(28 Jul 2022, 5:41 pm)MurdnunoC wrote How are JH Coaches competing with GNE via Nexus?
They are being paid to provide a service which Nexus have deemed socially necessary through a tendered bidding process. JH Coaches may have registered the lowest price for that contract, but I suspect they were bidding against a range of operators, not just GNE. As we've seen with other operators in the region recently, the lowest bid isn't always the most sustainable bid, which is why the contract sometimes put back out to tender. Now I'm not suggesting that this is the case with JH Coaches, but I guess we'll soon find out whether their bid was too low if the service is re-tendered and they don't win it.
Competing in the sense it exists alongside GNE alternatives. To go from Gateshead to QE Hospital, Wrekenton and Washington, GNE services exist or passengers can instead use the, apparently cheaper, 82. Options are competition, even if they cost more, someone might prefer them. GNE are probably a better option than JH Coaches, but a return is apparently cheaper and the Nexus day ticket might be valid for travel, I'm not sure, therefore it's competing in a sense.