So SNE and ANE have posted updates about issues they've encountered. 

How lucky for GNE they have encountered no delays, road closures etc! 

Lack of updates on socials and websites from the big 3 is awful though.

Northstar have done a good job though! Well done!

(05 Jan 2026, 8:41 am)idiot wrote So SNE and ANE have posted updates about issues they've encountered. 

How lucky for GNE they have encountered no delays, road closures etc! 

Lack of updates on socials and websites from the big 3 is awful though.

Northstar have done a good job though! Well done!

Don't forget that under the North East BSIP, we should have had a single dedicated website by now!

Page 26 states:

Journey planner website and app

Current offer
Bus operators, Nexus and Durham County Council all have their own journey planning tools which provide varying levels of information, they are either specific to one mode or don’t cover the whole region. Websites such as Google or CityMapper can provide journey planning for the whole region however they don’t always contain real time information.

Headline targets to 2025
We will introduce a single dedicated website and journey planner by March 2025. Based on feedback received this tool will provide a minimum of the following:
• A public transport journey planning tool including active travel options, highlighting time, cost, and convenience advantages.
• Real time public transport information, including planned and unplanned disruption.
• Retailing for bus and multi-modal ticket products.

Since our BSIP award we have been developing the technical specification and have appointed Nexus as the lead delivery partner.

For residents who cannot access journey information digitally, we remain committed to maintaining and improving printed information at bus stops across our network, ensuring we are providing accessible and convenient information for everyone.

I wonder how they're getting on....

Not trying to defend GNE but has there actually been any issues?

The worst of the snow has been SE Northumberland and down Teesside way. 

The usual bad spots like Consett are clear.

I have traveled from Nottingham today and there was no snow till after Hartlepool.

The main roads were cleared so I'd imagine Sunderland SC and possibly south shields were the best.

Be interesting how First Aberdeen coped

Went up to Alnwick this morning for photos of Glen Valley’s new MCV Evora / Volvo B8RLE’s and the snow was quite bad past Morpeth with the dual carriageway section of the A1 being reduced to one lane but clear south of Morpeth. There was also quite a bit in Alnwick so a lot of buses weren’t running to schedule because of the snow.


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(05 Jan 2026, 6:45 pm)Unber43 wrote Be interesting how First Aberdeen coped

Don't think it was that bad in Aberdeen itself was it, not to the stage of culling everything anyway?

It's more the Stagecoach Bluebird areas which got absolutely clattered. Just had a look, bar the Inverness area it appears they've just outright cancelled everything. Same with the trains, so Aberdeen is effectively just cut off right now.

(05 Jan 2026, 6:45 pm)Unber43 wrote I have traveled from Nottingham today and there was no snow till after Hartlepool.

The main roads were cleared so I'd imagine Sunderland SC and possibly south shields were the best.

Be interesting how First Aberdeen coped

Re Sunderland, we had our usual diverts (8 missing Greenbank and 10 missing Hill View) until it thawed somewhat (think the 8s ran normal route all day today). Hylton Castle was bad but passable (always is), same with Beaumont Street. Had a few people complaining that they hadn't gritted at least where the buses go (which I agree, I can understand back roads that get a bus once or twice an hour, but the 3 runs every 15 min and Beaumont Street is a 7/8 min service. Even Vine Place wasn't gritted and was ready to catch you out!)

I wasn't in on Saturday but apparently it was bad with a fair few accidents.

Orkney

No services are currently running.


Caithness

No services are currently running, with the exception of:

Service 276 -running from Caithness General Hospital via Watten, before running directly to Thurso and Dounreay on main roads only.
Skye

Services are running as scheduled with the exception of:
Service 55 to Glasnakille which has been cancelled.

Inverness, Moray and Highlands

Most of our services in Inverness and Moray, including Elgin, are running as scheduled, however services on the A96 corridor are only running as far as Keith and Dufftown.

Services in Aviemore are running as scheduled, except from service 30 in the Cairngorms which is only running to Glenmore.

No services are currently running in Tain.


Aberdeenshire

Most services in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire are not running, including:
4A/4C - Stonehaven town service
4,5,6 - Aberdeen - Westhill/Elrick
8, 8A, X7 (North Scotland), X8 - Aberdeen - Portlethen - Stonehaven
10 & M96 - Aberdeen - Elgin - Inverness
35, X35 - Aberdeen - Macduff - Elgin
62 - Aberdeen - Ellon
64, 64A - Inverurie - Aberdeen - Methlick
66 - Peterhead - Mintlaw
69/69A - Peterhead - Fraserburgh - Rosehearty
76/77 - Fraserburgh Town Service
81/82/83 - Peterhead Town Service
84 - Peterhead Town Service via Inverugie Court
107 - Stonehaven - Montrose
201, 202, 206 - Aberdeen - Banchory - Torphins - Tarland - Ballater - Braemar
218, X18 - Aberdeen - Dunecht - Alford
220, X20 - Aberdeen - Kemnay - Alford
301, 303 - Macduff - Huntly
737 - Blackburn - Aberdeen Airport
X60 - Peterhead - Aberdeen
X63 - Peterhead via Cruden Bay and Newburgh - Aberdeen
X67/X68 - Fraserburgh - Aberdeen
Roads and routes are currently being reviewed, but it is unlikely that the above services will resume until at least Tuesday 6th January.

The below services are currently running:

Service 21/21A from Dundee is currently running but unable to serve Edzell Woods.
Service 59 towards Northfield will end at ARI. Towards Balnagask, we will not serve Grampian Road/Grampian Place or Tullos Place and instead divert via Menzies Road and Balnagask Road.
Service 727 is running between Aberdeen Union Square and Aberdeen Airport only, and will not serve Portlethen, or the stops at P&J live and TECA stops.


Angus

Service X7 (South Scotland) is running between Dundee and Montrose only due to conditions in Aberdeenshire.
Service 47 is unable to serve Inchbrayock Road in Montrose.

(05 Jan 2026, 9:05 pm)F114TML wrote Re Sunderland, we had our usual diverts (8 missing Greenbank and 10 missing Hill View) until it thawed somewhat (think the 8s ran normal route all day today). Hylton Castle was bad but passable (always is), same with Beaumont Street. Had a few people complaining that they hadn't gritted at least where the buses go (which I agree, I can understand back roads that get a bus once or twice an hour, but the 3 runs every 15 min and Beaumont Street is a 7/8 min service. Even Vine Place wasn't gritted and was ready to catch you out!)

I wasn't in on Saturday but apparently it was bad with a fair few accidents.

I respect it's a few days later, but the Northumberland gritters are currently going round residental streets around here including cul-de-sac's nevermind bus routes.

Can't say I've ever seen it before mind. Credit where it's due though.

(05 Jan 2026, 9:05 pm)F114TML wrote Re Sunderland, we had our usual diverts (8 missing Greenbank and 10 missing Hill View) until it thawed somewhat (think the 8s ran normal route all day today). Hylton Castle was bad but passable (always is), same with Beaumont Street. Had a few people complaining that they hadn't gritted at least where the buses go (which I agree, I can understand back roads that get a bus once or twice an hour, but the 3 runs every 15 min and Beaumont Street is a 7/8 min service. Even Vine Place wasn't gritted and was ready to catch you out!)

I wasn't in on Saturday but apparently it was bad with a fair few accidents.

Sunderland on saturday was an absolute joke as always , left the house 10.30am and roads were covered with snow, and this was the main chester road off the A19, when we were on A19 we saw 5 gritters between sunderland and stockton

A19 is done by Highways Agency not local councils.

Sunderland/South Tyneside was a nightmare bu what didn't help was the heavy fall of snow and the although the roads had been treated it looked like it hadn't.

(6 hours ago)idiot wrote A19 is done by Highways Agency not local councils.

It's Sir Robert Alpine the A19 south of the Tunnel. It's been sub contracted as part of a DFBO. 

Highways England were getting slated about the state of the A1 in Northumberland.

(5 hours ago)Storx wrote It's Sir Robert Alpine the A19 south of the Tunnel. It's been sub contracted as part of a DFBO. 

Highways England were getting slated about the state of the A1 in Northumberland.

Highways England are still responsible for ensuring major trunk roads and motorways are gritted, even when they don’t do the gritting themselves.

(4 hours ago)BusLoverMum wrote Highways England are still responsible for ensuring major trunk roads and motorways are gritted, even when they don’t do the gritting themselves.

They genuinely don't on the A19, it's been ran as DBFO contract since the opening of the improvements in Teesside back in the 90's.

The A69 between Newcastle and Carlisle is the same, with the Haltwhistle bypass being the one there.

They're both shadow tolls roads (paid by the government rather than the user), with the tolls costs being used to fund the original scheme and maintenance and operation of both of them for 30 year with gritting being part of it.

It's really unknown, the contract runs out next year (2027) though, when it's been handed back to National Highways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkZKVl8iCqc - There's a video from Auto Shenanigans on it about the one on the A1(M) near Peterborough.