Bus companies in Newcastle Upon Tyne

[zoco]

A recent virtual tour of my old stomping ground on Street View led to a rather shocking discovery. Chance would have it that the shot of the street on which I used to live was taken at the precise moment that the No. 39 bus service to the Dumpling Hall Estate was discharging its payload of heavily laden shoppers.

But where was the distinctive yellow livery of the City Busways corporation? I couldn't make out the name of the operator but I suspect the service is now run by a private outfit.

It all started going downhill in the '80s when everything was deregulated. The new boy on the scene was the Blue Bus Company and I and several others refused to board these services even after having waited an age in the pouring rain for the Busways sevice to arrive.

It leaves me wondering about the other operators in the area. Northumbria was the company running services north of Newcastle and I have fond memories of their tartan upholstered seats. Services south of the Tyne were run by the quirkily named Go Ahead Northern while United, I seem to recall, operated in the southern most extremities of the region.

I'd be very grateful if anyone from that area could bring me up to date with the current state of bus services in the North East.

[Pondlife]

FFS Pachers. Put some effort in to it.

[Paddy]

A recent virtual tour of my old stomping ground on Street View led to a rather shocking discovery. Chance would have it that the shot of the street on which I used to live was taken at the precise moment that the No. 39 bus service to the Dumpling Hall Estate was discharging its payload of heavily laden shoppers.

But where was the distinctive yellow livery of the City Busways corporation? I couldn't make out the name of the operator but I suspect the service is now run by a private outfit.

It all started going downhill in the '80s when everything was deregulated. The new boy on the scene was the Blue Bus Company and I and several others refused to board these services even after having waited an age in the pouring rain for the Busways sevice to arrive.

It leaves me wondering about the other operators in the area. Northumbria was the company running services north of Newcastle and I have fond memories of their tartan upholstered seats. Services south of the Tyne were run by the quirkily named Go Ahead Northern while United, I seem to recall, operated in the southern most extremities of the region.

I'd be very grateful if anyone from that area could bring me up to date with the current state of bus services in the North East.

Privatising bus services is licence for large bus companies sponge money from the government. The bus companies threaten to withdraw services as they are uneconomical and this panics the local authority to step in and subsidise the routes. Outside my house, there are busses that run every ten minutes in both directions. The fare is fixed at £1.35. The bus route is 1.5 miles in each direction and runs from 6am till midnight. Apart from the rush hour, the bus is mainly empty. Each journey is subsidised by £20. That's £240 per hour x 18 hours £4,800 per day. Yet a family run bus company on a rural route gets nothing and just breaks even.

[Troll]

Privatising bus services is licence for large bus companies sponge money from the government. The bus companies threaten to withdraw services as they are uneconomical and this panics the local authority to step in and subsidise the routes. Outside my house, there are busses that run every ten minutes in both directions. The fare is fixed at £1.35. The bus route is 1.5 miles in each direction and runs from 6am till midnight. Apart from the rush hour, the bus is mainly empty. Each journey is subsidised by £20. That's £240 per hour x 18 hours £4,800 per day. Yet a family run bus company on a rural route gets nothing and just breaks even.

Well observed... but begs the question why don't the councils award the contacts to the family run bus companies, bit like why wont the Government give Projects to independent contractors rather than insert the like of Crap Gemini I suppose

[KentPhilip]

..why wont the Government give Projects to independent contractors..

bloody benefit claimant

[zoco]

The iconic Busways livery. The memories... brings tears to my eyes it does.