(15 Jun 2023, 6:34 pm)Storx wrote Surely a better solution would be to route train one or two drivers at Riverside to do the 10, 21, 56, X1, X10 and 309 and have them on standby in Newcastle in case a bus gets full and drop in if needed. If not then just head back to the depot. Seems more sense than running numerous duplicates which likely won't be needed.

Similar Arriva Blyth could do the same for the 43, 306, 308, X10 and possibly X15/X21 aswell.

Don't see how that's a better solution at all, if you're paying them to drive into Newcastle and wait around, you may as well get them to drive something back in service.

I've not paid much attention to what GNE do with duplicates as it doesn't concern me in getting home from a match, but Arriva tend to know pretty well what's going to need an additional bus. They throw quite a lot of resource at it, and seeing the passenger loadings on them it seems to pay off.