(06 Apr 2025, 7:54 pm)Storx wrote Aye exactly, worrying times if the NECA won't drop routes which aren't profitable and clearly don't work. It's just going to result in the exact same problems as now where the network doesn't work for today and everyone is scared to make real changes because the councillors will be up in arms because 1 person uses the route whereas 10 other people in the same town are using a car because that one vocal person needs his bus to some obscure place.
Yeah you're probably right, but least they're trying something new. If it doesn't work then it goes, as there's no demand and people will just have to deal with it.
I mean, I used the 18 alot between Jan and Feb but haven't since then however when I did use it, i go on at around 11am (weekday) and it maybe picked up between 4 or 5 people between Springwell and Queen Alex bridge.
Thats the exact problem with all the routes in Sunderland, half of them are just a waste and soon as the companies want to do changes the council/locals etc kick off saying "i need the service" but I bet half of them don't even use the route.
Would be interesting if it became a contract service though and have someone other than Stagecoach run it.
The cuts does mean Sunderland are likely to lose more buses, probs the ADL E200.
I mean you're right, its different and new, look how decent the 599 is doing since its launch.