(10 Aug 2014, 12:03 pm)Michael wrote Remember when GNE went against Stagecoach in North Sunderland...
That didn't work out well at all..
Why?
Stagecoach already had the 3,4,13 and 16 every 10 mins to North Sunderland....
36 started at every 10 mins
Dropped to every 12
Withdrawn and replaced by the 36/36A - half hourly?
they were then withdrawn and replaced by the X36
Have to say Stagecoach owned them in that area...
Why would GNE risk making loads of new routes in area's which are heavily used by Stagecoach/Arriva, especially with services being every 10 mins
I think you've got to pick and choose your fights. In the case of the 36, it was the wrong fight to choose. X84/X85 and the X7 on the other hand were two correct fights to pick, and they've arguably won as a result of taking that initial risk.
A lot is said about the OK1. A lot of it, in my opinion, was the fact it provided next to no connections either side. Despite GNE's network largely being based on a 'hub and spoke' model. Why would folk change from using Arriva's X1, when they probably need to complete their journey by making a connection on to an Arriva service at either end of the route. Perhaps Arriva's X2/X24 suffers the same fate in Tyne and Wear? There are no connections for the X2 north of Pity Me, so unless you live along the route, you're on a hiding to nothing.