(12 Oct 2022, 7:58 pm)ALavery wrote Ah yes, because an interchange or town/city centre is an obscure place. Got it.
If you drove the 39 route it would take about half an hour also. So with that conclusion I’m assuming you want a direct bus from penshaw to doxford park picking up no one but you? Buses have routes for a reason, at the end of the day you’d still get there. It’s literally not a difficult job to change bus.
It’s not about that. In this case a person living in Penshaw does not want to go into Sunderland City Centre via Chester Road, just to go back out of the city centre on a bus up Durham Road. It’s far far too convoluted and takes too long. And again it’s all about passenger perception, a friend tells me a family member living in South Hetton won’t use the new 61 to Dalton Park or Sunderland as it ‘goes round Murton twice’ instead she goes into Easington to connect with the Arriva, or waits to get a lift of course. The former will probably save no time at all, but it’s soul destroying sitting on a bus you feel is going around the world to get where you want. That 61 route in the devil, I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again.
Having said that, for the same reasons outlined above, sending any sort of Sunderland to Seaham bus via Doxford isn’t the answer either, as that would take far too long for those using the point to point. It would have to be a separate service not at the expense of the 60 or X6 and I’m not sure there’s demand. Seaham link isn’t too bad, as you can change at a Ryhope without the need to go in and back out of the bus station. So from the south isn’t too bad, except of course unless you planned on changing from a 22/23 to a 39 and needing two bus operator tickets, but that’s a conversation for another time!! Back to the level of service, even Houghton to Doxford links have been cut back since the 55 is no longer and the X20 temporary withdrawal. I’m sure peak time 20s used to call in, but that doesn’t seem to happen anymore either. The 39’s are the only option and they can’t be a catch all for everyone/everywhere.
Also, was posted earlier in this thread that Roker to Doxford work service which takes an hour from end to end is again a great idea but really? An hour bus ride for what’s 20 minutes car journey across the city?