(19 Mar 2023, 1:53 pm)Storx wrote Honestly can't disagree but we know fine well it won't happen. It'll be the old, 'people aren't using buses we want money!!!' approach instead.
Like personally if I was in charge I'd seriously be looking at something like:
X64 SEATON VALLEY EXPRESS (Every 20 Minutes)
Newcastle - South Gosforth - Quorum - Burradon - Fern Drive - Seghill - Elsdon Avenue - Tillmouth Avenue
Hourly Extension: New Hartley - Seaton Sluice - Blyth omitting Amersham Drive
X9 CRAMLINGTON EXPRESS (Every 20 Minutes)*
Newcastle - Beacon Hill - Cramlington - Northumbria Road - Horton Drive (Loop)
X10 FAST EXPRESS (Every 30 Minutes):
Newcastle - Cramlington - High Pit - Newsham - Plessey Road - A193 - Waterloo Road
X11 SEMI EXPRESS (Every 30 Minutes)
Newcastle - Cramlington - High Pit - Newsham - Druridge Drive - Newsham Road - Ogle Drive - Albion Way - Tynedale Drive - Briardale Road - Cowpen Road - A193 - Waterloo Road
Map: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/55.06465...0d!1m0!3e0
42 (Every 30 Minutes)
Newcastle - Seaton Burn - Dudley - A1171 - Northumbria Hospital - High Pit - Cramlington - A1171 - East Hartford
43 (Every 30 Minutes)*
Newcastle - Seaton Burn - Dudley - Cramlington - Northumbria Road - Newsham Station - Amersham Drive - Plessey Road - Blyth
52
Extended to Morpeth Hourly instead of 43
53
Extended to Blyth Hourly via Northumbria Road - Horton Drive - Newsham - Newsham Road - A193 - Waterloo Road
57 (Every 30 Minutes)*
Ashington - Bedlington - Cramlington - [Direct] - Annitsford - Seghill - Seaton Delaval - Holywell - Whitley Bay
19 (Every Hour)
Cramlington - Northumbria Hospital - East Cramlington - New Hartley - The Avenue - A192 - Elsdon Avenue - Seghill - Current Route
X21 (Dropped Every 30 Minutes)
X22 (Dropped Every 30 Minutes)
58 (Withdrawn)
X7 (Withdrawn and replaced with X64)
X8 (Withdrawn)
X9 (Blyth to Cramlington Withdrawn, mostly replaced by new X10)
X22/57 (Every 15 Minutes, Stakeford to Bedlington)
1/X21 (Every 15 Minutes, Bedlington Station to Ashington)
2/X21 (Every 15 Minutes, Bedlington Station to Bedlington)
X63/X64 (Every 10 Minutes, Newcastle to Quorum)
X10/X11 (Every 15 Minutes, Cramlington to Newcastle via Dudley)
It would work much better than what's there now imo and be more than enough with new links on the 53 from Blyth to Killingworth and beyond (if anyone wants it - but it's there). With the 1/2/X11 interworking with the trains giving more links around Blyth.
*Future proofed to serve the new Cramlington South West development when it's built.
I've often imaginged the conversation to be like this between them.
Operator: hey, how's it going? We need some help.
DfT: yeah, good thanks. Haven't seen you for a few weeks. Hit me up. What do you need?
Operator: Well, we tried painting the buses funky colours, we installed some WiFi and plugs and still nothing.
DfT: Is that the WiFi and stuff that we helped pay for?
Operator: That's the ones! We developed the app using data from the ticket machines you helped pay for too.
DfT: Still no joy?
Operator: Nah, the passengers still aren't coming. We blame covid.
DfT: Have you asked the passengers what they want or where they want to go on your buses?
Operator: Don't be daft. That would be too much hard work. Plus they keep changing their habits. Anyway, we've brought along Oliver.
DfT: Who is Oliver? Is he the new guy in your commercial department?
Operator: Don't be daft, we just keep the same faces and sometimes mix it up a bit with people from other companies. It's what we call our begging bowl. Please sir, can we have some more?
DfT: Of course you can. Tell you what, we've got a dead horse too. We will throw in a stick to keep hitting it with, along with a share of a few billion pounds.
See you in a couple of weeks!