Stranger in the depot!
Go North East's Mercedes-Benz Citaro 5305 (NK08 CHN) is visiting us at the moment, as we assess its suitability as a potential replacement for our fleet of ex-First Volvo B7RLEs.
If suitable, it'll be one of 23 Citaros joining our fleet, with B7 withdrawals beginning in the new year.
It won't be out in service for us whilst it's on loan - but you may see it out and about on test!
![[Image: 0849b12f77b2b28608f6d2dbb7e85852.jpg]](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201125/0849b12f77b2b28608f6d2dbb7e85852.jpg)
This was posted onto Behind The Scenes at Go North West on Facebook
Sent from my iPhone XS using Tapatalk
I shall be pleased if these Go North East Citaros do come to Go North West as suggested above.
interesting read. Wonder if this action could spread through the go ahead group?
To be honest, I'm surprised it's took them this long to do it.
No doubt when Go-Ahead acquired the depot, the employees will have been transferred over and been allowed to keep their original contract terms, and they want to move them over to an equivalent contract to that of the other subsidiaries.
The exact same thing has happened with most of the supermarkets over the last few years, where the older employees were on very old contracts which were very generous with the benefits they offered.
No doubt other operators throughout the country will be watching the outcome with interest.
(16 Feb 2021, 7:45 pm)Michael wrote [ -> ]Keeping you moving through industrial action from Sunday 28 February
https://www.gonorthwest.co.uk/news-servi...on-update/
Edit:
How many ex GNE Citaro's are now at GNW?
I'm staggered that someone in GNW has signed that statement off. Doesn't exactly fit in with the Go Ahead ethos.
I particularly like this bit: "393 out of our 474 drivers (83%)
volunteered to accept the new terms.", though voluntary choices usually don't come with statements like: “Go North West is issuing you with notice of the termination of your employment, which shall end on 8 May 2021”
Sounds more like having a gun held to your head.
https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/ne...e-dispute/
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(17 Feb 2021, 12:09 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I'm staggered that someone in GNW has signed that statement off. Doesn't exactly fit in with the Go Ahead ethos.
I particularly like this bit: "393 out of our 474 drivers (83%) volunteered to accept the new terms.", though voluntary choices usually don't come with statements like: “Go North West is issuing you with notice of the termination of your employment, which shall end on 8 May 2021”
Sounds more like having a gun held to your head.
https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/ne...e-dispute/
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Temporary timetables from Sunday 28 February are now online:
https://www.gonorthwest.co.uk/news-servi...on-update/
(17 Feb 2021, 12:09 am)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I'm staggered that someone in GNW has signed that statement off. Doesn't exactly fit in with the Go Ahead ethos.
I particularly like this bit: "393 out of our 474 drivers (83%) volunteered to accept the new terms.", though voluntary choices usually don't come with statements like: “Go North West is issuing you with notice of the termination of your employment, which shall end on 8 May 2021”
Sounds more like having a gun held to your head.
https://unitetheunion.org/news-events/ne...e-dispute/
Are you really that surprised? GoAhead don't exactly have a good track record for staff relationships in the past when they want to change things. You just have to look at the absolute shambles with Southern / GTR down in London and they handled that horribly.
Just had this image appear as a promoted Facebook Ad:
[
attachment=9725]
Is it just me that thinks this is a weird ad concept? The unemployed pub worker idea is a bit crass considering the crisis in he hospitality industry - has a bit of a 'Fatima's next job could be in cyber' feel about it. Then the bus driver holding two pints isn't a great look, especially with the driving icons. "Dawn's had a pint, now she drives your buses".
File alongside those mega-rear ads of people standing up on the X10.
I just don't understand how people can see franchising bus services as a positive, but franchising rail services as a negative.
Either go fully publicly owned, or fully private.
(25 Mar 2021, 7:17 pm)streetdeckfan wrote [ -> ]I just don't understand how people can see franchising bus services as a positive, but franchising rail services as a negative.
Either go fully publicly owned, or fully private.
They cannot go 'fully publicly owned' - the setting up of municipal bus companies are still outlawed by the Buses Act 2017 sadly.
Buses in Manchester are set to be taken over by the local council is seems. Not sure which companies are affected but Stagecoach is one of them and has launched judicial review so they are obviously affected. Go North West (formally first bus) is another big operator in Manchester so guessing they are affected too. Private companies will still run the day to day aspect of running the routes however the local council will decide which route run and how frequently and what fares to charge.
This is has already partially happened in the North with GNE operating on instructions from council as to what to run and when since the covid outbreak. GNE have been unable to make any profit for month after being part funded to keep services running. GNE are desperate to hit the ground running when things start to open up in order to get back on its feet with various ideas to get going X11 for example. Is it too little to late though, has the dice been cast? Will the North east buses be set for a local council takeover. A lot of people in the industry think its completely inevitable that this will happen at some point.
All info taken from BBC, Evening Standard papers so before shouting "thats not correct, your wrong" (often in more angle Saxon terminology) please refer to newspapers.
(25 Mar 2021, 8:25 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]They cannot go 'fully publicly owned' - the setting up of municipal bus companies are still outlawed by the Buses Act 2017 sadly.
Whilst they can't set up a new municipal company, there is nothing stopping a council buying an existing bus or coach company.
(26 Mar 2021, 12:15 pm)CookieMonster wrote [ -> ]Buses in Manchester are set to be taken over by the local council is seems. Not sure which companies are affected but Stagecoach is one of them and has launched judicial review so they are obviously affected. Go North West (formally first bus) is another big operator in Manchester so guessing they are affected too. Private companies will still run the day to day aspect of running the routes however the local council will decide which route run and how frequently and what fares to charge.
This is has already partially happened in the North with GNE operating on instructions from council as to what to run and when since the covid outbreak. GNE have been unable to make any profit for month after being part funded to keep services running. GNE are desperate to hit the ground running when things start to open up in order to get back on its feet with various ideas to get going X11 for example. Is it too little to late though, has the dice been cast? Will the North east buses be set for a local council takeover. A lot of people in the industry think its completely inevitable that this will happen at some point.
All info taken from BBC, Evening Standard papers so before shouting "thats not correct, your wrong" (often in more angle Saxon terminology) please refer to newspapers.
How can you expect the Evening Standard to get anything to do with transport correct (they don't), when the former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne is editor-in-chief?
(28 Mar 2021, 3:50 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]Has their been any update on how long the industrial action is expected to continue on for given it has now been a month.
It's an indefinite strike, so it'll continue until the union sees a decent amount of progress being made.
GNW are too busy spreading twisted stats and figures via social media to get the public's support whilst attacking their own workforce under the guise of "the union".
They've only managed to get the support of a few spotters outside of the NW region, so a rather futile exercise for such little benefit.
(21 Apr 2021, 5:18 pm)Rob44 wrote [ -> ]https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manc...819987.amp
Getting very naughty at GNW
Although a bit of a one-sided article. Plenty of allegations towards Unite, but zero evidence of who's allegedly behind any of this.
Also find it a bit rich of GNW to accuse a Union official of filming (in a public place), whilst at the same time they're running a fleet of buses that are constantly filming inside and outside the buses. Double standards?
(10 May 2021, 8:54 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Burnham has made the trip from Middleton - Media City.
Best part of 8miles and almost 2 hours.
https://twitter.com/AndyBurnhamGM/status...31680?s=19
He’s supping a Cafe Nero in Piccadilly and a Costa by the time the press conference starts at Media City, must be made of money!
