(16 Apr 2023, 10:04 am)Michael wrote Oh well, the passengers who never use it, will be outraged no doubt and go to the paper etc..............


What about the other NEXUS services, are all those changes going ahead?

I've ridden with a driver on the 135, and it seemed fairly well used for what it is, particularly the last two trips round the north estates.

(16 Apr 2023, 10:09 am)F114TML wrote I've ridden with a driver on the 135, and it seemed fairly well used for what it is, particularly the last two trips round the north estates.

Interesting, I wonder if they would keep the last 2 trips, if those are the busiest runs?

I take it, a Friday and a Saturday, is when those 2 trips are busy?

(16 Apr 2023, 10:21 am)Michael wrote Interesting, I wonder if they would keep the last 2 trips, if those are the busiest runs?

I take it, a Friday and a Saturday, is when those 2 trips are busy?

It was a Sunday, actually. Through the whole shift (I think it was 3 circuits plus the short one to town end), it was quite well used (loadings on one journey were somewhat comparable to stagecoach routes!) between the town and castletown (but completely dead from there) - I wonder, though, how many people were just using it cos they missed a stagecoach bus and we just happened to rock up before the next one...

(16 Apr 2023, 10:49 am)F114TML wrote It was a Sunday, actually. Through the whole shift (I think it was 3 circuits plus the short one to town end), it was quite well used (loadings on one journey were somewhat comparable to stagecoach routes!) between the town and castletown (but completely dead from there) - I wonder, though, how many people were just using it cos they missed a stagecoach bus and we just happened to rock up before the next one...

Surprised it was a Sunday!

Ye, that could be a reason, as you say, the route is pretty much covered by other services too, mainly Stagecoach.


However with rumours of cuts for Stagecoach Sunderland from June, be interesting to see what happens.

I will say though, there are people who purposefully get the circular. I once had someone at Downhill get on my 4, but only after I told her I hadn't seen the 136, and there's a fair few people go to Castletown on the 135 from that club on Clacton Road where the 3 terminates (couple times I've been on a backshift on the 3 and someone's been waiting for the circular). I think instead of just withdrawing the full thing, it might be best having it do the north estates and terminate at the turning circle on Grange Road. No idea what it'd be like timetable wise though.

I wouldn't think any cuts in service on stagecoach routes would affect nighttime buses - we have enough drivers for them and the service is pretty bare bones anyway.

(16 Apr 2023, 11:26 am)F114TML wrote I will say though, there are people who purposefully get the circular. I once had someone at Downhill get on my 4, but only after I told her I hadn't seen the 136, and there's a fair few people go to Castletown on the 135 from that club on Clacton Road where the 3 terminates (couple times I've been on a backshift on the 3 and someone's been waiting for the circular). I think instead of just withdrawing the full thing, it might be best having it do the north estates and terminate at the turning circle on Grange Road. No idea what it'd be like timetable wise though.

I wouldn't think any cuts in service on stagecoach routes would affect nighttime buses - we have enough drivers for them and the service is pretty bare bones anyway.

See I think it would be a route that would work for the eventual 18 replacement which is a bit pointless.

Maybe something like this:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/54.90865...906869!3e0

But doing the 135/136 route in North Sunderland (I don't have enough pins). There's loads going on in Roker / Seaburn nowadays to attract people down there with Stack etc, and is just the Summer bus pretty much all year round.

It could potentially replace the 35A/81 subsidised routes aswell in the evening and Sundays.

The other half of the 18 could maybe be an extension of the 8, 1 BPH to South Hylton, 1 BPH to Gilley Law splitting.

Heck if you served St Peter's Campus aswell it could replace the 700/702 in part aswell.

(16 Apr 2023, 11:26 am)F114TML wrote I will say though, there are people who purposefully get the circular. I once had someone at Downhill get on my 4, but only after I told her I hadn't seen the 136, and there's a fair few people go to Castletown on the 135 from that club on Clacton Road where the 3 terminates (couple times I've been on a backshift on the 3 and someone's been waiting for the circular). I think instead of just withdrawing the full thing, it might be best having it do the north estates and terminate at the turning circle on Grange Road. No idea what it'd be like timetable wise though.

I wouldn't think any cuts in service on stagecoach routes would affect nighttime buses - we have enough drivers for them and the service is pretty bare bones anyway.

I wonder if the mentioned contracted bus services on the nexus consultations for may that are getting reduced or withdrawn would be replaced by existing contracted bus services slightly diversion of routes.

Couldn’t some journeys of the 3 or 4 Sundays be extended to Castletown to cover the 135/136 if passengers are traveling from Castletown to north estates or something


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It's inevitable there's going to be cuts and consolidation. 
It's what happened prior to the pandemic and will continue to happen beyond. 
Just on a far greater scale. 

Regardless of the operator.

(16 Apr 2023, 11:39 am)Storx wrote See I think it would be a route that would work for the eventual 18 replacement which is a bit pointless.

I was thinking simply extend the 8 or 20 via Roker Baths Road to Seaburn Morrisons, or divert the E6, or possibly make a 22 or 23A opposite the existing 23. Round the back of Roker Park is the only bit of the 18 that gets many passengers - rest are all ad hoc going round the corner or i missed the 16/20'.

(16 Apr 2023, 11:50 am)cbma06 wrote I wonder if the mentioned contracted bus services on the nexus consultations for may that are getting reduced or withdrawn would be replaced by existing contracted bus services slightly diversion of routes.

Couldn’t some journeys of the 3 or 4 Sundays be extended to Castletown to cover the 135/136 if passengers are traveling from Castletown to north estates or something


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4's a bit far away but the 3 potentially could.

(16 Apr 2023, 2:14 pm)F114TML wrote I was thinking simply extend the 8 or 20 via Roker Baths Road to Seaburn Morrisons, or divert the E6, or possibly make a 22 or 23A opposite the existing 23. Round the back of Roker Park is the only bit of the 18 that gets many passengers - rest are all ad hoc going round the corner or i missed the 16/20'.


4's a bit far away but the 3 potentially could.

Aye it's a fair point, only issue part is Thompson Road which doesn't really have a bus service at all so arguably something has to go there, it's just a matter of what as it's an awkward one which goes in the wrong direction.

Mind if you wanted to scrap the whole thing could extend the 558 through from Whitburn down to Sunderland. Would work I suppose, Seaburn Dene has the 23 and E6 nearby.

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(16 Apr 2023, 1:28 pm)Andreos1 wrote It's inevitable there's going to be cuts and consolidation. 
It's what happened prior to the pandemic and will continue to happen beyond. 
Just on a far greater scale. 

Regardless of the operator.

Yeah agreed then they'll moan why no-one uses buses and cut more and the vicious circle continues until there's a bus to Sunderland and/or Newcastle but want to go anywhere else tough luck. It's virtually there already tbh.

Thing that surprises me most is they're disposing of the circulars which are well used (for what they are), yet keeping routes like the 99. I did it once on New Year's Eve and took about £11 total (cash and card combined), and I was told I was being hammered by comparison to normal loadings (baring in mind I did one full trip from Grangetown to Hylton Castle and picked no one up). I don't think I was able to pass a single timing point without waiting in the whole shift I did (3hr 15 including the run from the depot) - I even managed to leave the depot late and still arrive at my first timing point on time!

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(16 Apr 2023, 2:14 pm)F114TML wrote I was thinking simply extend the 8 or 20 via Roker Baths Road to Seaburn Morrisons, or divert the E6, or possibly make a 22 or 23A opposite the existing 23. Round the back of Roker Park is the only bit of the 18 that gets many passengers - rest are all ad hoc going round the corner or i missed the 16/20'.


4's a bit far away but the 3 potentially could.

One thing I neglected to mention is the 18A, which is well used - mainly by schoolkids, but also a few workers at that industrial site by the Queen Alex Bridge.

(16 Apr 2023, 2:30 pm)F114TML wrote Thing that surprises me most is they're disposing of the circulars which are well used (for what they are), yet keeping routes like the 99. I did it once on New Year's Eve and took about £11 total (cash and card combined), and I was told I was being hammered by comparison to normal loadings (baring in mind I did one full trip from Grangetown to Hylton Castle and picked no one up). I don't think I was able to pass a single timing point without waiting in the whole shift I did (3hr 15 including the run from the depot) - I even managed to leave the depot late and still arrive at my first timing point on time!

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One thing I neglected to mention is the 18A, which is well used - mainly by schoolkids, but also a few workers at that industrial site by the Queen Alex Bridge.

Aye totally agreed to be honest, it's the same everywhere though. Every bus goes to Sunderland and Newcastle and that's about it want to travel around the city then tough luck, travel 20 minutes into Sunderland and then travel 30 minutes back and let's be honest who the hell wants to go to Sunderland.

Always reminds me of someone who lives in the West End of Newcastle who shops in Byker as it's the only place they can actually get from where they live (Benwell). At the time I was like wtf you going there for there's like 5 supermarkets around here but then you look at a route map, good luck getting to them.

Btw. on the 99 I really don't get the point of it, is it funded by ASDA or something? As it seems the only point of it.

(16 Apr 2023, 2:49 pm)Storx wrote Aye totally agreed to be honest, it's the same everywhere though. Every bus goes to Sunderland and Newcastle and that's about it want to travel around the city then tough luck, travel 20 minutes into Sunderland and then travel 30 minutes back and let's be honest who the hell wants to go to Sunderland.

Always reminds me of someone who lives in the West End of Newcastle who shops in Byker as it's the only place they can actually get from where they live (Benwell). At the time I was like wtf you going there for there's like 5 supermarkets around here but then you look at a route map, good luck getting to them.

Btw. on the 99 I really don't get the point of it, is it funded by ASDA or something? As it seems the only point of it.

The 99's existed in various iterations for years (there's a stop at Seaburn Morrisons, somewhere, with a timetable on it for the 99 that's about 10 years out of date!) It's only been going to the ASDA since GNE dumped the 38 last year (before that it used to go along Premier Way to the Prospect, then back along Durham Road to the Barnes).

135/136 has been scrapped by Nexus.

GNE will run the 79; 79A has been scrapped by Nexus though.

The biggest problem with the 135/136 is revenue, the high minority of passengers are concessions, very few paying customers so Nexus were paying for a service and also for the passengers to have a free taxi to the club as well, a bit like most Nexus secured services, the passengers don't really contribute with paying fares to keep the service running

(16 Apr 2023, 4:16 pm)purplesolo wrote 135/136 has been scrapped by Nexus.

GNE will run the 79; 79A has been scrapped by Nexus though.

What about the other services, like 81 etc, which were also down for changes.


I take it the Stagecoach 8 will go the same way as the GNE 38 down the docks?

(16 Apr 2023, 4:16 pm)purplesolo wrote 135/136 has been scrapped by Nexus.

GNE will run the 79; 79A has been scrapped by Nexus though.

the 71 should be extended to South Hetton on evenings.

As there are no buses between Easington to peterlee from like 18:00/19:00 till the next day. 

They should bring the 35A back to half hourly.

(16 Apr 2023, 5:16 pm)Unber43 wrote the 71 should be extended to South Hetton on evenings.

As there are no buses between Easington to peterlee from like 18:00/19:00 till the next day. 

They should bring the 35A back to half hourly.

It was part of the consultations to have the 79A withdrawn from South Hetton. Apparently nobody cared.

(16 Apr 2023, 5:34 pm)deanmachine wrote It was part of the consultations to have the 79A withdrawn from South Hetton. Apparently nobody cared.

Yeah, because literally no one used it.

The 520 has been saved for some reason and will also be ran by GNE. Assuming the 79’s and 520’s will interwork.

(16 Apr 2023, 5:55 pm)purplesolo wrote The 520 has been saved for some reason and will also be ran by GNE. Assuming the 79’s and 520’s will interwork.

Could they not just merge the 2 routes together and renumber it 79, they both stop at Houghton, might as well merge them in to 1 route.

Might run off the 39A, it would help improve reliability.

A couple of corporate streetlites have appeared back at Consett, one being 5453 which, according to bustimes, has been used on the 1 recently. I wonder if the E200's are earmarked for a short stay at Consett and are transferring depots?

(15 Apr 2023, 8:10 am)Thomas12 wrote More cuts than changes?

Cuts planned by Nexus yes - don’t think GNE have any cuts planned.

(16 Apr 2023, 6:28 pm)Tiger5105 wrote A couple of corporate streetlites have appeared back at Consett, one being 5453 which, according to bustimes, has been used on the 1 recently. I wonder if the E200's are earmarked for a short stay at Consett and are transferring depots?

No Consett are keeping the MMC's for the 6

(16 Apr 2023, 5:16 pm)Unber43 wrote the 71 should be extended to South Hetton on evenings.

As there are no buses between Easington to peterlee from like 18:00/19:00 till the next day. 

They should bring the 35A back to half hourly.

X1 runs through to Peterlee all evening

(17 Apr 2023, 3:53 am)Retro Nero wrote X1 runs through to Peterlee all evening

Not really...nothing after 20:00.

Does anyone have a list of what services are under contract from Durham County Council?

(16 Apr 2023, 5:47 pm)F114TML wrote Yeah, because literally no one used it.

They did when the 35A ran it. Not many, but it was used

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(16 Apr 2023, 5:55 pm)purplesolo wrote The 520 has been saved for some reason and will also be ran by GNE. Assuming the 79’s and 520’s will interwork.

Mad how that's kept and the 135/136 are being binned off. I know that would save more money but I can't imagine it being better used.

(17 Apr 2023, 12:30 pm)deanmachine wrote They did when the 35A ran it. Not many, but it was used

It's almost as if a massive operator operating a service in their area where people can use the day/week tickets they've already bought helps...madness

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(17 Apr 2023, 12:30 pm)deanmachine wrote Mad how that's kept and the 135/136 are being binned off. I know that would save more money but I can't imagine it being better used.

I agree.