(31 Dec 2024, 3:16 am)BusEnthusiast.com wrote To be honest the 49 is really confusing in the morning when the students from Gosforth academy get on and then the timings just suddenly go to every 1 hour which I see no point in actually having the 49 as even existing.But the Q3/Q3X situation is really confusing and the bus drivers at Haymarket still have to remind the passengers that it doesn’t go to Jesmond.IMO gne need to do 1 of 2 things either get rid of the jesmond part or scrap the Q3X entirely.Personally I’d rather they get rid of Jesmond as during peak time Jesmond is packed and the traffic is mad especially with waiting for the traffic lights taking ages to turn green at that junction bit and basically most of the time they are always late by 10-15 mins.I have never once seen a Q3 on time when it’s heading towards Wallsend.And then you have buses terminating at St Peter’s like an awkward one the 14:52 out of regent centre(can’t remember what time it leaves Brunton lol) just randomly terminates at St Peter’s leaving a gap between St Peter’s and Wallsend and having to wait 40 mins.Hope anyone has any comments about this stuff.Idm if u agree or disagree I just want answers lol bc it’s really confusing and frustrating.
If the Q3 doesn't go through Jesmond then the route should be scrapped entirely North of Newcastle it's simply not needed. The money wasted subsidising it should be used to to prop up the X46 and 49 instead preferably ran by Arriva in an ideal world and part of the 43/44/45 corridor. Both every 30 minutes? Giving 12 buses an hour on the Great North Road. The corridor deserves the capacity imo and there's way too many buses just sitting along there doing the same thing, and as mentioned above, which people avoid anyway as they're confusing.
The Q3 should be scrapped at the Eastern side aswell with the 18 doing that aswell, as I've said before the pub should not be subsidising 5 buses an hour from Walker to St Peters when there's already the commercial 12 in the area aswell.
If you want to keep the Q3 going somewhere then merge it with the 355 and up that to every 20 minutes. It probably deserves the capacity anyway, it's always well loaded whenever I see it which can't be said about the 352/354 at the Newcastle side.