(09 Aug 2024, 5:57 pm)Storx wrote Crazy isn't it? It's even worse that there's services like the 25 and 82, which are far too infrequent, literally 1/2 mile apart which don't have an evening service at all in the case of the 25.
Surely this is where the money should be going...?
If the services can't sustain a 7.5 minute service, I'm not sure how funding it to make it that will make suddenly profitable, no-one and I mean no-one is going to go to a bus stop and think 'Well I'm not using the 21, it's way too infrequent. If I had to wait 2.5 minutes less, I will use this service every day'. This is the definition of a black hole imo.
The 25 on the other hand, being every 30 minutes vs every hour is a massive game changer.
To be fair, if Nexus put a bid in at say £20,000 and that's what they were paying before it was franchised and DB comes in at £17,500 then they're doing the public a favour by reducing the costs. Take away the Nexus bid then I wouldn't be surprised if DB would do £25,000 instead. Obviously bonkers numbers but just more for the point.
This nails it nicely for me. Particularly when you've got shadow services such as the 25 or 82 that reaches the outlying parts of Birtley and are infrequent and therefore won't always connect with the 21.
Those outlying areas are where the cars are. Where the commuters are and where the drive to push the modal switch needs to happen.
(09 Aug 2024, 6:00 pm)Dan wrote I thought things were improving with operators acting in the best interests of customers to direct them to the new operator when contracts are lost to another operator, but Go North East seem to have a real reluctance to use Northstar’s name in any of their news updates…
I noticed in July’s service change update, other operators’ names were referenced but not the winning bidder of the 643 and 939. This time, the operator of the 28S is not mentioned.
There’s me thinking the Business Director of Go North East was also Chair of NEbus, so would be adopting best practice…
I'd hope a strongly worded email to the relevant bodies and people involved is forthcoming.
The step that was made with the TVTE workers services and 93/94 was the start of something that could and should have been maintained in those situations AND when a contract switch happens.