(28 Aug 2023, 10:52 pm)DaveFromUpNorth wrote Today  I experienced a blizzare but frustrating event.

All buses was running to delays when checked the bus I was on (GNE) was 26min late and pulled over at a bus stop and chucked all his passengers off and told them his bus is coming off service and to get the bus behind which was following along Battlehill and High Farm.

Before disembarking  at a bus stop with no connecting bus behind I asked about what would happen if I was unable to board he assured me I could... I asked again if I cannot get on the bus can I use the bus after ... His response was I don't know probably... - I stopped enabling no passenger to get off to to define probably as it's 50 50 I need a dedicated wheelchair space to continue my journey

Luckily the next bus was accomodating but overloaded but an interesting find was

That some dedicated wheelchair spaces are bigger than others on coast and cobalt buses ....

Is this a common for buses late buses to chuck passengers off to regulate them back on route ..

This previous 311 service may of been beneficial to assist by picking passengers up for the services from Haymarket and advising 309 passengers to board this service your bus will be at Chillingham road to continue your journey after all it's a 5 min corridor so this would be achievable

When the 311 ran on a Sunday, the 310 still experienced issues due to the interworking patterns with service 309 at the time. Thankfully now any issues with the 309 are confined to the 309 on a Sunday with the 307 being standalone. So the 307 worst case can pick up passengers to allow them to change to a regulated 309 further downroute.

Far cry from the days of Arriva barely being able to keep to time with a PVR of 4x on the 308 on Sundays. Something needs done for both routes as the traffic is only going to get worse down the Coast. But it's not something that warrants extra permanent resource.

Maybe on Sundays & Bank Holidays when a match day or when there's expected hot weather....Arriva & GNE work as part of the agreement to provide a spare bus & driver to pick up severe late running.

Arriva picks anything up at the Blyth end of the route and likewise, GNE via Riverside Depot fill in at the Newcastle end of the route.