(09 Mar 2015, 7:05 pm)tyresmoke wrote I think there would be more of an issue with sending drivers on higher pay rates into territory where everyone else is on significantly less. I know it happens from time to time with loans etc but to do it scheduled, every day, would probably cause unions to kick up a fuss etc. I know I wouldn't be happy working on a route alongside Jesmond who were getting paid £2-£3 more than me to do the same work
Hadn't realised that was the case, and I'm surprised the unions are letting it go at present. Essentially the same dispute that's going on in London isn't it, and Unite are fighting that one.
(09 Mar 2015, 7:23 pm)palatine3833 wrote How would this affect the boards which start from Coxhoe on a morning and Chester-le-Street - a lot more dead running to allow Jesmond to operate it, not to mention the dead running back on an evening. You could argue that they could extend the X2 to run earlier, but rather than making drastic changes like that, surely it would make sense just to add an extra 5 mins running time in and maybe some recovery time at each terminus?
Extra running time and another bus or two would probably do the trick.