(04 May 2024, 9:36 pm)Storx wrote It won't work either considering there's absolutely no depot serving most of South West / South Durham. The whole network in Bishop Auckland, Sedgefield, Newton Aycliffe and Barnard Castle would effectively be depotless (other than the 6, 56 and X21) since they work from Darlington and Stockton and both depots are beyond the touch of them.

Northumberland isn't much better either since the independents all have work beyond tenders so they won't be too open to give up their depots either and Hexham is now an outstation of a depot miles away and not connected in any sensible way either.

I think that's a very good point about depots. I think it will be very interesting to see how they could make franchising work for rural areas in the North East. 

The only one I can think of north of Ashington is Borders Buses in Berwick, and there work is mainly cross border, and you'd assume out of scope of the Mayor. 

No doubt there will be yards owned by the council that could be used as outstations. Transport for Cornwall use council land to park buses overnight. But buses need fuel and heavy maintenance, so it needs to be thought out.