(26 Nov 2022, 8:57 pm)Storx wrote To be fair it's already like that anyway with it being 14 - 6 instead atm. Arguably it's a slight improvement in a way but I'm not sure if I'd just pull the X23 out of it altogether maybe with singles.Totally agree about the X21 and missing Nedderton. Although I've had the same debate on here in the past and the one thing (rightly) about the X21 / X22 was that they were a mess before being simplified in 2012 and have remained very stable since. Ironically overseen by GNE's now current MD.
So the X21/X22 run every 15 minutes between Bedlington and the X23 just runs inbetween, maybe 5 minutes infront of the X21 out of Newcastle so it groups back together at Bedlington so it's every 15 minutes from there to Ashington instead with the X22.
Similar to how the X9/X10/X11 work from Blyth. Anyone with sense from Bedlington itself would take the X22 anyway rather than the detour round Nedderton if they could especially if it was 4 buses an hour.
Undecided on the X23, now thinking this https://www.google.com/maps/dir/55.18093...63!1m0!3e0 would be better with the X22 terminating short instead. Would give access to the hospital across Ashington and give the top end a link to Newcastle and not kill the 57/57A by duplicating it through Stakeford.
Big danger with the X23 is that route could turn into a 'secondary' route if not successful and overshadowed by the X21/X22 taking most of the loads.
As for the X9, if in future the 43 was split into a 43/43A with the 43 via High Pit, Annitsford and Fern Drive to replace the X8 and a 43A all stops but via Beacon Hill with an hourly extension via the X8 route to Blyth, the X9 could fall in with the X10/X11 following the same route via Southfield Green to give a 10 min combined frequency on common sections.