North East Buses

(09 Nov 2014, 6:00 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I thought the article from 'moving people' was quite an interesting read and brought up some very valid points, though I wish Go North East had actually challenged the points made in their blog.

I too have often wondered about the ability to have more service-specific posts so that people can follow updates that affect them easily. In fact, Go North East has the structure in place to do this already - they have hashtags for their branded services '#citylink58, #fab56, #blaydonracers' etc, though these are only occasionally used. What's more, customers very rarely use these hashtags (despite stickers being placed on a lot of the 'better' routes to advertise the hashtags and the hashtags being noted on the brand page on GNE's website). For customers to start using the hashtags, I think Go North East needs to be a little bit more proactive when opportunities arise for the hashtags to be used too. Their Northern Rail example is very good though as I follow Northern Rail on Twitter and regularly see updates from Manchester etc when I'm only interested in the train services within the North East the majority of the time.

Although Go North East challenged 'moving people' with regards to no public transport operators offering a phone app giving automatic service updates, I honestly don't think Go North East's app is updated enough to reflect the actual service status (has anyone seen the app showing anything besides 'GOOD SERVICE'?) With the upcoming implementation of AVL, I wonder if it would be possible to link the two up together so that this is more reliable (ie if more than 3 Fab56 buses go over 5 minutes late then alarm bells start ringing and you can click 'OK SERVICE' to find out which services in particular are delayed)?

Have to agree with the point made in regards to customers complaints being on the public domain - though I'd actually argue this could potentially have benefits (to customers) too, with complaints standing a higher chance of delivering results... I'm thinking about the Consett cyclist video which was discussed a few months ago: I think it's fairly obvious that the driver would have received a final written warning (or at worst given the boot) for this incident. Would the result have been the same if this incident was reported by e-mail and it didn't attract so much attention? I think Kevin Carr himself provided a quote for one newspaper? I'm not trying to question the company's disciplinary methods, but I think with anything, it's easier to brush it over and give someone a slap on the back of the wrist if it's kept between just a few people.

I think the main thing which bugs me about Social Media is professionalism. As a company, it's so easy to look unprofessional on Social Media: if you make a spelling mistake, get information wrong or allow your own opinions to be conveyed in messages where you're representing the company. I think we've seen all of these things since our public transport operators started using Social Media, but it's something that needs to be avoided as much as possible.

Technology for the transport industry is constantly evolving and every day new opportunities arise for public transport operators to develop. Go North East's upcoming developments - which we have already discussed - are very interesting and could potentially revolutionise public transport within the North East, if it's done correctly. I believe Go North East has always been the first operator in the North East to try out new technology (Wi-Fi, power sockets, white LED destinations, etc) but have been slow with the introduction of real time technology. I have said previously that I think the time without such technology has allowed Go North East to enhance what it will be offering and 'fix' some of the things which could have been better in Arriva's similar technology. Stagecoach is well behind, with the implementation of Wi-Fi still being considered to be 'new' (indeed something which has influenced the branding of vehicles) and their presence on Social Media still being somewhat limited.

I think the idea of specific twitter feeds is an interesting one. Perhaps one that could be achieved by having an account per area served? Similar to National Rail Enquiries having accounts per franchise.

Another option would be to integrate a push notification service into the smart-phone app. Either have a global push that could be sent in bad weather, e.g. heavy snow, or allow people to subscribe to individual services within the app. e.g. if you 'Gold Star' the 21, you'd be given push notifications for the 21.

(09 Nov 2014, 6:00 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]I thought the article from 'moving people' was quite an interesting read and brought up some very valid points, though I wish Go North East had actually challenged the points made in their blog.

I too have often wondered about the ability to have more service-specific posts so that people can follow updates that affect them easily. In fact, Go North East has the structure in place to do this already - they have hashtags for their branded services '#citylink58, #fab56, #blaydonracers' etc, though these are only occasionally used. What's more, customers very rarely use these hashtags (despite stickers being placed on a lot of the 'better' routes to advertise the hashtags and the hashtags being noted on the brand page on GNE's website). For customers to start using the hashtags, I think Go North East needs to be a little bit more proactive when opportunities arise for the hashtags to be used too. Their Northern Rail example is very good though as I follow Northern Rail on Twitter and regularly see updates from Manchester etc when I'm only interested in the train services within the North East the majority of the time.

Although Go North East challenged 'moving people' with regards to no public transport operators offering a phone app giving automatic service updates, I honestly don't think Go North East's app is updated enough to reflect the actual service status (has anyone seen the app showing anything besides 'GOOD SERVICE'?) With the upcoming implementation of AVL, I wonder if it would be possible to link the two up together so that this is more reliable (ie if more than 3 Fab56 buses go over 5 minutes late then alarm bells start ringing and you can click 'OK SERVICE' to find out which services in particular are delayed)?

Have to agree with the point made in regards to customers complaints being on the public domain - though I'd actually argue this could potentially have benefits (to customers) too, with complaints standing a higher chance of delivering results... I'm thinking about the Consett cyclist video which was discussed a few months ago: I think it's fairly obvious that the driver would have received a final written warning (or at worst given the boot) for this incident. Would the result have been the same if this incident was reported by e-mail and it didn't attract so much attention? I think Kevin Carr himself provided a quote for one newspaper? I'm not trying to question the company's disciplinary methods, but I think with anything, it's easier to brush it over and give someone a slap on the back of the wrist if it's kept between just a few people.

I think the main thing which bugs me about Social Media is professionalism. As a company, it's so easy to look unprofessional on Social Media: if you make a spelling mistake, get information wrong or allow your own opinions to be conveyed in messages where you're representing the company. I think we've seen all of these things since our public transport operators started using Social Media, but it's something that needs to be avoided as much as possible.

Technology for the transport industry is constantly evolving and every day new opportunities arise for public transport operators to develop. Go North East's upcoming developments - which we have already discussed - are very interesting and could potentially revolutionise public transport within the North East, if it's done correctly. I believe Go North East has always been the first operator in the North East to try out new technology (Wi-Fi, power sockets, white LED destinations, etc) but have been slow with the introduction of real time technology. I have said previously that I think the time without such technology has allowed Go North East to enhance what it will be offering and 'fix' some of the things which could have been better in Arriva's similar technology. Stagecoach is well behind, with the implementation of Wi-Fi still being considered to be 'new' (indeed something which has influenced the branding of vehicles) and their presence on Social Media still being somewhat limited.

(09 Nov 2014, 7:47 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I think the idea of specific twitter feeds is an interesting one. Perhaps one that could be achieved by having an account per area served? Similar to National Rail Enquiries having accounts per franchise.

Another option would be to integrate a push notification service into the smart-phone app. Either have a global push that could be sent in bad weather, e.g. heavy snow, or allow people to subscribe to individual services within the app. e.g. if you 'Gold Star' the 21, you'd be given push notifications for the 21.

One thing which surprised me, in that it wasn't brought up in more detail by either yourselves, or someone else in this specific thread - was the increased awareness that passengers have of a service or provider.


Whether it is via bus or rail,  we have touched on or read about the perceived staffing issues that Northern Rail face, the problems on the metro and now all know about the 'problem' services or staff, that our bus operators have.


Although we may have personal experience - the social media pages have made each and everyone of us aware of these issues and possibly whether the operator actually does something about those problems.
Whilst an operator may not be able to inform us passengers of the outcome, we can easily identify a driver or repeated problem with a service in the future.

Indeed, a quick look on three social media pages, brought the following up.

My son was waiting for the bus at commercial road South Shields to get home from work, the no.7 bus driver pulled in, didnt even open his doors and pulled away leaving my son to walk home (bus I.d. 5329 he got it it when he saw the bus at Westoe) this was today approx 5pm. Absolutely shocking service, this isnt the first time this has happened, and to top it all off the driver was 20 mins late.

I dont appreciate being called a w@nker by the driver of 81a

So very livid at the last number 11 bus heading to West Denton from Newcastle. Closed the doors in my face

Of course, when utilised fully and passengers are told about delays - then ANE and SNE stand out way and beyond GNE, in that depots have control of the social media field. However, if I was a CEO, MD or majority shareholder, I would be disgusted and disappointed to see those three comments on MY page.

What an operator (and Nexus) don't do, is make each and every member of the public aware of an issue - either with a particular service or a series of services in a particular area.
Whilst there will be an initial cost in setting up that outward flow of communication, those who have an Android or Iphone, shouldn't have the monopoly, as some operators seem to believe the case.
Of course, passengers can log on and chase the operator via their social media page - not very proactive...

My own thoughts relating to social media, involve the passenger (or customer), gaining a perceived power or misguided sense of authority.
I say perceived or misguided, as not all of the organisations in charge of these accounts actually want to change the way they operate and are often very stuck in their ways - seeing a social media account as a 'must have' and not necessarily fully au-fait in the modern ways of the world.

Until operators (and other multi-national organisations), actually realise:-
* That it takes more than just a suit behind a keyboard to operate a social media account;
* That whoever is placed behind that keyboard - is essentially the 'personality' of the company;
* That the theme/personality designed by the company, needs to be utilised, fulfilled and met 24/7 by each and every member of staff in a customer facing role. This needs to be done on their website, their social media pages, their radio/TV advertisements and anything put into the print media. It can't just be a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

If you ring the 'Shreddies Nana Helpline', you get the idea that the helpline is operated by a bank of kind old ladies. Whilst their colleagues work on the shop floor creating freshly knitted shreddies.
That image is reinforced throughout a range of advertising and media platforms. Not just the social media page.

I dread to think of the impression people get of some companies, including bus operators - based on their social media page.

(12 Nov 2014, 6:45 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]One thing which surprised me, in that it wasn't brought up in more detail by either yourselves, or someone else in this specific thread - was the increased awareness that passengers have of a service or provider.

Whether it is via bus or rail,  we have touched on or read about the perceived staffing issues that Northern Rail face, the problems on the metro and now all know about the 'problem' services or staff, that our bus operators have.

Although we may have personal experience - the social media pages have made each and everyone of us aware of these issues and possibly whether the operator actually does something about those problems.
Whilst an operator may not be able to inform us passengers of the outcome, we can easily identify a driver or repeated problem with a service in the future.

Some interesting points.

It is of course quite right, and it's something that's been discussed on here at length, that we have much more visibility of what is happening nowadays. Social Media, the Internet, and smart-phones, gives us live information at our fingertips. We certainly wouldn't have had this in the past, and probably wouldn't have been any the wiser that about traffic delays etc.

The funny thing is, that a lot of the repeat incidents, such as stops not being observed, doors being shut on people, are incidents we're all aware of. They aren't new, and have been happening for as long as I can remember. I don't imagine that it's new that people complain about these incidents, but perhaps the volume has increased due to the ease of making a complaint nowadays. 20 years ago, you'd have had to pick up the phone, or write an actual letter (and even post it!). Seems a million miles away from the options we have these days, such as Live Chat, Social Media, E-Mail, and the web form.

(12 Nov 2014, 6:45 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Indeed, a quick look on three social media pages, brought the following up.

Of course, when utilised fully and passengers are told about delays - then ANE and SNE stand out way and beyond GNE, in that depots have control of the social media field. However, if I was a CEO, MD or majority shareholder, I would be disgusted and disappointed to see those three comments on MY page.

What an operator (and Nexus) don't do, is make each and every member of the public aware of an issue - either with a particular service or a series of services in a particular area.
Whilst there will be an initial cost in setting up that outward flow of communication, those who have an Android or Iphone, shouldn't have the monopoly, as some operators seem to believe the case.
Of course, passengers can log on and chase the operator via their social media page - not very proactive...

Dan has mentioned on here about GNE's AVL, that should be in by the end of the year. From what's being said on here, I'm quite keen to see it in operation, and I do think it'll bring GNE both up to and beyond the standard given by Stagecoach and Arriva. It of course requires a human element too, and a proactive approach, but I'm sure that'll happen too.

I don't think it's the case of operators believing that Android or iOS have a monopoly in the smart-phone market, but they do have the greatest market share - approx 90% between them (2014 stats). Unfortunately a lot of companies, not just bus operators, see the big two as being enough to cover everyone. We shouldn't overlook that the next biggest share is Windows Phone, with about 9% (iirc). If you can port an app to the Windows Phone platform in addition to Android and iOS, with the achievement of almost 100% coverage of smart-phone market share, then surely it's got to be worth doing.

(12 Nov 2014, 6:45 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]My own thoughts relating to social media, involve the passenger (or customer), gaining a perceived power or misguided sense of authority.
I say perceived or misguided, as not all of the organisations in charge of these accounts actually want to change the way they operate and are often very stuck in their ways - seeing a social media account as a 'must have' and not necessarily fully au-fait in the modern ways of the world.

Until operators (and other multi-national organisations), actually realise:-
* That it takes more than just a suit behind a keyboard to operate a social media account;
* That whoever is placed behind that keyboard - is essentially the 'personality' of the company;
* That the theme/personality designed by the company, needs to be utilised, fulfilled and met 24/7 by each and every member of staff in a customer facing role. This needs to be done on their website, their social media pages, their radio/TV advertisements and anything put into the print media. It can't just be a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

If you ring the 'Shreddies Nana Helpline', you get the idea that the helpline is operated by a bank of kind old ladies. Whilst their colleagues work on the shop floor creating freshly knitted shreddies.
That image is reinforced throughout a range of advertising and media platforms. Not just the social media page.

I dread to think of the impression people get of some companies, including bus operators - based on their social media page.

I do think companies could learn a lot here. The approach many take to social media is too rigid, can come across ignorant, and is a tad on the scripted side. People want to deal with people, not people acting as robots. It's funny you should mention 'personality', because I feel that it comes across as lacking in a lot of social media presences. It goes back to the point of being rigid. Maybe we should start looking more at what customers actually want from social media, and not what companies want to offer customers with social media.

(12 Nov 2014, 8:17 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Dan has mentioned on here about GNE's AVL, that should be in by the end of the year. From what's being said on here, I'm quite keen to see it in operation, and I do think it'll bring GNE both up to and beyond the standard given by Stagecoach and Arriva. It of course requires a human element too, and a proactive approach, but I'm sure that'll happen too.

I don't think it's the case of operators believing that Android or iOS have a monopoly in the smart-phone market, but they do have the greatest market share - approx 90% between them (2014 stats). Unfortunately a lot of companies, not just bus operators, see the big two as being enough to cover everyone. We shouldn't overlook that the next biggest share is Windows Phone, with about 9% (iirc). If you can port an app to the Windows Phone platform in addition to Android and iOS, with the achievement of almost 100% coverage of smart-phone market share, then surely it's got to be worth doing.

Well, AVL should certainly bring Go North East up to the standard set by Stagecoach... Not so sure where the idea about Arriva North East having a great presence on Social Media has come from? I think I'm right in suggesting that all of Arriva's Customer Service departments are based in Luton; as such, this frequently leads to Arriva making mistakes (even if it is just the spelling of locations) and also leads to misunderstanding with regards to locations (ie reference to a pub within a location instead of a specific timing point on a timetable)... Conversely, Go North East and Stagecoach employ local staff who have a greater knowledge of the region, and make fewer mistakes...
Interestingly, the Social Media representative for Arriva appears to use their mobile phone to see and reply to queries (which appears to have led to a 'typo'!). See this post.

Agree with your posts regarding Windows Phone; however, I think cost will be prohibitive. The cost to develop a mobile phone application on another platform will impact on the viability of doing so, especially when you're only providing it for what could potentially be 9% of customers.

(12 Nov 2014, 8:47 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Well, AVL should certainly bring Go North East up to the standard set by Stagecoach... Not so sure where the idea about Arriva North East having a great presence on Social Media has come from? I think I'm right in suggesting that all of Arriva's Customer Service departments are based in Luton; as such, this frequently leads to Arriva making mistakes (even if it is just the spelling of locations) and also leads to misunderstanding with regards to locations (ie reference to a pub within a location instead of a specific timing point on a timetable)... Conversely, Go North East and Stagecoach employ local staff who have a greater knowledge of the region, and make fewer mistakes...
Interestingly, the Social Media representative for Arriva appears to use their mobile phone to see and reply to queries (which appears to have led to a 'typo'!). See this post.

Agree with your posts regarding Windows Phone; however, I think cost will be prohibitive. The cost to develop a mobile phone application on another platform will impact on the viability of doing so, especially when you're only providing it for what could potentially be 9% of customers.

The reference to the standard set by Stagecoach and Arriva was more so in reference to their live reporting. Arriva choose to do this by giving their users direct access to AVL, and Stagecoach actively report on this throughout the day. That's the standard I'm referring to where I say I feel GNE will exceed it.

On app development, the cost can often be nominal. Of course, just because 9% of the smart-phone market share in the UK is the Windows Phone, it doesn't mean that's 9% of GNE's customers.  I note that their website uses Google Analytics, so someone has access to exactly what share of their customers are trying to contact them, using a Windows Phone. Could be well over the 9%, or well below. I'd love to see it developed either way mind.

Don't forget - Windows Phone is growing very rapidly.
Already taking over Blackberry and making up the market from elsewhere - including ios and android users.

However, I don't know if analytic programmes pick up the difference between a desktop windows or windows on a mobile device.
Ditto, on a wifi landing page.

Although there may be some initial cost in launching an app on a new platform, it can instantaneously encourage users into a company.

I can think of several (inc the Premier League Fantasy Football site), that have apps sitting on my windows phone.
As it stands, I aint going to and cannot download anything from ANE or GNE.
I am just one of many customers, that the company can't or won't embrace.
The others, being Blackberry or Symbian users (both on a downward spiral) along with those who haven't embraced technology, either by choice or not.

Those people form quite a significant proportion of the customer base, possibly more than iphone/android users - who can have information sent to their hands, by a flick of a button in bus company towers.
The (possible) majority need to chase information, taking time, effort and potentially costing for the privilege. 

Information needs to be accessible to all and needs to reach all customers/passengers with ease.

edit: Using sampling techniques (oh don't we just love that phrase) from this thread (http://northeastbuses.co.uk/forum/showth...hp?tid=564): Our operators should develop apps for Windows and Android platforms.
Those ios sheep, can do without

(12 Nov 2014, 9:13 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Don't forget - Windows Phone is growing very rapidly.
Already taking over Blackberry and making up the market from elsewhere - including ios and android users.

However, I don't know if analytic programmes pick up the difference between a desktop windows or windows on a mobile device.
Ditto, on a wifi landing page.

Although there may be some initial cost in launching an app on a new platform, it can instantaneously encourage users into a company.

I can think of several (inc the Premier League Fantasy Football site), that have apps sitting on my windows phone.
As it stands, I aint going to and cannot download anything from ANE or GNE.
I am just one of many customers, that the company can't or won't embrace.
The others, being Blackberry or Symbian users (both on a downward spiral) along with those who haven't embraced technology, either by choice or not.

Those people form quite a significant proportion of the customer base, possibly more than iphone/android users - who can have information sent to their hands, by a flick of a button in bus company towers.
The (possible) majority need to chase information, taking time, effort and potentially costing for the privilege. 

Information needs to be accessible to all and needs to reach all customers/passengers with ease.

Think if I remember correctly, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users may be able to access ANE's live map information on their website:
http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/journeyplanne...pl=livemap&
Obviously this isn't ideal, but I guess it's better than nothing? 

On a slightly different but still related (I hope) note, do operators monitor individual vehicles and drivers to sre if any in particular vehicle or driver is permanently running late? 

(12 Nov 2014, 9:28 pm)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Think if I remember correctly, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users may be able to access ANE's live map information on their website:
http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/journeyplanne...pl=livemap&
Obviously this isn't ideal, but I guess it's better than nothing? 

On a slightly different but still related (I hope) note, do operators monitor individual vehicles and drivers to sre if any in particular vehicle or driver is permanently running late? 

On the first point - aye, it is possible to see things like that, but you can't do the 'full experience' and save money when buying bus tickets.
Obviously those who don't have a smart phone, will be excluded totally!

On the second point - there may be someone who drives and can explain the current position.
Big brother, is getting bigger though!
Drivers can't get up to the comedy japes like Stan did on, On the Buses these days 

(12 Nov 2014, 9:38 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]On the first point - aye, it is possible to see things like that, but you can't do the 'full experience' and save money when buying bus tickets.
Obviously those who don't have a smart phone, will be excluded totally!

On the second point - there may be someone who drives and can explain the current position.
Big brother, is getting bigger though!
Drivers can't get up to the comedy japes like Stan did on, On the Buses these days 

Completely agree with you, that operators are seemingly discriminating against whole groups of people, surely if they want to show improvement they would incorporate platforms that are still growing (Windows phone, more than Blackberry however)

I do think it would be interesting if operators put driver numbers on their real time info apps, so that the public can see who is constantly late, I can't see a downside. If you're a good driver, nothing to worry about, if you're constantly late, it might motivate you and lead to a better service...

Dunno if the drivers number in public hands would be a good idea.
It could leave them open to all sorts - remember drivers being harassed by enthusiasts and having allegations thrown at them?
I can see the perks, but maybe just used internally.

As for customers being excluded due to not having technology and levels of customer service...
Needed some new tyres for the car, so went online and checked some prices. Found the ones I wanted and rang the branch to ensure they were in stock.
Yup, they were - but were double the price in branch, rather than online.
The guy advised me to log back on to the website, order on there and ensure I selected that particular branch from the drop down.
Once the order had reached the branch, they would call me back and get me over.

Instead of paying £129.99 per tyre, I paid £134.99 for two.
The only difference being, I paid online, rather than in the branch.

The guy didn't need to give me the loophole.

It left me with a positive impression of him and the tyre place though.

(12 Nov 2014, 10:17 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Dunno if the drivers number in public hands would be a good idea.
It could leave them open to all sorts - remember drivers being harassed by enthusiasts and having allegations thrown at them?
I can see the perks, but maybe just used internally.

As for customers being excluded due to not having technology and levels of customer service...
Needed some new tyres for the car, so went online and checked some prices. Found the ones I wanted and rang the branch to ensure they were in stock.
Yup, they were - but were double the price in branch, rather than online.
The guy advised me to log back on to the website, order on there and ensure I selected that particular branch from the drop down.
Once the order had reached the branch, they would call me back and get me over.

Instead of paying £129.99 per tyre, I paid £134.99 for two.
The only difference being, I paid online, rather than in the branch.

The guy didn't need to give me the loophole.

It left me with a positive impression of him and the tyre place though.

Aye I suppose it could lead to harassment as you said, maybe internal would be better  As an alternative, could/do operators offer "on-time" rewards, e.g the driver who has most on time running during a week, say, gets a financial bonus or another appealing award?

That point you've made about online being cheaper is very interesting actually, I've always wondered why, in the case of buses especially, m-tickets are cheaper as it's only a piece of paper. The bus always has to be there as does the driver, unlike in a shop for example where online is much cheaper operating wise

Some companies offer a bonus for not being involved in an accident/claim over the year.
There are others for driving in a fuel efficient manner.
Maybe your idea needs putting into play! Just hope the drivers stop and pick passengers up in their rush to be on time!

As for the discounts, suppose different companies have their own reasons. Competition will be a factor - GNE, SNE, ANE, Nexus and Network Traveltickets all need custom.
However, if these companies can make money on a discounted product - it maybe shows the profit/mark up being made on a full price product.

I'll not mention the name of an operator, but people can probably guess.

I received a phone call at about 11am today from a withheld number. Voicemail left, and it was the operator asking me to give them a call. Was quite busy, so didn't get a chance at the time. At about 2pm, I receive another call from a withheld number, and it was the operator again asking me to give them a call, albeit a different person. I still didn't get a chance, so I gave them a call about 5pm. I quote the reference number, and I'm told a response has been received from the depot. I was then told that the customer services rep can see that I requested a written response, so he'll get that sent out now...

I decided to question why it takes two missed calls with voicemails left, and me to call back, when I specifically requested a written response. I was told that it's "process" to give the customer a call. The CS rep was very polite to be honest, and we had a quick chat about it. I had said that calling a customer prior to sending something in writing isn't a bad thing, but it's a closed response, as they're referring exactly what the depot has said. If I challenged the response, the most that could be done was for it to be referred back to the depot for a further response. 

Very interesting, and it perhaps goes to show how rigid customer service processes do not work.

(13 Nov 2014, 5:50 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]I'll not mention the name of an operator, but people can probably guess.

I received a phone call at about 11am today from a withheld number. Voicemail left, and it was the operator asking me to give them a call. Was quite busy, so didn't get a chance at the time. At about 2pm, I receive another call from a withheld number, and it was the operator again asking me to give them a call, albeit a different person. I still didn't get a chance, so I gave them a call about 5pm. I quote the reference number, and I'm told a response has been received from the depot. I was then told that the customer services rep can see that I requested a written response, so he'll get that sent out now...

I decided to question why it takes two missed calls with voicemails left, and me to call back, when I specifically requested a written response. I was told that it's "process" to give the customer a call. The CS rep was very polite to be honest, and we had a quick chat about it. I had said that calling a customer prior to sending something in writing isn't a bad thing, but it's a closed response, as they're referring exactly what the depot has said. If I challenged the response, the most that could be done was for it to be referred back to the depot for a further response. 

Very interesting, and it perhaps goes to show how rigid customer service processes do not work.

We've named the rest of the operators on the other occasions!
How long did it take for all of this to happen - from you writing the original e-mail?

My experience was very much the same when I complained regarding the X93. I was dissatisfied with the response, but thought it somewhat pointless attempting to make an argument with someone who had no local knowledge at all (and this was quite evident on the phone call) and someone who had no ability to provide reasoning on the spot.

Why do Arriva have all of their Customer Services reps in Luton? It's something I've never really understood, as local employees could potentially answer questions so much more easily... 

(13 Nov 2014, 6:09 pm)Dan wrote [ -> ]Why do Arriva have all of their Customer Services reps in Luton? It's something I've never really understood, as local employees could potentially answer questions so much more easily... 

Virtual models tend to equal lower overheads. For local customer service departments, you may need a team of 10 (for example) per region. There'll be spare capacity within those teams, as call and email volume will come in peaks and troughs. You could break the UK up into 7 regions, so that would need 7 departments of 10 - 70 staff. With a virtual model, you could probably get away with 1 department of 50 staff. A saving of 20 FTE. Just an example, but it's the most logical explanation.

Put a complaint into our wonderful nationalised train operator East Coast on 15 October, and still waiting for a reply.......so I have had to send it again.  The automated email that came back said

"Thank you for contacting the East Coast Customer Relations department.  As stated within our East Coast Passenger's Charter, we aim to respond to all written correspondence within 10 working days"

shame they did not adhere to this the first time round isnt it.

On the other hand... I put in a 'delay repay' claim on-line to Virgin West Coast (if that's what it's called) on Monday morning, and the compensation vouchers arrived through the post on Friday - excellent!

(15 Nov 2014, 8:41 am)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]Put a complaint into our wonderful nationalised train operator East Coast on 15 October, and still waiting for a reply.......so I have had to send it again.  The automated email that came back said

"Thank you for contacting the East Coast Customer Relations department.  As stated within our East Coast Passenger's Charter, we aim to respond to all written correspondence within 10 working days"

shame they did not adhere to this the first time round isnt it.

They aim to in 10 days, not they will do in 10 days. We'll never know if they've aimed to do so or not.

I personally think 10 days is too long anyway. There should always be an acknowledgement within 24 hours (where practical), and the customer should always be regularly kept up to date until agreed closure of the complaint.

Too many companies are too quick to just close complaints, without even making it clear to the customer, whether they're actually upholding it...

(12 Nov 2014, 9:28 pm)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Think if I remember correctly, Windows Phone and BlackBerry users may be able to access ANE's live map information on their website:
http://www.arrivabus.co.uk/journeyplanne...pl=livemap&
Obviously this isn't ideal, but I guess it's better than nothing? 

On a slightly different but still related (I hope) note, do operators monitor individual vehicles and drivers to sre if any in particular vehicle or driver is permanently running late? 

Yeah, Go North East do the same for what is available on their app at the moment too - http://www.thekeymobile.com/#home

Obviously, the implementation of AVL next month should see the app updated to include a live map, and hopefully the Windows Phone and BlackBerry users will be able to access this feature via that webpage as per Arriva's.

Another one I keep forgetting to mention.

It has been mentioned/suggested/discussed how operators could use a twitter account/feed, specific to a certain area or service.

Northern are running a trial account on the Nunthorpe to Metrocentre route.
@NRtimetable2, reports specifically on trains on that stretch.
No idea why it doesn't extend to Carlisle (or Hexham at the very least), but it's a start.

Contacted Lothian Buses (or 'Exterion Media', the company who deals with Lothian's advertising) earlier to get some rough prices on advertising on buses, and received a reply within 20 minutes from the Business Director of the company who forwarded my e-mail on to another employee who can assist.

As I explained that I requested these details to help with a Business Studies assignment I have, I'm incredibly shocked (and chuffed) that I received a personal reply in such a short period of time.

Had an acknowledgement from Arriva customer services earlier today, regarding an email I sent them on the 18th November. I had to go back through my sent items to see what I'd actually sent!

Forgot to add to the above - the employee who was meant to reply didn't, but the Business Director got in touch a few days later with a PowerPoint presentation (presumably pre-prepared for actual customers) with answers to my queries.

Really helped with my Business Studies assignment!

Emailed Arriva last Monday and recieved a reply yesterday, however, although it was within the 10 days they didn't seem to acknowledge what I was saying, leaving me rather annoyed. I complained about the general timekeeping and warmth of the buses used on the route, giving examples. They proceeded to tell me to fill out an individual journey complaint form. If I've specified in my original email it was a generic complaint, about a specific few vehicles then surely you don't need journey details, when I've told them which buses I was complaining about?? 

In a test case that affects all UK bus operators, the Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling by Leeds Crown Court, about the rights of wheelchair users on buses.

It means that the current interpretation of the law – that other passengers, such as those with buggies can only be asked to vacate the wheelchair space not be forced to leave it – is upheld.


http://www.route-one.net/industry/judges...-industry/

"Go Cornwall Bus"

Go-Ahead-owned Plymouth Citybus has acquired Western Greyhound bus services in the Liskeard area.

It follows Western Greyhound being offered for sale, after a period of poor operation and financial pressures (routeone, News, 19 November).

Says Western Greyhound MD and co-owner Mark Howarth: “The company continues in discussions with interested parties for the rest of the business and an announcement will be made in due course.”

Go-Ahead took over on Monday (8 December) in south-east Cornwall, safeguarding 31 bus driving jobs in the area, and continuing to run the Western Greyhound timetables currently in place.

This includes routes 572 (Looe-Plymouth), 573 (Looe-Liskeard), 574 (Liskeard Callington) and 576 (Plymouth-Callington-Launceston-Bude).

It will also run the section of route 593 between Plymouth and Liskeard, with Western Greyhound running the 593 between Newquay and Liskeard. Through tickets will continue to be available.

Plymouth Citybus intends to take over the lease of the depot off Culverwood Road in Liskeard, along with nine low-floor buses that will be branded under the new name of ‘Go Cornwall Bus’.

http://www.route-one.net/industry/go-ahead-steps/

In a test case that affects all UK bus operators, the Court of Appeal has overturned a ruling by Leeds Crown Court, about the rights of wheelchair users on buses.

 It means that the current interpretation of the law – that other passengers, such as those with buggies can only be asked to vacate the wheelchair space not be forced to leave it – is upheld.

I totally disagree with allowing pushchairs on buses, especially at peak times.

Almost every morning service 7 to Framwellgate Moor would arrive at Ferryhill Market Place with no seats left and often had standees and when we got to this stop as well as lots of students and people getting to work there was a man and a woman got on at that stop almost every morning and this almost always meant that 3 people sat in the wheelchair bay would then have to stand so one of them and the pushchair could take the space which really put a strain on the loadings on that journey which is part of the reason that journey now has a duplicate working.

Also I don't see why if I'm sat in the wheelchair bay and a person with a pushchair wants to go there, I don't see why I should have to move with for them, especially when there is no other seats on the bus at the time which happened on the X66 the other week (I always do move without argument, even though I don't want to).

Also I think a person with a pushchair not moving for a wheelchair because the baby is sleeping is totally **** ignorant, you could take that baby out of the pushchair and fold the pushchair up and keep hold of the baby (I imagine this is harder if your on own, but still) and I actually think point blank refusing to move for a wheelchair in which you end up denying access to travel on that bus is discrimination in my mind and just been incredibly ignorant.

(12 Dec 2014, 8:50 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I totally disagree with allowing pushchairs on buses, especially at peak times.

Almost every morning service 7 to Framwellgate Moor would arrive at Ferryhill Market Place with no seats left and often had standees and when we got to this stop as well as lots of students and people getting to work there was a man and a woman got on at that stop almost every morning and this almost always meant that 3 people sat in the wheelchair bay would then have to stand so one of them and the pushchair could take the space which really put a strain on the loadings on that journey which is part of the reason that journey now has a duplicate working.

Also I don't see why if I'm sat in the wheelchair bay and a person with a pushchair wants to go there, I don't see why I should have to move with for them, especially when there is no other seats on the bus at the time which happened on the X66 the other week (I always do move without argument, even though I don't want to).

Also I think a person with a pushchair not moving for a wheelchair because the baby is sleeping is totally **** ignorant, you could take that baby out of the pushchair and fold the pushchair up and keep hold of the baby (I imagine this is harder if your on own, but still) and I actually think point blank refusing to move for a wheelchair in which you end up denying access to travel on that bus is discrimination in my mind and just been incredibly ignorant.

I disagree - you should move, as the priority is pushchairs and wheelchairs?

I always do.

Some people are less reluctant to though, I remember I was on the X66 once on a Prestige where there is only one space and an old lady with one of them tartan shopping trolleys got on at Harrowgate Hill then a mother and a pushchair got on at Morrisons and led to a loud heated debate until we reached Darlington Town Centre.

I think my hatred of pushchairs on buses comes from several trying to board the same bus to the point it is a health and safety risk, I was once on Stagecoach on Teesside service 36 and when I wanted to be off in the two spaces at the front there was 3 pushchairs and an OAP with tartan shopping trolley and when I got off I tripped and almost fell to the ground but managed to grab the handrails to prevent this accident although it did result in my knees being in pain for a few days. Something seriously needs to be done about pushchair overloading.

(12 Dec 2014, 8:50 pm)Jimmi wrote [ -> ]I totally disagree with allowing pushchairs on buses, especially at peak times.

Almost every morning service 7 to Framwellgate Moor would arrive at Ferryhill Market Place with no seats left and often had standees and when we got to this stop as well as lots of students and people getting to work there was a man and a woman got on at that stop almost every morning and this almost always meant that 3 people sat in the wheelchair bay would then have to stand so one of them and the pushchair could take the space which really put a strain on the loadings on that journey which is part of the reason that journey now has a duplicate working.

Also I don't see why if I'm sat in the wheelchair bay and a person with a pushchair wants to go there, I don't see why I should have to move with for them, especially when there is no other seats on the bus at the time which happened on the X66 the other week (I always do move without argument, even though I don't want to).

Also I think a person with a pushchair not moving for a wheelchair because the baby is sleeping is totally **** ignorant, you could take that baby out of the pushchair and fold the pushchair up and keep hold of the baby (I imagine this is harder if your on own, but still) and I actually think point blank refusing to move for a wheelchair in which you end up denying access to travel on that bus is discrimination in my mind and just been incredibly ignorant.

I was initially a bit outraged by the decision, but having spoken to others about it, I really don't think the issue isn't as big as it seems. The Equality Act 2010 is quite clear that direct discrimination occurs, when a person receives treatment less favourably than they would another, because of a protected characteristic. Protected characteristics being disability, gender, etc. The operators are providing accessible buses, the space for wheelchair users, but they can't help it if the buses are already full. The wheelchair user isn't being treated less favourably if they can't access the wheelchair space, as if an able bodied person got on and wanted to sit there, then they couldn't do so either. 

It really needs to be kept simple - first come first served. If a wheelchair gets on at the first stop, then tough, only another pushchair can get on. If two pushchairs are on, then tough, 8 people need to stand instead of having the seats they take up.