(23 Feb 2014, 3:42 pm)palatine3833 wrote We used to have a radio system at Durham, but the vast majority of the time buses were out of range and therefore the radios wouldn't work, simply because of the amount of countryside and rural routes that we ran, so we were left to use phones anyway.

With regards to sending a bus empty after transferring passengers, this would increase lost mileage, something which the company is trying to crack down on as much as possible. All it takes is for buses to 'bunnyhop' each other and its amazing how much difference it makes to making up time.

Not really though. It's better to make up the lost time to get back on time and despite there being dead mileage, customer satisfaction would improve dramatically despite having to change onboard the on time bus if their particular bus was late. If you look at it like this, an on time 43 overtook the late one I was on and got into Newcastle on time BUT, the 1625 45 would've left Haymarket approximately 20 minutes late and that would have a major knock on effect on service 44 and make service 44 late due to a sharp increase in the number of passengers boarding the 1640 44 out of Newcastle and even worse, that journey runs to Morpeth meaning that it would struggle to keep to time as well as coping with the traffic through Gosforth and Wideopen.