Go North East have recently decided to stop printing paper timetables.
Of the recent service changes in September, only a few strategic routes like the X9/X10 have received new timetable leaflets, all the other more run of the mill routes are now available online only.
To make matters worse, they seem to be keeping it quiet, meaning all the timetable stockists such as the bus stations in Newcastle, and the Nexus travel shops, are just carrying on displaying the previous now out of date versions, as normally they'd still be valid until such time as they receive a delivery of new ones.
Have they stopped printing entirely?
I was in Sunderland on Monday and the notice in the Nexus travel shop said something like ' Go-Ahead are only printing timetables for significant timetable changes' and 'we will continue to issue paper timetables until the stocks run out'.
1) As others have said, I like a paper timetable in my pocket in case my day changes. Actually I would prefer a map so I can see other routes nearby. Not every bus user is a local resident with encyclopaedic knowledge of the local bus network. Result - I stick with trams and trains which run on fixed routes to fixed points. I find on-line database generated versions of timetables near impossible to understand, with volumes of 'white space', variable spaced rows, scroll down and lose your origin point, scroll back up and lose your destination point etc. A pdf copy of the printed timetable is much more preferable. However, as I don't have a smart phone, it is irrelevant anyway whilst on the road.
2) I don't see the point of issuing timetables which do not show known changes i.e. they now have known errors on them. However small the change, if the bus you wanted has changed, it ran five minutes ago, and now you have an hour to wait you will not be a passenger in future.
3) The Arriva and Nexus racks on Haymarket Bus Station (Newcastle) have different versions of the Newcastle to Berwick timetable (X18 / 418, changed 1 October) available to take away - with significant changes which could have resulted in me being stranded out on the Northumberland Coast with no bus to Berwick to catch my booked 'Advance' train home. Incidentally it was the Arriva Travelshop, advertising an Arriva service, which had the out-of-date version! Also no mention of the change on the Arriva website! Remind me why bus use is declining year on year!
