It's always something that's had me thinking but is there any reason that we're consisting with these in 2026, when the vast majority of people just use an app or what not to find when the bus is due anyway?

imo there's loads of services around which aren't busy enough for a bus every 30 minutes; but could easily be busy enough for one for every 40 or 45 minutes or there's routes which are currently running around with 20/40 timetables which are just useless for anyone.

Some examples of these is the likes of the X45 and was X46 to Consett, could these not be both every 40 minutes which would combine to be every 20 minutes. Similar with the X30/X31 to Stanley.

For hourly routes, stuff like the Arriva 56 in Durham which would probably be ideal at every 45 minutes or even the X14/X15/X16/X18/X20 all being all every 40 minutes; continuing with the current every 2 hours to Berwick (every third bus instead of 2) combining to every 20 minutes along the Coast to Newcastle and every 10 minutes from Morpeth to Newcastle.

Surely for a punter a more frequent services is more important, than it being every 07 Past or whatever but for whatever reason they're just being not done?

Anything every 10 minutes or more frequent, I don't think it matters. Anything beyond that, then I think having a clock face timetable is important. 

I don't want to plan my journey every time I leave the house, I'd prefer the convenience of knowing my bus is due X, Y and Z past the hour, and that connects with A, B or C C onwards to Newcastle.

(3 hours ago)Adrian wrote Anything every 10 minutes or more frequent, I don't think it matters. Anything beyond that, then I think having a clock face timetable is important. 

I don't want to plan my journey every time I leave the house, I'd prefer the convenience of knowing my bus is due X, Y and Z past the hour, and that connects with A, B or C C onwards to Newcastle.

Yeah no arguments on the 30 minutes and above, agreed a 25 minute service would be silly. 

But surely a 40/45 minute service which isn't clockwork is more important than an hourly service? 

Imo the extra service one it's this infrequent starts to counteract the clockface issues. The 56 in Durham for example to just pick one out which is kinda in the middle zone probably where 30 minutes is too much but hourly is really too little.

(3 hours ago)Storx wrote Yeah no arguments on the 30 minutes and above, agreed a 25 minute service would be silly. 

But surely a 40/45 minute service which isn't clockwork is more important than an hourly service? 

Imo the extra service one it's this infrequent starts to counteract the clockface issues. The 56 in Durham for example to just pick one out which is kinda in the middle zone probably where 30 minutes is too much but hourly is really too little.

I don't know why you would deliberately do this? I think it's bad enough that times adjust during the school run on an afternoon, but at least I know why, and they generally do so with the same gap between services.

Whether you've got an app or not is irrelevant. Most people's thought process works in that they know a bus is due X, Y and Z past an hour. I know people who know railway services inside out, where there's much more open data available, but they still know the departure times - and because it's clock face, it's easy to remember.

(2 hours ago)Adrian wrote I don't know why you would deliberately do this? I think it's bad enough that times adjust during the school run on an afternoon, but at least I know why, and they generally do so with the same gap between services.

Whether you've got an app or not is irrelevant. Most people's thought process works in that they know a bus is due X, Y and Z past an hour. I know people who know railway services inside out, where there's much more open data available, but they still know the departure times - and because it's clock face, it's easy to remember.

Would it be helpful to avoid the effects of imported delays caused by interworking, it may also avoid having to add an extra bus to the pvr that could be used elsewhere. 
Also, Could timetables be designed so that some services are clockfaced over a 2 hour window instead.

Example 1:
Hour 1
2x X45, 1x X46

Hour 2
1x X45, 2x X46

Then repeat the same pattern every 2 hours.

Example 2:
Lets take the 22, you could increase it to every 40 mins, which in turn would allow it to have longer layovers at both ends, the pvr would be 2.

I don’t know it’s an interesting thought, one I’ve never given much thought too previously. I think it’s easy to say simplicity is key, but as for people just being able to ‘know timings off by heart’ is probably a little flawed, as surely a lot of people travel during peak times, such as mornings before 9am or between 3:30 and 6, when as pointed out times are generally different… routes take longer due to traffic in most areas and even then departures times differ to daytime, so in essence you’d have to check anyway.

I think perhaps there’s often this focus on daytime frequencies but where are these daytime travellers going? Retail and town centres aren’t exactly thriving, perhaps this where the whole things need flipping on its head - more evening services, peak time frequencies, services that are suiting leisure activities etc. Is a Sunday service justified anymore…

Back to the original point, I’m sure I’ve seen a service somewhere that has a bus every 45 minutes. And I can certainly see that being beneficial for services that maybe justify an uplift from 1ph but quite not 2ph. I think it’s worth remembering that not everyone is using an app, whilst many are, certainly pensioners are unlikely to be using an app, which is where there’s still a place for printed timetables.

The 516 in South Shields (not sure if its still going) used to have an odd timetable, departing slightly later each hour to account for the amount of time a round trip takes and to keep it a 1 bus service. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that is similar.

The old 938 (Sunderland- Tunstall Bank Estate) used to have a break of an hour in the middle for the drivers break (1 bus and 1 driver all day).