(12 Jun 2022, 8:29 am)Storx wrote Yeah totally agreed and it's going to get worse with people wanting to stay in. Like I know locally that's not really any leisure and there's no way to make the X7 (Arriva) just to pick a route a leisure route without damaging the 9 - 5's and students.The arrival into Cobalt is too late for any school buses.
I might have misread it but it seemed like he was saying that focusing on the 9 - 5 is a bad idea and instead it should be other areas but to me the 9 - 5 should be priority. It's then what you do around that aswell which needs seriously changes.
Imo they need to get more creative with certain routes. Say the 21 as it's been a route of talk. One idea imo would be to run a board similar to this (times aren't right and are just made up).
21: Leaves Durham 6.20am, arrives Newcastle 7.30am
-- Guaranteed Connection --
X36: Leaves Newcastle 7.45am arrives Cobalt 8.20am
School Bus: 8.40am
Some local service running pensioners to the nearer supermarket or Silverlink
3.20pm - School Bus
3.50pm - Last run back for the local service from Silverlink or wherever taking them home.
4.50pm - X36 Leaves Cobalt
-- Guaranteed Connection --
5.30pm - 21 to Durham
6.40pm - End of Day
It's much better utilisation of that bus imo, there's extra services for the 21 when it's needed, guaranteed connection to Cobalt, the pensioners get to go where they want during dead hours rather than there being too much on the 21 and the school buses are done.
There's plenty areas where it could be done coast road services going to Team Valley in the opposite direction. Buses dropping onto the X66 as there's no need for a 15 minute service at 8am or 6pm and so on.
Which depot would run it and where would the drivers breaks be? Costs associated with transport and providing a vehicle would add to in efficiency.
Would need to be two shifts as too long for one and too inefficient for two.