(27 Mar 2022, 8:25 pm)L469 YVK wrote Only drawback I could see potentially would be the dead mileage from the 306. If that stayed at Walkergate, the 43 could go to Blyth with relief at Cramlington also for the 52/53/54 and perhaps a bait room?

The issue I can see for the latter group of services is driving hours as there's no way a driver could do all three in a cycle and remain within driving hours. But saying that, a bullet there and back job on the 54 must already happen now with drivers just doing a there and back before the same bus goes back to work the 52 & 53 cycle?

Or.......the 53 could go standalone during the day (5 hour round trip) with the 52 & 54 interworking?

We talking about driver dead mileage or dead mileage in the morning/evening. If the latter it's not really much more than it is now. There's not too much difference between Tynemouth and Walkergate/Blyth. You have to remember most (if not all) the boards start on the Coast pretty much. If the 306 doesn't go back to every 30 minutes. You could make the case of extending the runs through to Whitley Bay in the evening aswell, they sit around doing nothing for 30 minutes at Tynemouth anyway so might aswell do something and the distance from Whitley to Blyth is negligible to Newcastle.

If the former they should be able to do 308 -> 306 -> 306 -> 308 with little issue.

The 50's are a bit of a mystery though, guess we'll have to see what happens there though.