(16 Apr 2023, 6:13 pm)DeltaMan wrote They just need to swap the X9 stand with the 1/308 stand and the 308 and 309 will be next to each other. its that simple, and nobody appears to have thought about it.

It's just stinks to me of officers at all the organisations involved doing everything they need to do for some back-patting apart the one thing that matters.....telling the public all about it.

Apart from some A4 posters on some buses, there has been nothing.zilch. No specially branded roadside timetable displays at bus stops or bus stations, no printed publicity, they've not even bothered to remove the barriers between the 308 and 309 stands at Haymarket. No 'launch'/event. It just looks like the QA is an excuse to cut frequencies with cross ticketing thrown in. They could have least as dressed it up!

Rant over.

Despite all the criticisms of 'marketing fads' (especially pre Featham's GNE - thankfully going back to basics), the Coast Road QA is one where it could be a success if the marketing is nailed on!

I'd say for marketing:
- Common route brand for all services - mainly used for marketing, not necessarily on vehicles but could just be a sticker which blends into each corporate livery

- Dedicated website shared by GNE & Arriva for the 306, 307, 308 and 309 with following information:
* Timetables
* Contact form (forwarded to appropriate operator)
* Route maps
* Ticket options for both operators

- Newspaper and radio advertisements

- Additional joined timetable leaflet for ONLY the 308 & 309 - both offer a combined 10 minute service to Newcastle along common sections and an up to minimum of 15 minutes is still guaranteed ex Newcastle during the day

Then for ticketing:
- Ticketer programmed to accept ALL valid tickets
- TapOnTapOff available on 307 & 309 - integration with Arriva and vice versa

Then for operations:
- Barrier between Stand L & Stand M removed at Haymarket
- 309 & 309 depart from same stand at Blyth Bus Station
- Better coordination between evening 308 & 309 services - would create 10/20 headway rather than flat 15 but main benefit would override this
*307 - xx:10
*308 - xx:20
*309 - xx:40
*306 - xx:50
- Above could also allow extra journeys to be introduced for midweek NUFC fixtures:
* 22:30 & 23:00 - extra journeys to be decided
- 306 withdrawn from Battle Hill Drive - flat 10 minute headway between Newcastle and Billy Mill, could allow 306 & 308 PVR to reduce by a further vehicle to 14x