(06 Feb 2025, 4:59 pm)Malarkey wrote I don't see these changes doing much to boost passenger numbers given you have Stagecoach operating the 37/38 along the same corridor and in turn duplicating the service, I would personally withdraw the 352/354 & 355 and merge them into the Stagecoach Services personally.

So you would have something like this:

36 - Slatyford - Fenham - RVI - Newcastle City Centre - South Gosforth - Longbenton - Forest Hall - Killingworth - Murton Village - North Tyneside Hospital - Monkseaton - Whitley Bay

36A -  Slatyford - Fenham - RVI - Newcastle City Centre - South Gosforth - Four Lane Ends - Quorum - Killingworth - Backworth - Cobalt North - New York - Billy Mill - North Shields

37 - Whickham View - Fenham - Newcastle City Centre - High Heaton - Four Lane Ends - Killingworth - Dudley - Cramlington 

38 - Whickham View - Fenham - Newcastle City Centre - High Heaton - Four Lane Ends - Forest Hall  -Palmersville - Holystone - Shiremoor - Earsden - Whitley Bay

See I'm not sure they're better suited as Stagecoach services even known there's some small duplication. If we're going more radical, personally I'd look at swapping some things around like this:


which are:
19/19A (Red): Cramlington to North Shields via Backworth Village or New Backworth Estate: Every 30 Minutes
342 (Orange): Cramlington to Wallsend, Every 30 Minutes
353 (Purple): North Shields to Killingworth, Every 30 Minutes
354 (Blue): Newcastle to Whitley Bay (354 from Newcastle to Killingworth, 359 from Killingworth to Whitley Bay), Every Hour

It means you can get arid of the crazy 355 extension which isn't very logical and is clearly operational purposes and connect all the main hubs which dealing with the purpose of the subsidised routes:

Killingworth / Forest Hall to Cobalt and North Shields (353)
Killingworth / Forest to Cramlington and Wallsend (342)
Cramlington to Cobalt and North Shields (19/19A)
Backworth to NT Hospital and Whitley Bay (354)
Backworth to North Shields (19A)

It's arguably much tidier than what's there now and also restores the ASDA links and removes the 342 doubling back on itself, wasting time.

The rest of the 342 can be split into it's own route, or merged with the 335 if you want to keep that going.