(21 Jan 2024, 5:36 pm)L469 YVK wrote Each route would have a different purpose though, hence reducing the whole 'overlap'. If someone was travelling from Whitley Bay, Foxhunters (including parts Marden if able to walk) or Preston Grange to Newcastle, they'd likely use the X38/308.
306 purpose:
- Metro replacement if Metro is off
- Tynemouth, North Shields, Collingwood, Chirton, Silverlink
- All stops along the Coast Road (with some feed from the X38)
- Coast Road / Station Road to Newcastle
307 purpose:
- North Shields, Meadowell, Chirton, New York Hadrian Park, Battle Hill, High Farm
- Battle Hill > High Farm > Coast Road / Station Road to Newcastle
X38 purpose (evening 308 still serving all stops):
- Willington Square, Silverlink, Chirton, Preston Grange, Foxhunters, Hillheads, Whitley Bay, The Coast, Blyth
- Blyth to Cobalt (with change onto 309 at Whitley Bay or NT Hospital)
- Seaton Sluice, Whitley Bay, Hillheads, Foxhunters, Preston Grange, Chirton, Silverlink, Willington Square fast to High Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle
309 purpose:
- Blyth to Cobalt link (in conjunction with X38)
- Marden to Newcastle (still faster than 306)
- Marden to NT Hospital direct link re-instated.
- Offers some locations or nearby locations previously covered by 308 and no longer observed by X38.
- Cobalt then Battle Hill > High Farm > Coast Road / Station Road to Newcastle
Also looking at current common corridors:
- Coast Road / Station Road to Newcastle - excluding the X38 from Corner House, reduced from 12bph to 9bph. Likely that 306, 307 and 309 will carry more passengers as a result along this stretch
- Battle Hill to Newcastle - reduced from 9bph to 6bph, 307 and 309 will carry more passengers
- Billy Mill to Newcastle - some will tend towards X38 although coincidentally still 'some' headway with 306. But the 306 would mainly be focussed on any passengers needing all stops along the Coast Road as opposed to more into High Heaton, Jesmond or Newcastle.
- Preston Grange, Foxhunters, Hillheads, Whitley Bay, The Coast, Blyth - Reduced from 6bph to 3bph. Therefore, X38 would likely carry more on this stretch.
Speaking of the Ridley Park or Broadway issue in Blyth, if GNE decided to do a u-turn for the umpteenth time on extending the Coaster to wherever in Gateshead and instead curtail at Gateshead Interchange or Newcastle.......could be an opportunity to open up a new full coastal link to Blyth and solve the Ridley Park issue out. Although, would need re-numbered 301 in-case some poor soul intending going to Bedlington Station or Ashington ended up in Wallsend or Walkergate haha!

See personally, I still think the Coast Road is still way overbused, there's no need for 12 buses along there during the day. Personally, I'd send everything through Battle Hill and seriously look at having the Saturday timetable all week with the 308/307 swapped around so the Whitley Bay services are every 15 minutes with some express X38's at peak times only running non-stop from Billy Mill to Newcastle.

I'd also say add an extra route like https://maps.app.goo.gl/XLCiN86FCqaYyw3B8 so the 307 can run the 306 route from Newcastle to Norham Road, then maybe run direct from The Quadrant to North Shields via Chirton to get the 306/307 more equal with the 307 extended to Tynemouth to give a 4 BPH from Tynemouth to Newcastle and also the 309 also omitting High Farm. You might also have to make some changes here and there elsewhere, 308 through Silverlink maybe? So they're equal aswell.

It would mean you'd have a nice clean service from Battle Hill via Selby Gardens every 7.5 minutes rather than the 3, 7, 10 I believe it is currently and 15 minute service from Tynemouth/North Shields or Whitley Bay from Newcastle rather than the 5/15 currently which is just crap timetabling.

If there becomes too much demand on the 308/309 side of the route (it won't be coming from the other side) then look at introducing the X38 all day and curtail the 308 short at Whitley Bay.