(31 May 2023, 9:57 pm)L469 YVK wrote I think if the STACK got awarded a 1am licence, things would be a lot different this time around:
- Whereas the 'good old days' of a Whitley Bay night out would likely just attract locals around NE25, NE26, NE27 and NE29 plus a few from other areas, the new STACK effectively replaces what already existed North of The Tyne. There's been no STACK North of The Tyne since Pilgrim Street closed. And I do actually know of a few people who travel over to Seaburn for their STACK.
- When the N58 existed, it was red-meat all around between GNE & Arriva. Things are different now with the Qualifying Agreement and effectively, a new night bus would be a 'joint venture' between TNE, GNE and Arriva although GNE would likely be the operator.
- In relation to above, people back then wouldn't exactly associate the N58 with the 308. But an N38 with joint ticketing would effectively be seen as a night time variant of the 308 (although serving Battle Hill & High Farm).
- Bus stop very closeby the new proposed location of the STACK (the old Avenue Pub).
- More fuel efficient vehicles available to use (Citaro back on the N58 vs StreetLites). Note that GNE could technically use the 1 arriving at the MetroCentre (0003) to form a departure after midnight from Newcastle back towards the Coast.
- Cost of Taxis vs Cost of Bus (although Taxis in 'some' instances are cheaper).
- Student population travelling to Whitley Bay STACK and looking for cheap way back home.
But what's going to make a difference. Pier 39 / 42nd Street / DEEP / Eazy Street / Havana and so on all had a much bigger capacity than what Stack has. Whitley Bay literally was the in place to go on a Bank Holiday Monday.
People aren't going to travel to Whitley Bay from Newcastle for just Stack (there's another one planned in Newcastle anyway). Similar to people from Newcastle don't travel to Seaburn. It's nothing special.
There's also the big problem that the students don't live in Newcastle either so the bus will just leave them stranded in the wrong place. The N21 and N56 only work as they have multiple points on the route.
Newcastle - Low Fell - Chester Le Street - Durham for the N21
Newcastle - Concord - Sunderland for the N56
Also barely anyone young lives along the Coast Road, so I'm not sure who's going to be using it. It's all families.
There's 3 corridors that would work potentially North of the Tyne and they are imo:
N1: Newcastle - Jesmond - Gosforth - Regent Centre - Cramlington (43/Q3 combination)
N2: West Denton - West Road - Newcastle - Heaton - Hadrian Park (11/1/307 combination)
N3: Newcastle - Byker - Wallsend - North Shields - Tynemouth - Whitley Bay (22/1 combination)
Outside of those, they'd struggle imo. The numbers don't link with routes as they're different routes than during the day to reflect duplicating Metro's but it's in all 3 operators areas so wouldn't really work.