(10 Sep 2014, 8:32 pm)aureolin wrote I can honestly say I wouldn't be. I paid the levy when living in Washington, but had nothing but broken commitments when it came to getting the system. When I worked in Newcastle I used the bus. 30 mins as oppose to the same (but more expensive) to travel by 194/Metro.As someone who lives on the Tyne and Wear Metro line, I can't say I'd be 'lost' without it either.
Buses run earlier and later than the first and last Metros (at least from Sunderland to Stadium of Light, when travelling to Gateshead or Newcastle); as such, I can't say that the Metro is better in that respect.
I'd suggest that if the Metro system was not around, services such as the X3 would be more successful as they wouldn't be directly competing with a service which could deliver a similar journey within half the time.
For me, the Metro is nothing more than a convenience to provide faster journey times between Point A and Point B.