(24 Sep 2023, 7:02 pm)mb134 wrote I imagine that's the chosen route so that it restores the Cramlington link to Bedlington Station and Stakeford in as quick a journey time as possible, and it doesn't need to serve Bedlington since that's now served by an enhanced 43.
Ticketing wise, it probably makes more sense to give the 57A extension to Arriva given you can time it nicely into the current pattern and customers can use the same weekly/monthly passes they'd use on the rest of the services in the area?
Aye that's true, seems an odd one mind, thought it would've just been the 57 every 30 minutes tbh. Mind it does seem very tight. Unless I'm riding a motorbike, I wouldn't like to have 8 minutes to get from Bedlington Station to Shankhouse at rush hour. You'd struggle to get from the A189 to Laverick Hall on the A192, never mind the rest of it.
Yeah that's true, it's a shame that Arriva - ignoring operational issues etc, don't have the 19 for that exact reason. It's like the odd child in an area dominated by them currently. Obviously we should have integrated travel ignoring operator though for those tickets - let's be honest.
Mind I'm surprised they haven't looked at adding 1 bus to the two short 43's an extending it through to East Hartford and binning off the pointless 58. I don't think I've ever seen a single person on it between Cramlington and Seaton Sluice and it's covered by other services the rest of the route nowadays anyway.