(14 Apr 2026, 3:49 pm)Rob44 wrote Is it correct that when SCNE ran this if the service was suffering delays they often" dropped in an extra Bus" to reduce/remove the delays??

Yes - avid bustimes watchers might have noticed a fourth bus regularly in use by Stagecoach.

The aforementioned public money which funds service 18 is used to supply three buses, not four. As noble and admirable as Stagecoach’s intentions were, the better thing to do would have been to make Nexus aware of the timetable issues so that this could have been resolved for the contract start date.

(14 Apr 2026, 4:30 pm)Dan wrote Yes - avid bustimes watchers might have noticed a fourth bus regularly in use by Stagecoach.

The aforementioned public money which funds service 18 is used to supply three buses, not four. As noble and admirable as Stagecoach’s intentions were, the better thing to do would have been to make Nexus aware of the timetable issues so that this could have been resolved for the contract start date.

These 'Avid Bustimes Watchers' sound like a bunch of 'Ill-informed Bystanders' to me.

The Q3 also doesn’t seem to be a significantly impacted despite operating a similar route to the 18 around St Peter’s Basin.

It’s been a really poor start to the contract with many issues. Perhaps it’s because Northstar seem to overpromise yet underdeliver.

(14 Apr 2026, 5:35 pm)NEtransport wrote The Q3 also doesn’t seem to be a significantly impacted despite operating a similar route to the 18 around St Peter’s Basin.

It’s been a really poor start to the contract with many issues. Perhaps it’s because Northstar seem to overpromise yet underdeliver.

You’re not looking at the full picture just a small part of it. The St Peter’s Basin lights don’t help (especially with the build up of traffic on Bolam Way/Raby Street which the Q3 doesn’t serve). The timetable of the 18 has been unachievable for years now but Stagecoach never raised the issue with Nexus which has led to this debacle.

(14 Apr 2026, 5:44 pm)220631612 wrote You’re not looking at the full picture just a small part of it. The St Peter’s Basin lights don’t help (especially with the build up of traffic on Bolam Way/Raby Street which the Q3 doesn’t serve). The timetable of the 18 has been unachievable for years now but Stagecoach never raised the issue with Nexus which has led to this debacle.

Yes I completely agree with this statement but deliberately running a journey that is supposed to leave at 0723 from a bus that doesn’t arrive until 0729 isn’t going to get the day off to a good start is it? And does in fact support the over promise and under deliver, so many people diss GCT yet this is exactly the sort of thing they’ve done in the past.

(14 Apr 2026, 5:35 pm)NEtransport wrote The Q3 also doesn’t seem to be a significantly impacted despite operating a similar route to the 18 around St Peter’s Basin.

It’s been a really poor start to the contract with many issues. Perhaps it’s because Northstar seem to overpromise yet underdeliver.

isn't it the Nexus timetable that's the problem? 

It's already been reported elsewhere on the forum that Stagecoach were using a 4th vehicle when Nexus only ask for 3!

(14 Apr 2026, 5:35 pm)NEtransport wrote The Q3 also doesn’t seem to be a significantly impacted despite operating a similar route to the 18 around St Peter’s Basin.

It’s been a really poor start to the contract with many issues. Perhaps it’s because Northstar seem to overpromise yet underdeliver.

What have they overpromised exactly?

The contract is to operate a bus route with a PVR of 3.  They haven't promised to chuck an extra bus in because of the poor (and unreported) timing issues, so they're sticking to the specifications of the contract.

18 now not running rest of the evening due to a driver being verbally abused and assaulted

This is pathetic behaviour and just cause they are running late or might be another issue. As seen reading in here it really goes to show that just cause they are fans of Stagecoach decide to take a hit at Northstar for any reason at all

(14 Apr 2026, 6:31 pm)Nerd4321 wrote 18 now not running rest of the evening due to a driver being verbally abused and assaulted

This is pathetic behaviour and just cause they are running late or might be another issue. As seen reading in here it really goes to show that just cause they are fans of Stagecoach decide to take a hit at Northstar for any reason at all

What the heck is going on with people kicking off at the drivers and behaving like this.  Criticism of the company is one thing but verbal or physical attacks on the staff who are just doing their jobs is insane.  Hopefully the vehicle is fitted with CCTV so the offender(s) can be successfully prosecuted.  Have these buses got assault screens etc - genuinely don't know so just wondering if that would be a prudent move if not, to keep staff safe as possible.

(14 Apr 2026, 6:31 pm)Nerd4321 wrote 18 now not running rest of the evening due to a driver being verbally abused and assaulted

This is pathetic behaviour and just cause they are running late or might be another issue. As seen reading in here it really goes to show that just cause they are fans of Stagecoach decide to take a hit at Northstar for any reason at all

Makes you think really doesn’t it. The fact that they’re sat on bustimes watching every move says it all really.

(14 Apr 2026, 6:31 pm)MurdnunoC wrote What have they overpromised exactly?

The contract is to operate a bus route with a PVR of 3.  They haven't promised to chuck an extra bus in because of the poor (and unreported) timing issues, so they're sticking to the specifications of the contract.

This. Exactly this.

The contract is being operated to specification. You pay for 3 buses to run a route, you get 3 buses to run a route. That's how the job has been priced. You wouldn't get very far asking a builder to build you a 2m extension, then when they've started the job, ask them to stick an extra meter on it for free, so why would you expect a bus operator to provide more buses than they're being paid for.

The punctuality issues caused by the temporary 4 way lights aren't good, but this is nothing new. Local authorities permit roadworks almost every Easter and Summer end of term.

The bus running off the 792 onto the 18 is not ideal, but Nexus did award Northstar both pieces of work. I suspect if Northstar were requested to use a separate bus for the 792, they'd sharply exit that contract and it'd cost Nexus more in the long run. The pragmatic approach would be for Nexus to amend the timetables to allow a seamless transition between the two pieces of work, maximising the resources available to them.

I get that you'll always get scrutiny when public money involved, but I can't help but feel that this is at the level of auditing the amount of postage stamps being used down the Town Hall...

(14 Apr 2026, 6:31 pm)Nerd4321 wrote 18 now not running rest of the evening due to a driver being verbally abused and assaulted

This is pathetic behaviour and just cause they are running late or might be another issue. As seen reading in here it really goes to show that just cause they are fans of Stagecoach decide to take a hit at Northstar for any reason at all

It's disturbing to read what has happened to one of Northstar's employees this evening. Someone simply going out to do their job.

It's unacceptable that we have people who think it's OK to verbally or physically assault workers in any walk of life.

I hope that the Police are involved, but clearly Nexus also need to review this. Northstar are their contractor and they have a duty of care to those providing services on their behalf.

(14 Apr 2026, 6:31 pm)Nerd4321 wrote 18 now not running rest of the evening due to a driver being verbally abused and assaulted

This is pathetic behaviour and just cause they are running late or might be another issue. As seen reading in here it really goes to show that just cause they are fans of Stagecoach decide to take a hit at Northstar for any reason at all

tbf, unsure whether it'll be because of the operator mind. 

No doubt be some little rat at either side of the route as neither end (Longbenton / Walker / Byker) are exactly the nicest places in the world.

It's what happens when you don't fund the police and places become pretty much lawless really.

Hope the driver is well and makes a fast recovery. Bus services on the north banks of the Tyne have been plagued with worsening anti-social behaviour for years now.

Off the top of my head, I can recall three incidents against me when driving the 18 alone: someone who decided they didn't want the bus to run via BT on the way to FLE and started banging aggressively on the cab window and calling me every name under the sun; someone who walked in front of the bus on Shields Road and accused me of trying to run them over, who then proceeded to give me homophobic abuse for wearing a rainbow lanyard(!); and someone who decided they didn't like the way I looked at them.

On other routes out of Walkergate, I've had drinks thrown at me; glass bottles smashed off my assault screen; have been spat at; had death threats; been bodyshamed... the only group I haven't had abuse from in that area were infants and the deceased. It was clearly so bad that the management and the unions agreed that assault screens were to be bolted shut on every bus, and the unions themselves warned that disciplinary action could be taken for driving around with them open. During my time at Stagecoach, there were other reports of serious assaults against drivers, often in the Walker area.

As for the timetable, Stagecoach seemingly timed their services around Newcastle using their fastest buses and assuming that every driver is quick with the ticket machine. The only way you could keep to time on any service is if you had a fast bus and knew where every ticket was on the VIX ticket machine. Drivers were explicitly told to learn the ticket machines and get used to them, whilst in training. You also have to remember that most of the regulars used m-tickets and StagecoachSmart cards that sped up the boarding process as well - and these could be bought away from the 18.

Similar delays were experienced by another operator when they took over the 317 - resulting in timetable changes - where they presumably needed extra time due to the increased idle times using Ticketers. I've only used the Transmach machines for tracking and messaging, however can see that they're not going to be as fast to use as the VIX machines were - however that's a design fault on the manufacturers for making their machines UI painfully slow. As Stagecoach get rid of their VIX machines, you'll see delays on other routes too.

There's a few options that could be explored on the 18 to improve timekeeping: pulling out timing points (as Stagecoach did for many Newcastle routes in 2023); truncating the route at St Peters Basin and Nexus/GNE agreeing to accept Nexus Bus tickets on the funded section of the Q3, with the routes timed to meet at the Basin (except on evenings/Sundays where the 18 can run the full route without issues); or perhaps removing service from the BT Call Centre (Stoneleigh Avenue is ~5 min walk from the Call Centre) and Titan Road in Walker to assist with timekeeping - other options include not serving Shields Road Morrisons, however from experience that earns the 18 a lot of its cash, so should be a last resort. Another option could be to run the 18 via Albion Row and St Michaels Road instead of Byker Metro, to speed up journey times through Byker whilst keeping the link to Morrisons.

I'd split off the Byker - Walker (Titan Road) section and have this as a separate service for example: Walker (Titan Road) - Walker (Station Road) - St Peter's Basin - Byker - Byker Bank - Albion Row - Walker Road - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre

(14 Apr 2026, 8:23 pm)Malarkey wrote I'd split off the Byker - Walker (Titan Road) section and have this as a separate service for example: Walker (Titan Road) - Walker (Station Road) - St Peter's Basin - Byker - Byker Bank - Albion Row - Walker Road - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre

Or perhaps a Q3A that does that.

(14 Apr 2026, 8:23 pm)Malarkey wrote I'd split off the Byker - Walker (Titan Road) section and have this as a separate service for example: Walker (Titan Road) - Walker (Station Road) - St Peter's Basin - Byker - Byker Bank - Albion Row - Walker Road - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre

If i remember correctly, stagecoach 34 used to do that route for a period before the 18 was originally extended to Wallsend from Walker 

Im sure it went Wallsend>Westbourne Avenue>Titan Road>Walker Road, then dropped down onto the Quayside and terminated at Central.

(14 Apr 2026, 8:23 pm)Malarkey wrote I'd split off the Byker - Walker (Titan Road) section and have this as a separate service for example: Walker (Titan Road) - Walker (Station Road) - St Peter's Basin - Byker - Byker Bank - Albion Row - Walker Road - Quayside - Newcastle City Centre

imo the better thing would be to curtail the Q3 short with the 18 extended back to Wallsend which should give them an extra 5 minutes, each run. Both the Q3 and 18 are subsidised between those points and the Q3 does nothing majorly unique which you can't do with the existing commercial 12 in the area (okay you'd lose links to the Quayside but it's not vital).

Getting rid of the 18 would be a bad idea though as you'd lose links to the Freeman which imo are more important.

It's ridiculous the tax payer is funding 5 buses between St Peter's and Wallsend when there's a commercial route round that area doing the same thing aswell.

Q3 has been affected by the 5 way traffic lights outside St Peters Social Club. I noted a pair of them running together last Friday heading towards Wallsend.

Working in Walker (Welbeck Road) myself it is a very rough area, though so people are alright, it just the some take delight in tarnishing the area and the age of them ranges from early teens up to the sixties. For some reason the bus shelter outside of my shop seems to be the centre of attraction for the local drunks / smackheads etc like a moth is attracted to a flame. Though hopefully we will have the police getting powers to shift on the undesirables soon after many months of campaigning as it's made the area around the shop and the bus stop particularly unwelcoming.

(14 Apr 2026, 8:01 pm)cr51xln wrote Hope the driver is well and makes a fast recovery. Bus services on the north banks of the Tyne have been plagued with worsening anti-social behaviour for years now.

Off the top of my head, I can recall three incidents against me when driving the 18 alone: someone who decided they didn't want the bus to run via BT on the way to FLE and started banging aggressively on the cab window and calling me every name under the sun; someone who walked in front of the bus on Shields Road and accused me of trying to run them over, who then proceeded to give me homophobic abuse for wearing a rainbow lanyard(!); and someone who decided they didn't like the way I looked at them.

On other routes out of Walkergate, I've had drinks thrown at me; glass bottles smashed off my assault screen; have been spat at; had death threats; been bodyshamed... the only group I haven't had abuse from in that area were infants and the deceased. It was clearly so bad that the management and the unions agreed that assault screens were to be bolted shut on every bus, and the unions themselves warned that disciplinary action could be taken for driving around with them open. During my time at Stagecoach, there were other reports of serious assaults against drivers, often in the Walker area.

As for the timetable, Stagecoach seemingly timed their services around Newcastle using their fastest buses and assuming that every driver is quick with the ticket machine. The only way you could keep to time on any service is if you had a fast bus and knew where every ticket was on the VIX ticket machine. Drivers were explicitly told to learn the ticket machines and get used to them, whilst in training. You also have to remember that most of the regulars used m-tickets and StagecoachSmart cards that sped up the boarding process as well - and these could be bought away from the 18.

Similar delays were experienced by another operator when they took over the 317 - resulting in timetable changes - where they presumably needed extra time due to the increased idle times using Ticketers. I've only used the Transmach machines for tracking and messaging, however can see that they're not going to be as fast to use as the VIX machines were - however that's a design fault on the manufacturers for making their machines UI painfully slow. As Stagecoach get rid of their VIX machines, you'll see delays on other routes too.

There's a few options that could be explored on the 18 to improve timekeeping: pulling out timing points (as Stagecoach did for many Newcastle routes in 2023); truncating the route at St Peters Basin and Nexus/GNE agreeing to accept Nexus Bus tickets on the funded section of the Q3, with the routes timed to meet at the Basin (except on evenings/Sundays where the 18 can run the full route without issues); or perhaps removing service from the BT Call Centre (Stoneleigh Avenue is ~5 min walk from the Call Centre) and Titan Road in Walker to assist with timekeeping - other options include not serving Shields Road Morrisons, however from experience that earns the 18 a lot of its cash, so should be a last resort. Another option could be to run the 18 via Albion Row and St Michaels Road instead of Byker Metro, to speed up journey times through Byker whilst keeping the link to Morrisons.

Without mentioning any names, you'll probably still know exactly who I'm talking about by the story, but a Walkergate driver I know had a battered sausage thrown off him on the 317 by a rowdy passenger. Which baffles me because he's just wasted food he's paid for just to assault a driver it's almost comical.

(15 Apr 2026, 2:58 am)SN69 ZRC wrote Without mentioning any names, you'll probably still know exactly who I'm talking about by the story, but a Walkergate driver I know had a battered sausage thrown off him on the 317 by a rowdy passenger. Which baffles me because he's just wasted food he's paid for just to assault a driver it's almost comical.

There's a word for that, it's [removed]

(14 Apr 2026, 9:28 pm)Storx wrote imo the better thing would be to curtail the Q3 short with the 18 extended back to Wallsend which should give them an extra 5 minutes, each run. Both the Q3 and 18 are subsidised between those points and the Q3 does nothing majorly unique which you can't do with the existing commercial 12 in the area (okay you'd lose links to the Quayside but it's not vital).

Getting rid of the 18 would be a bad idea though as you'd lose links to the Freeman which imo are more important.

It's ridiculous the tax payer is funding 5 buses between St Peter's and Wallsend when there's a commercial route round that area doing the same thing aswell.

Im still convinced that with a bit of jiggery pokery, the 32/32A could do it if the 18 were to ever get binned (which ngl, i can see happening), suppose atleast it would actually give the 32A a purpose, i remember rightly, the 18 (and 19) were the birthchildren of merging in the 00's i want to say between 2003 and 2005 when the 20/20A/34/35/35A/61/62A/62B/64/64A were all axed, i think it was 2006/2007 that the 19 was axed and it just became the 18, then it was left alone a good ten or so years until it was prodded and poked at again to become pretty much what it is now

(16 Apr 2026, 1:53 pm)V514DFT wrote Im still convinced that with a bit of jiggery pokery, the 32/32A could do it if the 18 were to ever get binned (which ngl, i can see happening), suppose atleast it would actually give the 32A a purpose, i remember rightly, the 18 (and 19) were the birthchildren of merging in the 00's i want to say between 2003 and 2005 when the 20/20A/34/35/35A/61/62A/62B/64/64A were all axed, i think it was 2006/2007 that the 19 was axed and it just became the 18, then it was left alone a good ten or so years until it was prodded and poked at again to become pretty much what it is now

Ngl, can't see the 18 going anywhere personally; if anything I could see the 32/32A go instead. 

You could easily extend the 12 shorts to do a loop around the 32/32A loop in one direction and be done with it really and increase the frequency aswell with the 32/32A terminating short at Byker.

The other side is just an illogical mess nowadays though since the General shut imo; personally I'd split it at Benwell; send the Newcastle side through to Metrocentre and god knows with the other half. Maybe merge it with the 1, since it does most the route to about 300m from Newcastle anyway.

(16 Apr 2026, 1:39 pm)V514DFT wrote There's a word for that, it's [removed]

That term’s pretty offensive these days and generally considered unacceptable. I get that you’re aiming it at someone behaving like an idiot, but it’s still really derogatory and can be hurtful to people with intellectual disabilities who may read your words.

(16 Apr 2026, 5:16 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote That term’s pretty offensive these days and generally considered unacceptable. I get that you’re aiming it at someone behaving like an idiot, but it’s still really derogatory and can be hurtful to people with intellectual disabilities who may read your words.

I agree, I've removed the term. Thanks for highlighting.