(17 Mar 2022, 10:30 pm)Storx wrote The biggest problem with North Tyneside is it's so fragmented. Right now there's Arriva, GNE, Stagecoach, GCT and the Metro (soon add Phoenix aswell) and there's absolutely no sensible ticketing to use in between them for the odd journey so it gets expensive fast. Not to mention Network One tickets are horribly advertised and some operators are terrible (GCT).
It doesn't help that the profitable Stagecoach routes all end in Wallsend and then GNE pick up the rumps to the East from there either. In an ideal world the likes of the 317 would extend onto the 40 or 41 would extend onto the 12 (similar to the 62/63 in Westerhope for example) but it'll never happen when there's two operators. The 22 being a prime example of something useful happening and giving Howdon direct services through.
My thinking is that the 342 would be better suited to Stagecoach and the 317 to either Arriva or GNE. But still good to see Stagecoach (and the other of the big 3) securing contracts and not to GCT and the likes of which through ticketing and easier journeys are not applicable.
I think the 317 should've been added onto the 18 with this being re-routed to wallsend like it used to before the Q3. As telling people between St Peters Basin and Walker to use the 12 instead is preposterous.