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+--- Thread: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes (/showthread.php?tid=1031)
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RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - BusLoverMum - 18 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 5:59 pm)Adrian Yet the two other large operators in the region can provide a large commercial operation? Doesn't sound right to me...
I appreciate that every single service is not viable for Boxing Day, but even an hourly frequency on some of the top money routes, would be a whole lot better than nothing.
Most of Arriva's services have long rural runs, though. More expensive to run for a smaller return. Their services into Sunderland were mentioned upthread but, iirc, they come from 2 different depots. I've also never been on a Peterlee-Sunderland run that's packed, even on a Saturday, when there's a match on.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - mb134 - 18 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 4:58 pm)RRA219X I seem to recall being told that in order to make it financially viable for us to run a Boxing Day service, taking into account the operating costs and significant wage supplements for working that day, every driver would have to cash in approx £500. Not going to happen...
£500 per driver isn't completely unachievable if you think about it:
Take one decker to Newcastle, for example, if 70 people board, all buying Three Zone Day Tickets, that would be £490.
Obviously that is a bit unrealistic in one run, but drivers won't just be doing the one run to Newcastle.
Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - MrPottski - 18 Nov 2015
To be honest, it's about time they weren't so profit driven. It's one day, give something back to the customers for christs sake!
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Adrian - 18 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 8:58 pm)BusLoverMum Most of Arriva's services have long rural runs, though. More expensive to run for a smaller return. Their services into Sunderland were mentioned upthread but, iirc, they come from 2 different depots. I've also never been on a Peterlee-Sunderland run that's packed, even on a Saturday, when there's a match on.
Not familiar with those particular services, but the 7 for example is always really busy. Then there's the X12, and I'm surprised the uni haven't had a word about having that running.
North of the Tyne, and I'm surprised they're not providing services from the likes of Tynemouth, Blyth, Morpeth, Ashington, etc, for the Newcastle match? Not to mention the huge shopping day that it is for intu Eldon Square & Metrocentre?
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Adrian - 18 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 9:27 pm)MrPottski To be honest, it's about time they weren't so profit driven. It's one day, give something back to the customers for christs sake!
That's the other argument of it. I wouldn't expect a service to be ran at a loss, but as long as it breaks even, I can't see the issue of offsetting it with the profit made over the course of the year. As you put it; it's one day.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - BusLoverMum - 18 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 9:29 pm)Adrian Not familiar with those particular services, but the 7 for example is always really busy. Then there's the X12, and I'm surprised the uni haven't had a word about having that running.
North of the Tyne, and I'm surprised they're not providing services from the likes of Tynemouth, Blyth, Morpeth, Ashington, etc, for the Newcastle match? Not to mention the huge shopping day that it is for intu Eldon Square & Metrocentre?
On boxing day?
IIRC, Durham and the Arnison centre were pretty much shut on Boxing day, last year. Tesceurgh and Dragonville open, but few people travel there by bus, anyhow. No idea about Darlo or Teesside. I think we've been to Boro on Boxing day, before - or it might have been the day after. (It was the day we nearly got snarled up in a pile up because there was hail and snow and the various authorities were scrimping on gritting the A19 at the county boundaries and someone lost control turning out at Elwick.)
Agree that the North of Tyne services would probably be more commercially viable.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Cock Robin - 19 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 5:59 pm)Adrian Yet the two other large operators in the region can provide a large commercial operation? Doesn't sound right to me...
I appreciate that every single service is not viable for Boxing Day, but even an hourly frequency on some of the top money routes, would be a whole lot better than nothing.
Sounds like Arriva is run by the Union rather than the management.
(18 Nov 2015, 9:27 pm)MrPottski To be honest, it's about time they weren't so profit driven. It's one day, give something back to the customers for christs sake!
Totally agree.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Cock Robin - 19 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 9:30 pm)Adrian That's the other argument of it. I wouldn't expect a service to be ran at a loss, but as long as it breaks even, I can't see the issue of offsetting it with the profit made over the course of the year. As you put it; it's one day.
Well said.
Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Jimmi - 19 Nov 2015
PB0002032/515 - ARRIVA NORTHUMBRIA LTD, 1 ADMIRAL WAY, DOXFORD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PARK, SUNDERLAND, SR3 3XP
Registration Accepted by SN
Starting Point: Ashington
Finish Point: Woodhorn Museum
Via:
Service Number: W0W
Service Type: Limited Stop
Effective Date: 05-DEC-2015
Other Details: Special service for an event at Woodhorn Museum
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - L469 YVK - 20 Nov 2015
Agree about the statement regarding being run by the Unions. Here is an example and this is NOT ALL DRIVERS by the way, but a very small minority:
Driver goes deliberately slow and makes no safe or legal effort to keep the service running to time.
Arriva: Lead driver or reserve sent out, driver rarely faces action, management dare to implenent intervention measures in the event of the unions jumping in and do nothing more than send out a message asking drivers to run to time.
GNE: Driver monitored closely, very active control room, driver sent for redemial training if needed, clear zero tolerance message sent out warning drivers of the consequences of deliberately 'toading'.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Stuartphin1639 - 20 Nov 2015
(20 Nov 2015, 8:48 pm)DaveyBowyer Agree about the statement regarding being run by the Unions. Here is an example and this is NOT ALL DRIVERS by the way, but a very small minority:
Driver goes deliberately slow and makes no safe or legal effort to keep the service running to time.
Arriva: Lead driver or reserve sent out, driver rarely faces action, management dare to implenent intervention measures in the event of the unions jumping in and do nothing more than send out a message asking drivers to run to time.
GNE: Driver monitored closely, very active control room, driver sent for redemial training if needed, clear zero tolerance message sent out warning drivers of the consequences of deliberately 'toading'.
One of the members on here work for Darlington depot which is operated by Arriva and will probably agree with me here, there's quite a few drivers at Darlington that go slow, yeah they've maybe had a accident or 2 or a incident, but the people higher up in Darlington depot are complete k***s, it feels that if you sneeze the wrong way you'll end up getting suspended or sacked, there's one driver that got suspended the other day for not knowing a route, so basically if any Darlington service is running late it's because there probably doing the job by the book, no point in rushing around its just a excuse for you to end up sacked or suspended, there's 101 reasons for being late but none for being early
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - citaro5284 - 21 Nov 2015
(18 Nov 2015, 5:59 pm)Adrian Yet the two other large operators in the region can provide a large commercial operation? Doesn't sound right to me...
I appreciate that every single service is not viable for Boxing Day, but even an hourly frequency on some of the top money routes, would be a whole lot better than nothing.
And NUFC are helping towards the cost of the later services with the match being on later.....
http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20151120/magpies-pay-for-extra-public-transport_2281670_5153010
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - L469 YVK - 21 Nov 2015
(20 Nov 2015, 11:59 pm)Stuartphin1639 One of the members on here work for Darlington depot which is operated by Arriva and will probably agree with me here, there's quite a few drivers at Darlington that go slow, yeah they've maybe had a accident or 2 or a incident, but the people higher up in Darlington depot are complete k***s, it feels that if you sneeze the wrong way you'll end up getting suspended or sacked, there's one driver that got suspended the other day for not knowing a route, so basically if any Darlington service is running late it's because there probably doing the job by the book, no point in rushing around its just a excuse for you to end up sacked or suspended, there's 101 reasons for being late but none for being early
That's a bit ridiculous that, sacked for sneezing the wrong way. And knowing a route, aren't all drivers given adequate familiarisation? I understand the role of the Unions to be there and protect the drivers in the event of such things, but deliberately running late (doing 40 on a clear NSL single carriageway and doing 25-30 in a 40 as I've seen before) is unfair on:
- The lead drivers who have to cover the next outbound.
- Passengers who are delayed who could've got there on time but ended up running avoidably late.
I remember one driver going so slow (I won't name the route but you'll probably know by the description), that 2x competing GNE services overtook him and the sister Arriva service also did.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Andreos1 - 21 Nov 2015
(21 Nov 2015, 8:15 am)citaro5284 And NUFC are helping towards the cost of the later services with the match being on later.....Newcastle doing that, really surprises me.
http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20151120/magpies-pay-for-extra-public-transport_2281670_5153010
Glad to see they took some sort of initiative in doing so.
However, I struggle to see how they need to do it.
How can an operator not make a profit on their routes, with a decent proportion of the 52k using each of the services?
Ditto the Metro, where there will be a number of passengers on a Magpie Mover through the season ticket scheme or one of the Nexus/Network Ticketing offers. 
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - citaro5284 - 21 Nov 2015
(21 Nov 2015, 12:50 pm)Andreos1 Newcastle doing that, really surprises me.
Glad to see they took some sort of initiative in doing so.
However, I struggle to see how they need to do it.
How can an operator not make a profit on their routes, with a decent proportion of the 52k using each of the services?
Ditto the Metro, where there will be a number of passengers on a Magpie Mover through the season ticket scheme or one of the Nexus/Network Ticketing offers. 
But looking at their press release they are paying for extra services (bus and Metro) which would not normally be there on a Boxing Day night. I cannot see why they should not pay for something they want.
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Dan - 21 Nov 2015
(21 Nov 2015, 12:54 pm)citaro5284 But looking at their press release they are paying for extra services (bus and Metro) which would not normally be there on a Boxing Day night. I cannot see why they should not pay for something they want.
And who is to say that the operators - bus and Metro - haven't already provided extra journeys off their own backs, which they think will be profitable, without funding from NUFC?
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - Andreos1 - 21 Nov 2015
(21 Nov 2015, 12:54 pm)citaro5284 But looking at their press release they are paying for extra services (bus and Metro) which would not normally be there on a Boxing Day night. I cannot see why they should not pay for something they want.So without the funding, those additional services, wouldn't make a profit? Bearing in mind the proportion of the 52k who will be using public transport...
Even on the off chance they do, not a bad little earner - underwritten by Newcastle plus whatever profit is made by the routes.even
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - omnicity4659 - 24 Nov 2015
(20 Nov 2015, 8:48 pm)DaveyBowyer Arriva: Lead driver or reserve sent out, driver rarely faces action, management dare to implenent intervention measures in the event of the unions jumping in and do nothing more than send out a message asking drivers to run to time.
An Ashington driver was suspended the other day for "deliberately running the service late" when he was running 35 minutes late on the X20.
The driver took over the bus 10 minutes late, the headlights were rubbish, all he could see was pitch black and the reflections from the window, an Eddie Stobart lorry was attempting to turn around causing another 15 minute delay. The depot manager then un-suspended him when they saw that he was telling the truth.
Driver rarely faces action, eh?!
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - L469 YVK - 24 Nov 2015
(24 Nov 2015, 12:26 pm)GX03 SVC An Ashington driver was suspended the other day for "deliberately running the service late" when he was running 35 minutes late on the X20.That's different. The management were wrong on this instance. Deliberate late running isn't such a problem on longer and less frequent routes and late running is more down to the traffic conditions. It's more of a problem on the more frequent routes. 35 mins late on the X20 is very noticable. But running 15 minutes late on the X21/X22/X10/X11/308 and any others isn't very noticable. These can be easily be regulated owing to their frequency. And to be fair, Ashington depot isn't such a problem and I've only experienced one late runner from there for such reason. It's another certain depot beginning with a B where I've noticed a small minority of drivers not making an effort.
The driver took over the bus 10 minutes late, the headlights were rubbish, all he could see was pitch black and the reflections from the window, an Eddie Stobart lorry was attempting to turn around causing another 15 minute delay. The depot manager then un-suspended him when they saw that he was telling the truth.
Driver rarely faces action, eh?!
RE: Arriva North East: Upcoming Service Changes - mb134 - 24 Nov 2015
(24 Nov 2015, 12:26 pm)GX03 SVC An Ashington driver was suspended the other day for "deliberately running the service late" when he was running 35 minutes late on the X20.
The driver took over the bus 10 minutes late, the headlights were rubbish, all he could see was pitch black and the reflections from the window, an Eddie Stobart lorry was attempting to turn around causing another 15 minute delay. The depot manager then un-suspended him when they saw that he was telling the truth.
Driver rarely faces action, eh?!
I could point out some drivers from that depot who are late (at least 5 minutes) pretty much every time I get on their bus. There are common themes, driving at 15-20 in a 30, taking forever to pull away from stops (as in not even attempting to pull away for quite a while after the passenger boards), being VERY hesitant, taking forever with the ticket machine etc.
So, it seems while they punish drivers who aren't intentionally running late, they let others get away with it.