10 it is much faster' even though you would have to have waited like 30 mins for it.

I think the idea of diverting the X10 via Seaham has some potential for some passengers, but for others - it's making the journey even longer. Merging the X9 in to the X10 has added even more time to the timetable which was already extended to include Dalton Park.
To add another 15/20 mins isn't going to appeal to someone travelling to/from Stockton or Middlesbrough.
The journey is slow enough as it is.

Marketed correctly, they could push punters from Seaham on to the X10 via Dalton Park. There's more than enough buses between there and Seaham, so connections shouldn't be too difficult or troublesome. 

I think there's a fine balance between making something attractive for potential new passengers at the expense of making it less attractive for existing passengers.
The urge for cuts, consolidation and saving money by merging the X9 and 10 could already be having a negative effect on those existing passengers. It would take a brave person to annoy, frustrate or slow down their journeys even more.