(28 Dec 2014, 9:22 pm)Dan wrote It would have been, if Arriva didn't provide such strong competition at the time...

There's advantages and disadvantages of competition - the downside to competition in the OK1's case is that it was withdrawn completely and customers who used that service had to find alternative methods...
Of course, the resources were pumped into a competing service on the Tyne Valley corridor, and Arriva carry far fewer passengers now for the same reasons as Go North East did on the OK1!

Sadly the OK1 was butchered, part the problem was the lack of GNE connections - the OK1 was great if you lived on the route but if the OK1 didn't get close enough to where you live but Arriva did, you'd just use Arriva instead of forking out for an Explorer ticket you would just get an Arriva Day Ticket if Arriva went to your destination. Also Arriva fought back with the introduction of the X1 shortly after the OK1 was launched.

On the up-hand the OK1 has at least made Arriva make improvements to their existing services in that area, if it wasn't for the OK1 there probably wouldn't be an X1 now, we'd probably still have the 1/1B on a combined 30 minute frequency, same story with the X7 has meant Arriva have had to introduce the X21 from Sunderland to Peterlee through to Darlington on the 21.