Yesterday morning, when I boarded the 21. Flipping heck, you could see where the bus floor had been cleaned, and it had only been the entrance.
There was still soapy water from between the doors and the stairs. The rest of the bus was absolute filthy!
(29 May 2016, 8:14 am)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Only runs on Friday and Saturday Nights, I believe its a supported service too though I'm not 100% sue on that.
Only Saturday nights since October, my grandad gets the 74 to the social club in Westerhope (I think) and he used to get the Friday night bus but no longer does, he wrote multiple complaints and the Saturday one is funded by Ponteland Town Council
(29 May 2016, 8:12 am)Jamie M wrote [ -> ]What's with the 100% increase in 74s? The last one gets to hexham at 0042 now. I've only been on it with 3-4 people at any given time. May as well make the 689 every hour while they are at it.
Tell that to my grandad
There is no increase, the times have changed and they have actually become LESS frequent and if you want a busy 74 get the 17:35 bus to Hexham from Newcastle, it gets full to bursting point with a solo or MPD
(29 May 2016, 9:07 am)LeeCalder wrote [ -> ]Yesterday morning, when I boarded the 21. Flipping heck, you could see where the bus floor had been cleaned, and it had only been the entrance.
There was still soapy water from between the doors and the stairs. The rest of the bus was absolute filthy!
I'd ask for the bus number, but the problem certainly isn't unique with one bus or one operator. The blues of GNE and the greys of Arriva just make the buses look filthy. Only Stagecoach's colour scheme seems to hide the dirt well.
(29 May 2016, 10:25 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I'd ask for the bus number, but the problem certainly isn't unique with one bus or one operator. The blues of GNE and the greys of Arriva just make the buses look filthy. Only Stagecoach's colour scheme seems to hide the dirt well.
I certainly agree, it seemed rather unprofessional to have a bus out in such a state.
(29 May 2016, 10:25 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I'd ask for the bus number, but the problem certainly isn't unique with one bus or one operator. The blues of GNE and the greys of Arriva just make the buses look filthy. Only Stagecoach's colour scheme seems to hide the dirt well.
I agree.
I think the grey colourscheme Go North East used for its refurbishment of 5245 hides the dirt quite well. Here's hoping something similar can be rolled out on other mid-life refurbishments (if not the 'wood effect' flooring!)
![[Image: 13925093907_68f04282b9.jpg]](https://c4.staticflickr.com/3/2904/13925093907_68f04282b9.jpg)
Go North East: 5245 / NK56KHP by
Daniel Graham, on Flickr
(29 May 2016, 11:00 am)LeeCalder wrote [ -> ]I certainly agree, it seemed rather unprofessional to have a bus out in such a state.
I hate that buses aren't cleaned properly, but it comes down to what is practically possible, with the effort capacity that you have.
To clean an entire fleet of buses with a wet wash, is going to take you about 30 mins per bus I'd reckon. So that's 250 hours, if you had a fleet of 500 buses. To do that every night, you're going to need about 28 cleaners working all through the night. Or in terms that matter to the business... it'll equate to over half a million in payroll costs per annum, just for the cleaning.
Are dual door renowns still the right allocation to the 9
(29 May 2016, 11:16 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]I agree.
I think the grey colourscheme Go North East used for its refurbishment of 5245 hides the dirt quite well. Here's hoping something similar can be rolled out on other mid-life refurbishments (if not the 'wood effect' flooring!)
Go North East: 5245 / NK56KHP by Daniel Graham, on Flickr
Hopfully they start them soon... Hopefully after the all the repaints are done from the Prince Bishops Scania's and all of the Streetlites are in service.
(29 May 2016, 11:26 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I hate that buses aren't cleaned properly, but it comes down to what is practically possible, with the effort capacity that you have.
To clean an entire fleet of buses with a wet wash, is going to take you about 30 mins per bus I'd reckon. So that's 250 hours, if you had a fleet of 500 buses. To do that every night, you're going to need about 28 cleaners working all through the night. Or in terms that matter to the business... it'll equate to over half a million in payroll costs per annum, just for the cleaning.
Though customer satisfaction is what draws new customers in, So in a way it has to be done.
Had 5232 yesterday and there was dirt everywhere, 3 Chewing Gums stuck to the seatback in front and fluff around the seats, Which did put me off.
Dark couler's are probably the best thing to hide the dirt, Which is why Stagecoach's Interior is mostly impeccable.
Though I think Stagecoach have a strict regime which involves Steam Cleaning the Seats, I'm not sure if other operators do the same.
(29 May 2016, 11:39 am)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Though customer satisfaction is what draws new customers in, So in a way it has to be done.
Had 5232 yesterday and there was dirt everywhere, 3 Chewing Gums stuck to the seatback in front and fluff around the seats, Which did put me off.
Dark couler's are probably the best thing to hide the dirt, Which is why Stagecoach's Interior is mostly impeccable.
Though I think Stagecoach have a strict regime which involves Steam Cleaning the Seats, I'm not sure if other operators do the same.
They also hand paint their buses every few years.
(29 May 2016, 11:39 am)South Tyne Lad wrote [ -> ]Though customer satisfaction is what draws new customers in, So in a way it has to be done.
I wouldn't say customer satisfaction is what brings in new customers - that is what retains existing customers.
Go North East's latest passenger satisfaction figure is at 89%:
http://www.simplygo.com/newsroom/#/news/...vey-163903
Value for money is probably one of the leading factors in bringing in new customers, which, according to the above article, is up 5% compared to last year. I think more could be done to improve value for money on evenings and Sundays (when the frequency on most services is reduced), and is possibly one of the reasons why that percentage is still fairly low, at 67%. Arriva North East's 'five for a fiver' ticket, which allows unlimited travel in a specified zone after 7pm, is a step in the right direction in providing value for money on evenings.
Today's allocation for the cricket shuttles were as follows:
Durham Rail Station 500: 3872, 6012, 6017, 6018, 6020
Lambton Park & Ride 501: 3878, 6022, 6026, 6036, 6039
Shouldn't be using colour to hide dirt at all. Wouldn't be acceptable in other businesses.
(29 May 2016, 11:35 pm)dannygee wrote [ -> ]3888 is back and has been for a while. Normally goes in the 434 in ashington-linton then the 9 at 5pm-9pm
Sorry for not being clear, when will it be Stanley based, since the news says "temporary" transfer.
(30 May 2016, 7:40 am)Jamie M wrote [ -> ]Sorry for not being clear, when will it be Stanley based, since the news says "temporary" transfer.
3888 was undergoing a trial period of use on the 434/448 services.
It has proven to be reliable enough, so, as busmanT rightly stated, there are no plans for 3888 and 6030 to be exchanged again.
(30 May 2016, 7:47 am)Dan wrote [ -> ]3888 was undergoing a trial period of use on the 434/448 services.
It has proven to be reliable enough, so, as busmanT rightly stated, there are no plans for 3888 and 6030 to be exchanged again.
Thanks for clearing that up!