(24 Jul 2022, 6:40 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote If it was a suggestion to run non-stop on the only stretch not competing with the Metro (A183/A690) - then I agree with you, pointless. Your suggested routing is not bad and would open up a lot of new links (so not only relying on people doing the whole Newcastle-Sunderland route). It's an interesting question as to whether there is enough demand for such services ... there will doubtless be plenty travelling back and forth along the Felling Bypass or A1 every day and it's how to tempt them out of their cars. Direct, fast (and reliable of course) buses that dont require them to travel in the wrong direction first (and either have to find somewhere to park to then get Metro, or pay for multioperator tickets) are the answer IMO. I genuinely don't know how they measure whether the demand exists - for example, when did the last express run along A690 Sunderland to Newcastle, if ever? If they don't have historic or recent passenger data, how do they know what the demand might be? I don't think I've ever seen consultations (for any operator or indeed Nexus) asking people where they want to go from and to; just ones asking which cuts to existing routes are their favourites...
Yeah can't disagree to be honest. I can't remember where it was but there's a map around detailing where commuter flows are going from surveys and I know Sunderland is really unique in that a lot of people don't leave Sunderland whereas pretty much everywhere else commutes towards Newcastle.
I know I'm derailing the thread a bit but I wish Nexus would push the Metro extension to Doxford Park that they had planned, it's by far the most worthwhile route rather than the fantasy lines to Washington and from the Metro Centre to Chester Le Street. Bar a 20m section near university the route is all free pretty much and if this government is serious about 'levelling up' it should be the sort of thing being built. Manchester has had a fortune on similar tram routes.
The pink line below is the Doxford Park route for those who don't know what it is.
