North East Buses

Suppose there was a driver shortage

Subcontracting. There's two ways to look at it really.

Firstly you could argue that it doesn't need to be specified on the website, as long as the service and journeys are running and a prominent notice is displayed on the bus itself that the service is being ran on behalf of GNE.

On the flipside though, perhaps it does bring into question once again the effectiveness of branding. A lot of effort was put into the promotional material to advertise different buses on different routes today, but you brand something so a customer recognises it. Are we then sure that the customer will know that its not their usual Prince Bishops bus, nor the red and blue double decker promised for the day instead, but actually a battleship grey single decker with Aline Coaches on the side? The mind boggles.

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(26 Dec 2021, 11:11 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]Subcontracting. There's two ways to look at it really.

Firstly you could argue that it doesn't need to be specified on the website, as long as the service and journeys are running and a prominent notice is displayed on the bus itself that the service is being ran on behalf of GNE.

On the flipside though, perhaps it does bring into question once again the effectiveness of branding. A lot of effort was put into the promotional material to advertise different buses on different routes today, but you brand something so a customer recognises it. Are we then sure that the customer will know that its not their usual Prince Bishops bus, nor the red and blue double decker promised for the day instead, but actually a battleship grey single decker with Aline Coaches on the side? The mind boggles.

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In all fairness, I have been on routes where they have had a ALine coaches covering them and people where (that route only serves at stop) and they didn't put their hand out as it was in the Aline livery. 
I think when it has a different companies name on especially at the front it puts people off.

(26 Dec 2021, 11:11 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]Subcontracting. There's two ways to look at it really.

Firstly you could argue that it doesn't need to be specified on the website, as long as the service and journeys are running and a prominent notice is displayed on the bus itself that the service is being ran on behalf of GNE.

On the flipside though, perhaps it does bring into question once again the effectiveness of branding. A lot of effort was put into the promotional material to advertise different buses on different routes today, but you brand something so a customer recognises it. Are we then sure that the customer will know that its not their usual Prince Bishops bus, nor the red and blue double decker promised for the day instead, but actually a battleship grey single decker with Aline Coaches on the side? The mind boggles.

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I’d say on a day when services are limited they really should have advised which services would be run by A Line and Henry Cooper to avoid the scenario of passenger letting bus go or bus having to practically stop or slow at every stop to make passengers aware. 

Footfall looks hugely down across our towns and  cities, not helped by Sunday trading today meaning the big sales don’t start until tomorrow. Noticed lots of breakdowns too on the twitter feed.

It’s the small details that are surprisingly missed today….

On a plus no cancellations for tomorrow! I mean they are running Sunday but still…every cloud

Totally agree. I think it’s wrong go north east are operating a route like the 2 with Aline. They can’t say they haven’t got enough buses or drivers - poor excuse when they are using all there buses covering that lazy arriva lot

43 looked dead when I drove up the Great North Road, few people on the inbound Ashington-Newcastle X21 immediately behind it...

Roads are as busy as usual today, especially the Spine Road. Advertising of Boxing Day services in Northumberland was absymal, so I'm not surprised that people are still flocking to their cars.

(27 Dec 2021, 12:21 am)Acky81 wrote [ -> ]Totally agree. I think it’s wrong go north east are operating a route like the 2 with Aline. They can’t say they haven’t got enough buses or drivers - poor excuse when they are using all there buses covering that lazy arriva lot

I imagine GNE probably didn't have enough drivers for the short notice contracts that they wouldn't know they'd need staff for when the normal GNE xmas schedules were put together for the festive period. I understand the Arriva work was only awarded at the start of December, which was probably after all the "normal" GNE work for Christmas would have already been allocated!
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Stagecoach working the 18

Go North East working the 18A

(27 Dec 2021, 10:46 am)Train8261 wrote [ -> ]Stagecoach working the 18

Go North East working the 18A

Stagecoach running to a Saturday timetable, Arriva and GNE running to a Sunday today, tomorrow and next Monday. so I am surprised there is not more.

I'm guessing GNE are running the 18A only and Stagecoach the 18

(27 Dec 2021, 12:31 am)omnicity4659 wrote [ -> ]43 looked dead when I drove up the Great North Road, few people on the inbound Ashington-Newcastle X21 immediately behind it...

Roads are as busy as usual today, especially the Spine Road. Advertising of Boxing Day services in Northumberland was absymal, so I'm not surprised that people are still flocking to their cars.

I don't think it's helped either that the normal operator has told their customers that they're not providing a service on any routes on Boxing Day. If the operator is telling their customers that, I doubt that the vast majority would then question it and go and seek further information on it.

It'd have cost them nothing to publish that routes X, Y and Z are operating with funding from the local authorities and that the service will be ran by a different operator on that day. 

Sometimes the lack of joint up thinking and communication on transport is embarrassing in our region, and as you say, its no surprise that people are still flocking to their cars.

(27 Dec 2021, 11:47 am)Train8261 wrote [ -> ]I'm guessing GNE are running the 18A only and Stagecoach the 18

Surely that would confuse passengers?

(27 Dec 2021, 11:31 am)citaro5284 wrote [ -> ]Stagecoach running to a Saturday timetable, Arriva and GNE running to a Sunday today, tomorrow and next Monday. so I am surprised there is not more.

Nexus would have told GNE that a Saturday service was required on Mon27/Tues 28 and Mon 3rd.  So if GNE ran a Sunday service, then it was a mistake, and GNE would not be paid to run 18/18A until 18:30, when a Saturday service starts.

Gateshead Central Taxis only ran 32A from 18:50 (Kenton Shops) and 19:09 from Newcastle, as Stagecoach were running until then.

Tomorrow, Central Taxis are running a Sunday service on all routes, except 32A and services R3/4/6 & R5, which are running a Saturday service.