(03 Jun 2023, 7:54 am)busmanT wrote and I can't see there being one for some time.
I doubt that any operator will wish to operate it commercially, so Nexus (who already fund half of the route) will have to decide if it's going to fund the other half.
And once they have decided if they are, they will have to issue a tender, get the tender submissions back, and then award the contract.
I suspect it will be August before we know if there is going to be one.
It's a bit of a mess now, as there's now also Shiremoor / Killingworth / Backworth to Whitley Bay and NT Hospital added to the gaps now the 54 has been diverted to North Shields and the hospital has been a problem for years with missing links.
Be outrage if there isn't a bus service to there similar to the 82 farce in the Birtley area. Wonder if we might see a resurrection of the 59 - https://travelnortheast.co.uk/downloads/...lia/59.pdf