North East Ticketing

[Tetchytyke]

Created a new thread for this as it’s great news and doesn’t need to be hidden on the Arriva thread.

Headlines:
T&W Day Rover price cut from £9.10 to £6
New day rover for Northumberland, T&W and County Durham at £6.80
Explorer North East remains at £12.70 for journeys to Darlington, Hartlepool, the Tees Valley, and North Yorkshire

Launched on Sunday 5 November.

Transport North East

www.transportnortheast.gov.uk

Well, for an exile, that's interesting.

So I can get an TNE DaySaver that means any bus in Northumberland, T&W and Co Durham but not into Darlington or the rest of Tees Valley.
Or I can get an Explorer NE ticket that means most buses i.e. Stagecoach, Arriva, Go North East and Travelsure but not the indies like Weardale, Hodgsons or GCT (though I think @darloscott has said before that Explorers are supposedly valid on tendered services in Co Durham but you can't find anything to tell the public that)

It’s interesting. Obviously timed to combine with the new combined authority (hence why Tees Valley and Darlington are out) but good to see the T&W Day Rover in particular come down to a sensible price- £9.10 was always terrible value for money for that ticket.

Interestingly this affects Metro too- their all zones paper ticket was £6.20, now it’s £5.90. Convenient to price it 10p below the Day Rover price…

 

[MarkP1]

It's excellent value especially when you consider the Tyne and Wear Day Rover and the TNE Day Rover includes travel on Northern services between Sunderland and Blaydon.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Created a new thread for this as it’s great news and doesn’t need to be hidden on the Arriva thread.

Headlines:
T&W Day Rover price cut from £9.10 to £6
New day rover for Northumberland, T&W and County Durham at £6.80
Explorer North East remains at £12.70 for journeys to Darlington, Hartlepool, the Tees Valley, and North Yorkshire

Launched on Sunday 5 November.

Transport North East

www.transportnortheast.gov.uk

It’s interesting. Obviously timed to combine with the new combined authority (hence why Tees Valley and Darlington are out) but good to see the T&W Day Rover in particular come down to a sensible price- £9.10 was always terrible value for money for that ticket.

Interestingly this affects Metro too- their all zones paper ticket was £6.20, now it’s £5.90. Convenient to price it 10p below the Day Rover price…

I get that it does reflect the new combined authority. Despite the years that have passed, it is still alien to me that Darlington isn't part of Co Durham Perhaps a little disappointing that the ticket doesn't enable travel over the boundary, especially to Darlington and Hartlepool but hope that doesn't come across as churlish as it's a positive step otherwise.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Explorer North East remains at £12.70 for journeys to Darlington, Hartlepool, the Tees Valley, and North Yorkshire

And (as a minor point of pedantry) Carlisle or Alston - the TNE ticket not being valid west of Greenhead or on the southernmost parts of the infrequent 681.

The boundary issues are generally fairly minor; there are a few cases where county boundaries are ignored for brief stretches of route that cross them (such as on the 4 where the Heworth to Houghton route briefly enters Durham, but Tyne and Wear tickets can be used for journeys on the whole route). Probably the biggest boundary related annoyance is that the majority of services to Barnard Castle run via Darlington - but at least it is valid on independents (unlike the Explorer) so travel is still possible via Weardale's 85 service direct to Bishop Auckland.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Probably the biggest boundary related annoyance is that the majority of services to Barnard Castle run via Darlington

I'd suggest it's mainly the services into Darlington from all parts of SW Durham, and similarly anything into Hartlepool.

On the positive side, it does return Stanhope onto the map (save for one Arriva X46) as that's been lost since Weardale left Explorer, as well as many routes around Bishop and a few other things around NW Durham with Weardale and GCT. Options......

 

[Tetchytyke]

The boundary issues are generally fairly minor; there are a few cases where county boundaries are ignored for brief stretches of route that cross them (such as on the 4 where the Heworth to Houghton route briefly enters Durham, but Tyne and Wear tickets can be used for journeys on the whole route).

It’s a bit more messy than that. The 65, for instance, allows the Durham day ticket for the whole route- but only if bought in County Durham. If you start in the Low Moorsley/Hetton area you have to buy the North East ticket at £2.80 extra.

Same applies on the 4- the T&W ticket is valid on the whole route, but you can’t buy it at the stops in County Durham.

Apparently it’s due to the ticket machines and stops being linked to local authority area.

And (as a minor point of pedantry) Carlisle or Alston - the TNE ticket not being valid west of Greenhead or on the southernmost parts of the infrequent 681.

True, the Explorer giving you access to Carlisle’s city network too.

Perhaps a little disappointing that the ticket doesn't enable travel over the boundary, especially to Darlington and Hartlepool but hope that doesn't come across as churlish as it's a positive step otherwise.

I absolutely agree with you, especially in the southern half of County Durham where Darlington is the bigger traffic draw. Although sadly that’s the sort of situation where the political consequences of the arbitrary boundary will always get in the way.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I absolutely agree with you, especially in the southern half of County Durham where Darlington is the bigger traffic draw. Although sadly that’s the sort of situation where the political consequences of the arbitrary boundary will always get in the way.

You're right - that's always the issue with a boundary.

The way the Wiltshire Day Rover deal with it is that it is valid on every bus within the county and from Wiltshire to/from Bath, Shaftesbury, Frome and Hungerford (as they are reasonable traffic objectives just over the county boundary) but not to Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Andover

 

[Tetchytyke]

The way the Wiltshire Day Rover deal with it is that it is valid on every bus within the county and from Wiltshire to/from Bath, Shaftesbury, Frome and Hungerford

I’d hope a similar solution would be found in time. Although I don’t see the combined authorities in the new North East Joint Transport Committee and the Tees Valley Mayor working with each other any time soon.

 

[SeanG]

It's excellent value especially when you consider the Tyne and Wear Day Rover and the TNE Day Rover includes travel on Northern services between Sunderland and Blaydon.

Indeed this ticket is cheaper than the Off Peak Day Single between the two stations, which is £7

 

[deanmachine]

I’d hope a similar solution would be found in time. Although I don’t see the combined authorities in the new North East Joint Transport Committee and the Tees Valley Mayor working with each other any time soon.

I wonder if it's the type of problem that might get solving when looking at the rail side of it. The Tees Valley/North East CAs are less easy to separate when it comes to the trains. Hopefully they can work together to do something sensible like making certain towns able to access both areas reduced fares. Say Hartlepool, Newton Aycliffe, Barnard Castle, as there's people going in both directions more frequently.