(30 Apr 2026, 9:46 pm)Busadvocate wrote (Drifting from the actual May 2026 changes)
Extending the short 21s that currently terminate at Chester le St has always seemed a pretty sensible thing (see many messages from Andreos over the years...).
Without using more pvr:
- 1 ph to Houghton le Spring = an easy 1pvr, replacing that part of 71 (the rest perhaps integrated with 168 as a local minibus?). Gt Lumley would be the main place gaining, though a direct link between Houghton and Birtley would probably help some people. (Extending on to Dalton Park would add another 1 pvr, so a different/more difficult thing.)
- 1 ph extended to replace the 725 (1pvr, as now). 
Obviously running the extensions 2 ph would be more attractive services, but considerable added funding needed, so a different issue. I'd have other things as higher priorities.

Only fair to note both those would have some downside as they would mean the extended sections would be affected by any disruption occurring north of Chester, which is sort of inevitably more prone to things happening. (And remember the dire delays caused by what felt like years of roadworks to make the cycleway through Birtley; and by traffic diverting from the widening of the A1M ?). So extended 21s would be good for people travelling through Chester, but a bit worse for local passengers.

These are the sort of things which the current deregulated system makes very hard or impossible. GNE been fixed on keeping the section north of Chester simple as 21 without "complicated" variations. (But it seems ok for them on 10/10A/10B, which is fairly similar situation.) Franchising will give more scope for new thinking, hopfully.

Yeah honestly can't disagree to be honest; obviously the delays could be an issue but the services aren't being used as it's not really usable and who really wants to be in CLS, Houghton or Langley Park in 2026 (no offence to the places)

I know some will say well you can get a bus to CLS and there's loads of buses to Newcastle which is true, but the journey in the other direction isn't the same and it's a nightmare connection. 

If only it was part of the BSIP funding for the 21... It could've been the extra passengers to make the core 21 sustainable at every 7.5 minutes; cross subsidising the extensions.

Mind bringing it back to the May changes, better links to Dalton Park are needed really; it's a difficult place to get to from the North West and there's enough there for people to want to go there for work, leisure and shopping really. Argubly more there than Peterlee, Houghton Le Spring and questionably Sunderland City Centre nowadays.

Tbh Dalton Park would be a good space for one of those hubs, people were talking about years ago considering it's location.