Go North East service levels during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Big O

124

04 Apr 2020, 2:49 pm #226

(04 Apr 2020, 10:27 am)Adtrainsam Promotion for buses in London is next to non existent. When bus routes are changed, bus stops and spider maps are not updated. Compare that to the North East, where you’ve got companies selling their bus routes with posters and adverts. Bus use in London is falling, because the bus routes are so disorganised. There are times where I don’t even know which bus stop the bus stops at! There isn’t any branding in TfL land, it’s all red. And any attempts at branding has been shambolic.

The reason why you don’t see 38A and 38C in London is because TFL have the idea of “Take it or Leave it”. The reason why you see route variations in the North east is because they are catering to demand. If they run a route that is making a loss, then they can’t run it. And nobody was using it anyway.

With all due respect what you're saying in regards to London bus use is garbage. Bus use in the North East is falling. Bus use in London has declined recently but there is a surge in Overground use which is also subcontracted from Tfl. The London Overground now runs a frequent orbital service around London, replacing many routes in the process. It has alleviated pressure on the bus network and many routes have been altered to match the new demand. The customers have not gone away, they use a different mode of Tfl travel.

Would you like to elaborate on how the routes are disorganised?

We have an IBUS system which is very easy to understand, the Tfl website contains live updates on each route and stops along the way too. If you don't know what stop the bus is stopping at, then it's your fault. There are so many quick and easy methods to prevent this. When I talk about branding I'm talking about more than Stickers on the bus, its the brand of Tfl I'm talking about...Also not good to comment on what you don't know. Branding is being worked on by an external agency and from what I've seen it's simple and informative. The previous branding on some of the routes was horrible I won't argue that.

There isn't a take it or leave it policy, not sure how you picked that one up along the A1..8000 plus buses and 63-night routes isn't "take it or leave it". The reason you don't see and 38A and 38C in London is because it's confusing and the reason you don't have a 1 to Whitley Bay and a 1 to Cobalt that operate on the same stretch of road is that, again its confusing and a bit ridiculous. My wife was confused when we first moved up here and so was I and I come from a background on the buses...Whether you want to believe it or not, the network up here is not the best and won't be until things are addressed properly and not using the various smokescreen methods.