(13 Nov 2022, 6:07 pm)L469 YVK wrote But what's going to happen if Arriva can't provide a suitable level of service on the 43/44/45? Jesmond's old moneymakers alongside the 306.
Surely another operator who has the resources available would look to exploit the gap.
As for GNE binning off a lot of routes, I agree with you on that especially the North Tyneside locals.
But Arriva's 50 series routes, they're the types of routes that GNE would bin but Arriva have kept going. But are they going to be able to viably keep them going running out of Blyth / Ashington or will they pull the plug with Nexus / NCC picking up the pieces?
Think it all depends on how it works. The best scenario for everyone would be to sub contract some boards out similar to what GNE are to A-Line etc in the short term until they can get driver's.
I know it's the sort of routes that GNE gave away but there's still scope for movement ie downgrading to minibuses. The fact that they haven't been would suggest they're not as bad as some people think (we'll never know of course).
The costs of the depot though will surely outweight the costs of dead running. Jesmond was literally falling apart by the end you have to remember that, it's no different to CLS which was handled horrifically aswell and the driver issues there resolved pretty quickly bar Riverside which is still struggling to an extent.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with GNE long term aswell as there's quite a few marginal routes at awkward depots, the 6 in particular. Both really messed up imo and just to add the third in because why not Stagecoach in Sunderland is an absolute shambles aswell.