(Yesterday, 6:47 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Let me be the first to say, before an engine has started or a wheel turned, that Northstar have ruined this service for me.
There's a false narrative suggesting GCT don't particularly care about how they operate a service, or whether passengers reach their destination in a comfortable and timely manner, but they do invest heavily in their fleet and currently have the youngest fleet of the major SME's here in the North East. And now they're going to be replaced by a company running older vehicles. GCT would even chuck a second, sometimes a third, and occasionally even a fourth bus on to keep the 520 on time through the heavy traffic-laden area of Houghton-le-Spring and Hetton-le-Hole, something which I doubt this new operator will do.
And we haven't even mentioned Fencehouses yet....
Only 4? See that's why these smaller companies just should not be awarded these contracts. Stagecoach would have the entire Walkergate fleet doing 15 mile dead runs to drop on and cover runs if they were awarded the 520.