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Some very promising loadings observed today on the X22 and X43. My impression was lots of people using the X43 as a sort of protest vote against Go North East within Derwentside, with a number of passengers travelling from Burnopfield and Tantobie into Stanley. I counted six passengers alighting throughout the route on the 11:55 journey from Stanley. A number of passengers on the X22 heading back to Chester boarded throughout Birtley and Barley Mow although these were perhaps more incidental journeys with it being the first bus to present for them screened for all stops to Chester.
The Go North East 6 service operated by 5490 broke down not long after leaving Stanley on the 14:41 journey, and the 14:55 X43 not only rescued some of the passengers already onboard but mopped up a considerable number waiting for the 6 further along the route. What is remarkable is that, even with the X43 running fifteen minutes behind and itself arriving slightly late into the Metrocentre, it still got the passengers there earlier than the Go North East service otherwise would, had it operated as intended. Another masterclass in service design and delivery from the region's largest bus operator.
Well done to all involved, seeing some very positive feedback on the local Facebook groups today.
Did have a chuckle at the social media post celebrating the success with a crusader decker on the 21 in the rear of the photo
I think the X22/X43 are only the start for Northstar. Any rumoured tinkering around with the X5/X15 via Langley Park & Arnison Centre - I can see Northstar stepping in there too!
Noticed that GNE are running adverts for their frequent connections to the metro centre from across the region with huge regularity on the few NSA screens that are working…
(22 Jul 2025, 5:36 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Noticed that GNE are running adverts for their frequent connections to the metro centre from across the region with huge regularity on the few NSA screens that are working…
The frustrating thing with the X66 in particular is that the allocation of single deckers generally cannot cope with the loads in the times when most people want to use the service. Added to that, there have been multiple times when I've either checked the tracking or gone to use the service myself when all three vehicles have been at the same end of the route.
Of course, when you then get onto a late-running, full X66, from the MetroCentre (you know, the place where people do shopping and will have multiple bags) you are in for a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
All three vehicles on there today look to have skipped entire round trips due to late running.
I never understand why as the X66 has an official timetable any buses terminating at Gateshead and are running dead to to Riverside run as an additional X66 to MetroC then go dead from there and vice verser Metro to Gateshead
Or is that common sense?
They have had that message on for a few years now to be fair - if it is the one I think you mean.
(22 Jul 2025, 5:47 pm)PH - BQA wrote [ -> ]The frustrating thing with the X66 in particular is that the allocation of single deckers generally cannot cope with the loads in the times when most people want to use the service. Added to that, there have been multiple times when I've either checked the tracking or gone to use the service myself when all three vehicles have been at the same end of the route.
Of course, when you then get onto a late-running, full X66, from the MetroCentre (you know, the place where people do shopping and will have multiple bags) you are in for a thoroughly unpleasant experience.
All three vehicles on there today look to have skipped entire round trips due to late running.
The roadworks through Dunston certainly ain't helping the X66 atm, especially with how often it has to navigate them.
Back to Northstar, I ventured to the Metrocentre this afternoon and was nice to see people using both services, I got 415 / T70NST on the X43 to Stanley with Dan driving:
https://flic.kr/p/2ridGUa
(22 Jul 2025, 9:39 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]The roadworks through Dunston certainly ain't helping the X66 atm, especially with how often it has to navigate them.
Why don't they go via the Federation Brewery & A1 instead instead like what the 100 used to?
Fair enough, I get a driver might get "too comfortable" if suddenly allocated a decker. But surely a warning to avoid that route if allocated a double decker, could be setup on ticketer as the vehicle pulls from the Metro or Gateshead interchange.
(22 Jul 2025, 10:21 pm)L469 YVK wrote [ -> ]Why don't they go via the Federation Brewery & A1 instead instead like what the 100 used to?
Fair enough, I get a driver might get "too comfortable" if suddenly allocated a decker. But surely a warning to avoid that route if allocated a double decker, could be setup on ticketer as the vehicle pulls from the Metro or Gateshead interchange.
It can't do that now as the X66 is registered to serve some of the stops along the way between the Metrocentre and Teams.
(22 Jul 2025, 11:08 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]It can't do that now as the X66 is registered to serve some of the stops along the way between the Metrocentre and Teams.
I totally forgot about that haha! Bit of a shame though
When will Northstar actually register these new services they are running?
(23 Jul 2025, 7:56 pm)Superman wrote [ -> ]When will Northstar actually register these new services they are running?
I would imagine they've already have been registered and approved, but likely has to still yet to be published due to a backlog, the newly awarded contracts to Gateshead Central Taxis have only just started to appear in the last few days and they were received on June 13th.
(23 Jul 2025, 8:34 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I would imagine they've already have been registered and approved, but likely has to still yet to be published due to a backlog, the newly awarded contracts to Gateshead Central Taxis have only just started to appear in the last few days and they were received on June 13th.
Sorry, I'm just being mischievous
A curious observation from the Metrocentre this morning was a rather gormless looking Operations Supervisor from a competing business who made a point of wandering up to the north end of the interchange, beyond any of their own vehicles on stand, to check out both the X22 and X43 to very conspicuously note down passenger numbers.
(24 Jul 2025, 8:32 am)R852 PRG wrote [ -> ]A curious observation from the Metrocentre this morning was a rather gormless looking Operations Supervisor from a competing business who made a point of wandering up to the north end of the interchange, beyond any of their own vehicles on stand, to check out both the X22 and X43 to very conspicuously note down passenger numbers.
Nothing really unusual, been happening for decades, northern used to do the same to Redby etc.. and busways used to do the same to catch a bus and Redby etc…. Then run the independants out of business , or buying the bus services, and probably not helped with the bewildered spineless corrupt government pricing out the independent bus companies running costs probably would happen more these days if there weren’t many independents left in business with the big players carving the areas up then reducing services and raising prices
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
(24 Jul 2025, 8:32 am)R852 PRG wrote [ -> ]A curious observation from the Metrocentre this morning was a rather gormless looking Operations Supervisor from a competing business who made a point of wandering up to the north end of the interchange, beyond any of their own vehicles on stand, to check out both the X22 and X43 to very conspicuously note down passenger numbers.
Interesting, hopefully GNE don't make a dick move and launch any services against them....
(24 Jul 2025, 9:47 am)Michael wrote [ -> ]Interesting, hopefully GNE don't make a dick move and launch any services against them....
Have they got enough working buses available to start with haha?
On a serious note, makes no sense to launch a competing service to attack Northstar - especially with the fare cap and multi-operator ticketing such as the TNE tickets. Not really a great deal in it these days IMO.
Dan confirmed this afternoon whilst on his X22 to CLS that he has a total of 10 Ex Go-Ahead London "DOE Class" Dennis Trident Optare Olympus', 7 are already here in the North East whilst 3 others are in Blackburn presuming at Read Commercials for future contracts.
A total of 9 of us were on the X22 at 13:25 from MetroCentre and did check to see if GNE had any plain clothes staffed watching his services and totting up the numbers again today but did seem to be the case.
(25 Jul 2025, 7:33 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Dan confirmed this afternoon whilst on his X22 to CLS that he has a total of 10 Ex Go-Ahead London "DOE Class" Dennis Trident Optare Olympus', 7 are already here in the North East whilst 3 others are in Blackburn presuming at Read Commercials for future contracts.
A total of 9 of us were on the X22 at 13:25 from MetroCentre and did check to see if GNE had any plain clothes staffed watching his services and totting up the numbers again today but did seem to be the case.
The fleet is growing fast which is good to see.
I wonder what contracts they've won?, they've kept the 4 they had for the last school year.
(25 Jul 2025, 7:33 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Dan confirmed this afternoon whilst on his X22 to CLS that he has a total of 10 Ex Go-Ahead London "DOE Class" Dennis Trident Optare Olympus', 7 are already here in the North East whilst 3 others are in Blackburn presuming at Read Commercials for future contracts.
A total of 9 of us were on the X22 at 13:25 from MetroCentre and did check to see if GNE had any plain clothes staffed watching his services and totting up the numbers again today but did seem to be the case.
I spoke with the very kind bus station supervisor at the Metrocentre today.
It’s an agreement that this bus station supervisor is ‘fair and impartial’, but monitoring passenger loadings on a competitor’s route for ten minutes every hour probably isn’t considered to be ‘fair and impartial’.
Though it was abundantly clear what was happening, I decided to ask if he was making note of customer numbers. The bus station supervisor, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, did confirm that he had been tasked with this job. I mentioned that he possibly should consider feeding back that there might be catch traffic elsewhere on both routes and so making note of loadings at Metrocentre isn’t a true representation of patronage.
It follows other acts which may be considered as predatory and intimidating, including Head Office employees riding on the services in ‘plain clothes’ (posing as regular customers, not using their staff passes), and commercial team colleagues, perhaps coincidentally, driving training buses along the routes of the X22 and X43.
I dread to think how much management time has already been wasted on the X22 and X43. The priorities don’t seem to be quite right here, and if stakeholders were to be aware of this, there would be a significant amount of reputational damage to Go North East.
(25 Jul 2025, 7:48 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I spoke with the very kind bus station supervisor at the Metrocentre today.
It’s an agreement that this bus station supervisor is ‘fair and impartial’, but monitoring passenger loadings on a competitor’s route for ten minutes every hour probably isn’t considered to be ‘fair and impartial’.
Though it was abundantly clear what was happening, I decided to ask if he was making note of customer numbers. The bus station supervisor, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, did confirm that he had been tasked with this job. I mentioned that he possibly should consider feeding back that there might be catch traffic elsewhere on both routes and so making note of loadings at Metrocentre isn’t a true representation of patronage.
It follows other acts which may be considered as predatory and intimidating, including Head Office employees riding on the services in ‘plain clothes’ (posing as regular customers, not using their staff passes), and commercial team colleagues, perhaps coincidentally, driving training buses along the routes of the X22 and X43.
I dread to think how much management time has already been wasted on the X22 and X43. The priorities don’t seem to be quite right here, and if stakeholders were to be aware of this, there would be a significant amount of reputational damage to Go North East.
That's kinda cringe from GNE, especially since they withdraw the X22 and didn't bother to bring it back after Covid but now all of a sudden because it seems to be doing well, GNE are crawling around and it makes them look desperate but at least they're giving you a fare for the routes though.
I bet by end of the year, GNE all of a sudden bring the X22 back and time it in front of Northstars.......
I haven't actually rode the routes yet, but how are the numbers?
(25 Jul 2025, 7:48 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I spoke with the very kind bus station supervisor at the Metrocentre today.
It’s an agreement that this bus station supervisor is ‘fair and impartial’, but monitoring passenger loadings on a competitor’s route for ten minutes every hour probably isn’t considered to be ‘fair and impartial’.
Though it was abundantly clear what was happening, I decided to ask if he was making note of customer numbers. The bus station supervisor, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, did confirm that he had been tasked with this job. I mentioned that he possibly should consider feeding back that there might be catch traffic elsewhere on both routes and so making note of loadings at Metrocentre isn’t a true representation of patronage.
It follows other acts which may be considered as predatory and intimidating, including Head Office employees riding on the services in ‘plain clothes’ (posing as regular customers, not using their staff passes), and commercial team colleagues, perhaps coincidentally, driving training buses along the routes of the X22 and X43.
I dread to think how much management time has already been wasted on the X22 and X43. The priorities don’t seem to be quite right here, and if stakeholders were to be aware of this, there would be a significant amount of reputational damage to Go North East.
Isn't this what they've always done though?
Theres many examples over the last 40 years of them doing just this.
(25 Jul 2025, 7:48 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I spoke with the very kind bus station supervisor at the Metrocentre today.
It’s an agreement that this bus station supervisor is ‘fair and impartial’, but monitoring passenger loadings on a competitor’s route for ten minutes every hour probably isn’t considered to be ‘fair and impartial’.
Though it was abundantly clear what was happening, I decided to ask if he was making note of customer numbers. The bus station supervisor, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, did confirm that he had been tasked with this job. I mentioned that he possibly should consider feeding back that there might be catch traffic elsewhere on both routes and so making note of loadings at Metrocentre isn’t a true representation of patronage.
It follows other acts which may be considered as predatory and intimidating, including Head Office employees riding on the services in ‘plain clothes’ (posing as regular customers, not using their staff passes), and commercial team colleagues, perhaps coincidentally, driving training buses along the routes of the X22 and X43.
I dread to think how much management time has already been wasted on the X22 and X43. The priorities don’t seem to be quite right here, and if stakeholders were to be aware of this, there would be a significant amount of reputational damage to Go North East.
Think GNE have got bigger problems to worry about!
For starters, have they got enough working vehicles to retaliate?
Will be of great public interest if any BSIP funded runs are dropped to hoy resources onto a competing service
I think GNE after the recent news - also want to remember who has depots in Stockton & Belmont too......considering the ****show of vehicle allocations on the X10 & X21.
Amazed the Chronicles AI bots haven’t picked up the story on intimidation
(27 Jul 2025, 10:23 am)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Amazed the Chronicles AI bots haven’t picked up the story on intimidation
They probably couldn't get in here, yesterday, either.
(25 Jul 2025, 7:48 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I spoke with the very kind bus station supervisor at the Metrocentre today.
It’s an agreement that this bus station supervisor is ‘fair and impartial’, but monitoring passenger loadings on a competitor’s route for ten minutes every hour probably isn’t considered to be ‘fair and impartial’.
Though it was abundantly clear what was happening, I decided to ask if he was making note of customer numbers. The bus station supervisor, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, did confirm that he had been tasked with this job. I mentioned that he possibly should consider feeding back that there might be catch traffic elsewhere on both routes and so making note of loadings at Metrocentre isn’t a true representation of patronage.
It follows other acts which may be considered as predatory and intimidating, including Head Office employees riding on the services in ‘plain clothes’ (posing as regular customers, not using their staff passes), and commercial team colleagues, perhaps coincidentally, driving training buses along the routes of the X22 and X43.
I dread to think how much management time has already been wasted on the X22 and X43. The priorities don’t seem to be quite right here, and if stakeholders were to be aware of this, there would be a significant amount of reputational damage to Go North East.
Whilst clearly there's nothing stopping someone from standing and totting down numbers using a bus service, when it's an employee of a competitor (and knowing the issues they have), you do feel that their time could be better spent elsewhere.
I'll remind everyone that when they had that spell of major disruption, including some routes having zero buses in service for periods of time, they chose not to put a single member of their management team on the ground to deal with customers.
What about engaging with their own customers and their experiences in using
their services? Just at a glance right now, you've got one X45 running 20 minutes late and another running 12 minutes late. What's the loadings like on the X66? Again, they seem to be late running. Surely that time would be better spent engaging with the users of these services, and maybe they wouldn't go seeking alternatives.
This company has decimated their network over the past couple of years, not to mention sitting back and letting the quality of their operation go down the pan. I think it's rich that they're now interested again when someone has decided to take the risk on fixing links that they've left behind.
At a time where the region is likely to undergo the biggest bus transformation that anyone younger than 40 won't have seen, I really think that this company need to decide whether they're serious about running a business as adults.
(28 Jul 2025, 11:48 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]Whilst clearly there's nothing stopping someone from standing and totting down numbers using a bus service, when it's an employee of a competitor (and knowing the issues they have), you do feel that their time could be better spent elsewhere.
I'll remind everyone that when they had that spell of major disruption, including some routes having zero buses in service for periods of time, they chose not to put a single member of their management team on the ground to deal with customers.
What about engaging with their own customers and their experiences in using their services? Just at a glance right now, you've got one X45 running 20 minutes late and another running 12 minutes late. What's the loadings like on the X66? Again, they seem to be late running. Surely that time would be better spent engaging with the users of these services, and maybe they wouldn't go seeking alternatives.
This company has decimated their network over the past couple of years, not to mention sitting back and letting the quality of their operation go down the pan. I think it's rich that they're now interested again when someone has decided to take the risk on fixing links that they've left behind.
At a time where the region is likely to undergo the biggest bus transformation that anyone younger than 40 won't have seen, I really think that this company need to decide whether they're serious about running a business as adults.
If I was in GNE's shoes - I'd be more frightened by Arriva's new MD having commercial info / experience eventually filtered down to NE & Yorks management, which could be used to attack the 21 & X21, especially with a depot in Belmont and existing services 6 & X12 which could be 'enhanced' or changed to provide competition on the Durham - Newcastle stretch.
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