(15 Aug 2022, 10:13 am)Adrian wrote I'd say journey time is a more important factor than cheap (or frequency, for that matter)
Go North East pretty much reduced all their fares last Summer for an extended period of time, to a point where some on here were arguing that they were too cheap. Irrespective of that, it hasn't done much to encourage people back on board, as we're still told passenger levels are still only around 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
No one with access to a car, in their right mind, is going to commute to Durham on the 50 for example. It now takes 50 minutes from Washington to Durham, and 25 of that is spent getting from Washington to Chester-le-Street, via a route that could have only been devised by giving a toddler some crayons and a map.
Yes, which why I said the utility the car offers is far more important than frequency. You could up the frequency of the 50 to every five minutes, but if the journey time to Durham is fifty minutes compared to a twenty-minute journey by car, then I can't see many people wanting to switch, irrespective of frequency.
Also, utility takes into account other things which aren't really possible by bus nowadays. For example, on your way home from work, you can use your car to go shopping; or pick up a click and collect order from a supermarket en-route.