(29 Dec 2024, 5:18 pm)Adrian wrote I can't really comment, as I don't know the area outside of the North East CA well enough to, but I'd be asking questions of why the Tees Valley CA aren't doing more to step in?
I don't think Kim has gone far enough to only go half way, but I suppose it is a positive that she's protected fares for young people and reduced the cap increase. Whereas Ben is doing very little for the CA in terms of buses, yet at the same time, the Airport that he keeps bankrolling has posted losses again, and of around £6.6m for this year.
Aye definitely, only really the £4 Durham cap that's saving the Durham area as I'd imagine there'd be routes affected there aswell, the fare tables are all broken though.
Northumbria doesn't seem to be affected too much but that's more because the fares are a rip off anyway and the £5 Northumberland cap is sorting the other side out. Bar the 308 and routes through Gosforth, not much left of Arriva in Tyne and Wear now to really compare and the 43/44/45 tables are also broken.
It's a dirty little trick removing returns which surprisingly GNE haven't done as a lot of other GoAhead areas appear to have done.