(24 Sep 2014, 3:34 pm)Tom wrote How do you know people from Wingate and Sedgefield won't use the direct link to Sunderland?Who said it was going to fail?
You don't know that the X21 will fail.
I've asked how long do people think it will take for the X21 to be cut (though this could be expanded to the current 23/24 services too).
At the end of the day, Arriva isn't offering anything different from what Go North East is offering. They could have offered a Sunday service so that they could appeal to that market, but they haven't taken the commercial risk. As such, the X21 shouldn't attract any new passengers, other than Concessionary Pass holders who may just get that bus because it comes at a time more convenient to them (thereby taking a few passengers from the X7). This means that the passengers on services 23/24 will be spread out even further and the loadings in and out of Sunderland will be even more dire than usual.