Bit of a change in subject but I heard a driver on a secured gne bus say something to a passenger and I wanted to ask on here who gets the revenue from the 25 28 and 29 services? Do gne give it all to nexus or is it like the scne 317 where they keep the revenue?
Whos idea was that for the 41,its bloody barmy,so when extending to Howdon,it goes as far as Tynemouth Road,then turns into the 41A then goes to Simonside Terrace,Savory Road,then Archer street,then goes back on itself still as the 41A,also i dont know if plans changed since the article,or an error on the timetable,but when i got off the bus on the first stop on Coniston Road,i just happened to look at the timetable out of curiosity,and it said it was due at 17 and 47 past the hour,but on the GNE article it said it was going to extend to Howdon hourly
(28 Jul 2022, 5:25 pm)V514DFT wrote [ -> ]Whos idea was that for the 41,its bloody barmy,so when extending to Howdon,it goes as far as Tynemouth Road,then turns into the 41A then goes to Simonside Terrace,Savory Road,then Archer street,then goes back on itself still as the 41A,also i dont know if plans changed since the article,or an error on the timetable,but when i got off the bus on the first stop on Coniston Road,i just happened to look at the timetable out of curiosity,and it said it was due at 17 and 47 past the hour,but on the GNE article it said it was going to extend to Howdon hourly
It was odd they never mentioned the 41A would go to Howdon. So now your getting on a 41A from Howdon having to go via Wiltshire Drive at the same time
(28 Jul 2022, 6:39 pm)Aaron21 wrote [ -> ]It was odd they never mentioned the 41A would go to Howdon. So now your getting on a 41A from Howdon having to go via Wiltshire Drive at the same time
I doubt anyone will be using the 41A from Howdon to Wallsend so it doesn’t really matter - in fact I haven’t seen anyone use it at all to be honest.
(28 Jul 2022, 6:55 pm)Thomas12 wrote [ -> ]I doubt anyone will be using the 41A from Howdon to Wallsend so it doesn’t really matter - in fact I haven’t seen anyone use it at all to be honest.
Well it got extended to Howdon for a reason. Unless it's to compete with Stagecoach 317 but highly doubt that
(28 Jul 2022, 11:47 am)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]Too often I'm told on here that I'm cynical or I've encouraged people to jump on the bandwagon of anti-GNE bias.
So here I am, coming up with realistic strategies or ideas that operators could use to not only benefit the population of Washington and its surrounding environs, but also the shareholders (obviously it would need to be implemented correctly and not some half arsed approach).
And now I'm being told my views are being clouded by rose tinted spectacles for suggesting improvements to the network beyond 7pm!
Forgive me if I don't want to join you on that race to the bottom or embrace the 'we know best' attitude, the negativity and the stagnation that seems to permiate out of the bowels of the corporate ivory towers.
On a slightly connected note, I was following a Facebook thread about bus driver wage increases in Bristol. All sorts of suggestions about what could be done differently (all from a passenger perspective and totally valuable to any operator), yet one of the first on the scene was a guy who denounced other peoples knowledge of bus operations and admitted to working in the industry for 40 odd years.
A quick check on his bio showed the companies he had worked for. To be honest, if I was him, I'd not really shout about my senior roles working in a failing sector and how ineffective I'd been in halting or slowing the decline in routes, passenger numbers and a series of failed services.
But he knew more than each of the paying passengers. Apparently.
Any industry that has people with that sort of attitude, isn't going to sustain itself. As we see locally and at times, on this very forum. A shame.
That sums it up really well to be honest. These days there never seems to be anything innovative from bus companies that will genuinely make using the bus as a seriously attractive alternative to the car. All we hear is, "Oh well, theres not enough people using our services, so lets just cut them!". The last few years worth of major service changes have seen nothing but cuts. People have commented on here about there being not enough demand for bus services on an evening and that the cuts are justified, but this will force even more people into cars and will eventually effect day time service loadings too as they will use the car all the time instead. And with the price of bus tickets and the cost of fuel running a car, it is simply not feasible to use a combination of both from a financial view.
The approach to the decline in bus use should surely be, "How can we win passangers back and keep them coming back?" Take evenings for example, there is no excuse not to have a lower fare price where and when the service is being subsidised - something like £1 return ticket anywhere in your town or £3 unlimited travel anywhere in Tyne and Wear after 7pm etc. I would be tempted to use the bus if I was going somewhere on an evening if something like this was in place as well as having a frequent enough service. I'm sure other people would be interested in this if they were going out for a meal or to the cinema somewhere on an evening. Bus companies have to ask themselves, What's better? Staying in the status quo of decline, or trying something new to try and win more passengers?
(28 Jul 2022, 7:06 pm)Washingtonian wrote [ -> ]That sums it up really well to be honest. These days there never seems to be anything innovative from bus companies that will genuinely make using the bus as a seriously attractive alternative to the car. All we hear is, "Oh well, theres not enough people using our services, so lets just cut them!". The last few years worth of major service changes have seen nothing but cuts. People have commented on here about there being not enough demand for bus services on an evening and that the cuts are justified, but this will force even more people into cars and will eventually effect day time service loadings too as they will use the car all the time instead. And with the price of bus tickets and the cost of fuel running a car, it is simply not feasible to use a combination of both from a financial view.
The approach to the decline in bus use should surely be, "How can we win passangers back and keep them coming back?" Take evenings for example, there is no excuse not to have a lower fare price where and when the service is being subsidised - something like £1 return ticket anywhere in your town or £3 unlimited travel anywhere in Tyne and Wear after 7pm etc. I would be tempted to use the bus if I was going somewhere on an evening if something like this was in place as well as having a frequent enough service. I'm sure other people would be interested in this if they were going out for a meal or to the cinema somewhere on an evening. Bus companies have to ask themselves, What's better? Staying in the status quo of decline, or trying something new to try and win more passengers?
That's the thing. Those fare offers GNE offered were good on paper. But absolutely of no use to anyone who didn't have a service.
I looked at taking advantage of the £1 fare on the 71 a while back. It saved me money going one way. Had to get a taxi back, because the buses were tucked in bed for the night.
Haven't bothered with the £2 fare offer due to the total lottery about a bus taking me home at the end of the night.
An example of a half arsed job.
(28 Jul 2022, 6:56 pm)Aaron21 wrote [ -> ]Well it got extended to Howdon for a reason. Unless it's to compete with Stagecoach 317 but highly doubt that
I assume that it’s a Nexus plan to extend the 41/41A to Howdon (in response to complaints about loss of links from Battle Hill to there) and that Nexus are paying GNE to do it.
(29 Jul 2022, 9:19 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-24615294
Someone on here will like one of the quotes in that (in the paragraph below the 2nd picture) 
. Massive contradictory comment from a bus operator.
South Tyneside councillor Paul Dean raised concerns that consultation on the Go North East cuts had been inadequate, but Mr Gilbert replied the fact that more than 9,000 responses had been received was proof of its scope. The bus chief, who also chairs local bus operators’ association NEBus, said companies were facing “huge challenges” from the cost of living crisis, road congestion caused by rising traffic levels that slows down buses, and staffing shortages.
This paragraph?
I mean aye, there's obviously a reason there's rising traffic levels. Despite the cost of living crisis and rising fuel costs.
Can't quite put my finger on why car usage is increasing though.
Lack of buses perhaps? A network that's not fit for purpose and doesn't take people where they need to be? Titivations not working?
But imagine making all those changes based on a 9000 survey response rate? An entire network decimated and tax payer bailouts propping other parts up - based on 13% of the population of Washington responding...
Does the 5 interwork with 26 and 9 etc waited for an hour today for my bus from jarrow
(29 Jul 2022, 9:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]This paragraph?
I mean aye, there's obviously a reason there's rising traffic levels. Despite the cost of living crisis and rising fuel costs.
Can't quite put my finger on why car usage is increasing though.
Lack of buses perhaps? A network that's not fit for purpose and doesn't take people where they need to be? Titivations not working?
But imagine making all those changes based on a 9000 survey response rate? An entire network decimated and tax payer bailouts propping other parts up - based on 13% of the population of Washington responding...
Let’s be honest, poster boy martijn has been quite the hatchet man . RIP Northern General.
(29 Jul 2022, 10:32 pm)Gonorth91 wrote [ -> ]Does the 5 interwork with 26 and 9 etc waited for an hour today for my bus from jarrow
5/9/24/26 interwork. At Jarrow I think a 5 changes to a 9 and a 9 changes to a 5. What bus were you waiting for?
(29 Jul 2022, 10:41 pm)OrangeArrow49 wrote [ -> ]5/9/24/26 interwork. At Jarrow I think a 5 changes to a 9 and a 9 changes to a 5. What bus were you waiting for?
I believe it goes
9>5>24>24>5>9
24>26>26>24
On a Evening
5/9/24/26/20/X20/60/61A all interwork in some form, tbf I don't even think there is a pattern same on a sunday except the 35A is also included
With JH Coaches operating the 82 are GNE passes able to go from Washington to Gateshead or do you have to buy a ticket on the JH coaches bus?
(30 Jul 2022, 7:18 pm)nova347 wrote [ -> ]With JH Coaches operating the 82 are GNE passes able to go from Washington to Gateshead or do you have to buy a ticket on the JH coaches bus?
Go North East tickets are valid.
(29 Jul 2022, 9:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]This paragraph?
I mean aye, there's obviously a reason there's rising traffic levels. Despite the cost of living crisis and rising fuel costs.
Can't quite put my finger on why car usage is increasing though.
Lack of buses perhaps? A network that's not fit for purpose and doesn't take people where they need to be? Titivations not working?
But imagine making all those changes based on a 9000 survey response rate? An entire network decimated and tax payer bailouts propping other parts up - based on 13% of the population of Washington responding...
It was totally inadequate, not to mention the people it digitally excluded. For changes as significant as what was proposed, there should have been proper roadshows around the network, allowing people to ask questions and discuss the changes, not just enter comments against some vague proposals online.
It's easy to brag about 9000 survey response rate, when you don't state what it is a comparator of. What is that as a percentage vs unique users? It shouldn't be difficult to establish unique customers, even just from contactless/QR scans.
(30 Jul 2022, 8:02 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]It was totally inadequate, not to mention the people it digitally excluded. For changes as significant as what was proposed, there should have been proper roadshows around the network, allowing people to ask questions and discuss the changes, not just enter comments against some vague proposals online.
It's easy to brag about 9000 survey response rate, when you don't state what it is a comparator of. What is that as a percentage vs unique users? It shouldn't be difficult to establish unique customers, even just from contactless/QR scans.
They state 175,000 journeys made on their bus services every day (source:
https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/about-go-n...nce%201913&text=We%20are%20proud%20to%20employ,almost%20700%20buses%20and%20coaches.)
Assuming that's a number which is out of date and they're 20% lower - there's still 131,000 daily passengers who haven't responded for whatever reason.
Obviously there's going to be a huge portion of the population who aren't bus users, who haven't been asked nor involved in the consultation either.
Im sorry but MG doesnt half talk a load of cobblers at times,the shite he comes out with,he should be in politics
(29 Jul 2022, 9:47 pm)Andreos1 wrote [ -> ]This paragraph?
I mean aye, there's obviously a reason there's rising traffic levels. Despite the cost of living crisis and rising fuel costs.
Can't quite put my finger on why car usage is increasing though.
Lack of buses perhaps? A network that's not fit for purpose and doesn't take people where they need to be? Titivations not working?
But imagine making all those changes based on a 9000 survey response rate? An entire network decimated and tax payer bailouts propping other parts up - based on 13% of the population of Washington responding...
Aye that's the one. You've pretty much summed up what I was thinking. It's a horrid excuse for a bus company to blame rising traffic - it's literally there job to stop it.
(30 Jul 2022, 8:41 pm)V514DFT wrote [ -> ]Im sorry but MG doesnt half talk a load of cobblers at times,the shite he comes out with,he should be in politics
Technically he is with NEBus (or was at least anyway) with the rest of the gang who just like passing around role to role even known they've pretty much been a failure since day one - Tobyn Hughes I'm looking at you.