(Yesterday, 11:18 am)Busadvocate wrote (this should really be a in a different thread about BSIP and frequency, as its nothing to do with electric buses!)
You may not beleive it, but high frequency definitely DOES generate extra passengers. It's partly because if the service is not running perfectly (roadworks? unusual traffic congestion? a breakdown?) there is less likely to be a significant gap between buses. As with many other things in life, in general people are more influenced by their worst experiences than the normal service. (That is why the shocking level of missing buses that has occurred from various depots/ various operators in recent years has been so damaging).
If services were able to run like clockwork, every 10mins would be enough to reach the sweet spot, so you are right to point to other things that could be done.
I agree that, say, changing from hourly to every 30 mins has a bigger effect for passengers; but the fact that the service was only hourly hints that services like that have lower overall passenger numbers. Doubling the frequency basically doubles the costs, but you don't get double the passengers, so its not a case where the service is going to be viable at the higher frequency. (This isn't a point about commercially driven operators - the arithmetic is the same if/when the services are publicly owned.)
(Replied here as it makes more sense)
See I get that, but I'd argue that anything above 12 minutes is a frequent service. The areas where the 1, 30/31/36 serve - I'd be surprised if people have an alternative at all truthfully; they're all areas with low car usage and even if you did have a car then driving to Newcastle would be highly stupid regardless but I do get what you say.
Mind I'd be interesting to see where people are going and whether it's the connection which is actually the problem. Like picking out these routes, maybe people used to use them to travel to the Metrocentre for work but with the 100 being removed they no longer have an alternative using their bus pass and it's suddenly got very expensive? That is somewhere you could drive to easily.
Aye no arguments on the hourly though, the routes I picked used to be all every 30 minutes; so I guess it shows there was at least some demand there in the past and for the case of some of them they're the only bus service in the area. I guess it depends where they are currently though if they're running at 40% profit then it's obviously not much of a gap.