(29 Jun 2022, 8:58 pm)cbma06 wrote Don’t forget GNE and other bus companies are a business, and all businesses are there to make profit, only way night services will run is when the local authorities pay for those services, GNE took on those night services hoping to attract the right passengers, but only a handful of passengers are not going to pay for use and maintenance of the bus being used, plus drivers wages.


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Yes of course it’s got to make business sense - no one’s expecting a load of night buses going here, there and everywhere by next Tuesday. But perhaps looking at things a bit more realistically about who the target customers are and where they’re coming and going from. We’re told the 60 running to/from Parkside to Sunderland didn’t make enough money. Kudos to GNE for trying it, of course. But perhaps, as others have said, it wasn’t really an overly attractive proposition. There’s not that much in the way of employment sites, business parks or even nighttime leisure venues on the 60 route so I can certainly see why it hasn’t worked as well. Whereas the N21 serves Durham and Newcastle city centres bringing people to/from both locations, crucially at both end of the route so less scope for empty return trips. The same with 56 between Sunderland and Newcastle and also a main employment site with Nissan and on some trips connections at Concord to Follingsby Amazon iirc. So it’s easy to see where the 60 fell down. Having said that, I am surprised somewhat that some of the Saturday/Sunday early morning trips on the 60 haven’t managed to make some money - bringing people home after a night out in Sunderland.