I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts why GNE has downgraded the 35 (now the Prince Bishops 20) over the years?
To me it was a flagship route which stood out against the competition from Stagecoach’s E1 E2 and E6.
I used to commute from South Shields to Sunderland everyday on the 35 and it was every 10 minutes, branded as the cross city Laser for commuters, and was marketed as a “Gold Standard” route using Citaros.
GNE replaced the Citaros with some Wrightbus horrors, ditched the Gold Standard service and then replaced the Laser 35 completely with the Prince Bishops 20. The frequency was decreased to every 15 minutes.
To me it seems nonsensical. It annoyed me as an existing customer and the downgrades certainly wouldn’t attract new people to use the bus. Is there some logic that is escaping me?
(20 May 2022, 11:05 am)balise33 wrote [ -> ]I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts why GNE has downgraded the 35 (now the Prince Bishops 20) over the years?
To me it was a flagship route which stood out against the competition from Stagecoach’s E1 E2 and E6.
I used to commute from South Shields to Sunderland everyday on the 35 and it was every 10 minutes, branded as the cross city Laser for commuters, and was marketed as a “Gold Standard” route using Citaros.
GNE replaced the Citaros with some Wrightbus horrors, ditched the Gold Standard service and then replaced the Laser 35 completely with the Prince Bishops 20. The frequency was decreased to every 15 minutes.
To me it seems nonsensical. It annoyed me as an existing customer and the downgrades certainly wouldn’t attract new people to use the bus. Is there some logic that is escaping me?
If your vehicles mean they cost too much for the amount of revenue coming in then changes are usually needed. The nature of what those changes are or should be are up for debate.
(20 May 2022, 11:05 am)balise33 wrote [ -> ]I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts why GNE has downgraded the 35 (now the Prince Bishops 20) over the years?
To me it was a flagship route which stood out against the competition from Stagecoach’s E1 E2 and E6.
I used to commute from South Shields to Sunderland everyday on the 35 and it was every 10 minutes, branded as the cross city Laser for commuters, and was marketed as a “Gold Standard” route using Citaros.
GNE replaced the Citaros with some Wrightbus horrors, ditched the Gold Standard service and then replaced the Laser 35 completely with the Prince Bishops 20. The frequency was decreased to every 15 minutes.
To me it seems nonsensical. It annoyed me as an existing customer and the downgrades certainly wouldn’t attract new people to use the bus. Is there some logic that is escaping me?
The 35 had mixed allocation of citaro and L94
(20 May 2022, 11:05 am)balise33 wrote [ -> ]I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts why GNE has downgraded the 35 (now the Prince Bishops 20) over the years?
To me it was a flagship route which stood out against the competition from Stagecoach’s E1 E2 and E6.
I used to commute from South Shields to Sunderland everyday on the 35 and it was every 10 minutes, branded as the cross city Laser for commuters, and was marketed as a “Gold Standard” route using Citaros.
GNE replaced the Citaros with some Wrightbus horrors, ditched the Gold Standard service and then replaced the Laser 35 completely with the Prince Bishops 20. The frequency was decreased to every 15 minutes.
To me it seems nonsensical. It annoyed me as an existing customer and the downgrades certainly wouldn’t attract new people to use the bus. Is there some logic that is escaping me?
I'm sure there will have been some logic in downgrading it and never being able to make it work since. What that was, I'll never know. Not sure many others will either.
They're now proposing even further changes to the 35.
I appreciate they're at the whims of vehicles, PVR's and balance sheets. But there must have been a better way? Surely?
I agree the 35 has been trashed beyond recognition, mainly because of the insistence over a lot of years to extend the 20 to Shields, but was it ever a flagship route?
I can't remember exactly what routes had the 'Gold Standard', but I'm pretty sure the 2/2A and 53/54 were part of it.
(20 May 2022, 11:05 am)balise33 wrote [ -> ]I’m interested to hear people’s thoughts why GNE has downgraded the 35 (now the Prince Bishops 20) over the years?
To me it was a flagship route which stood out against the competition from Stagecoach’s E1 E2 and E6.
I used to commute from South Shields to Sunderland everyday on the 35 and it was every 10 minutes, branded as the cross city Laser for commuters, and was marketed as a “Gold Standard” route using Citaros.
GNE replaced the Citaros with some Wrightbus horrors, ditched the Gold Standard service and then replaced the Laser 35 completely with the Prince Bishops 20. The frequency was decreased to every 15 minutes.
To me it seems nonsensical. It annoyed me as an existing customer and the downgrades certainly wouldn’t attract new people to use the bus. Is there some logic that is escaping me?
You picked the side of the route that done well really. The other side of the route is now every 30 minutes using the same Merc's or a similar batch that was took off them 10 years earlier.
The Herrington's must be the corridor which has had by far the worst service reduction anywhere in the North East.
(20 May 2022, 6:44 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I agree the 35 has been trashed beyond recognition, mainly because of the insistence over a lot of years to extend the 20 to Shields, but was it ever a flagship route?
I can't remember exactly what routes had the 'Gold Standard', but I'm pretty sure the 2/2A and 53/54 were part of it.
The 60 was when it was Versas
(20 May 2022, 8:06 pm)F114TML wrote [ -> ]The 60 was when it was Versas
Those Versa's are anything but gold standard.
They are awful inside, the sides (where the windows are) are stained a awful yellow.
The 35 has just been totally destroyed, chopped and changed.
Tbh the whole route needs some re-imaging.
Also as far as Flagship Routes go, I would say 56,60,20 are the only ones at Deptford.
(20 May 2022, 8:31 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]Those Vera's are anything but gold standard.
I agree. It's a good drama, but I much preferred The Bill.
(20 May 2022, 8:58 pm)Adrian wrote [ -> ]I agree. It's a good drama, but I much preferred The Bill.
Edit's done now. I must have changed it from Versas to Vera
(20 May 2022, 9:16 pm)V514DFT wrote [ -> ]And the 58 too
Hows the 58 changed over the years the only thing I can rember is Hadrians Park Extension although that might have been the 57
(20 May 2022, 8:31 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]Those Versa's are anything but gold standard.
They are awful inside, the sides (where the windows are) are stained a awful yellow.
The 35 has just been totally destroyed, chopped and changed.
Tbh the whole route needs some re-imaging.
Also as far as Flagship Routes go, I would say 56,60,20 are the only ones at Deptford.
Yeah, I'll have to agree that the Versas are probably the least favourable vehicles currently in the GNE fleet. Probably tied with the older Omnidekkas (the 03/04 batches), but the majority of them have been withdrawn/left the fleet anyway.
But at least they're not as bad as the Lolynes were. I swear the seats were literally at a 90 degree angle on those.
Add the X84/X85 to the list, going from new X-lines branded Enviros to older Versas in corporate livery within a year of being introduced.
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Tbf irregardless of branding GNE have been making fairly awful fleet decisions for years , it’s amazing the same team is still in place
(20 May 2022, 10:24 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Tbf irregardless of branding GNE have been making fairly awful fleet decisions for years , it’s amazing the same team is still in place
Too busy back patting to notice?
(20 May 2022, 10:24 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Tbf irregardless of branding GNE have been making fairly awful fleet decisions for years , it’s amazing the same team is still in place
Hopefully the 7x StreetDecks (assuming all of the Consett 'X-Lines' routes will be E400MMC operated) will actually be put to good use.
If they were do to something daft, my prediction would be them ending up on the 47 or a split between the X5/X15 and random spares at Washington.
Sensible option would be 6362 & 6363 to Washington for the X1 forming the PVR of 14x alongside 6364-75. 6376 spare with 6333 as another spare too.
Then for the following:
- X21 - 6331, 6332, 6356-61, 6377
- 47 - 6308-13
- X5/X15 - 6045-48
- CON Spares (Euro 6) - 6064, 6350, 6351
- CLS Spares (Euro 6) - 6314, 6333, 6334
- Riverside (extra spare & 1x extra for 58) - 6043, 6044
(20 May 2022, 10:24 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Tbf irregardless of branding GNE have been making fairly awful fleet decisions for years , it’s amazing the same team is still in place
Tbf the team is probably extremely limited numbers now in the low single digits who likely do support aswell. When they're butchering the frontline services I can't imagine them having a team of 20 people sitting in an office offering nothing.
There's a definite noticeable decrease in support staff.
(21 May 2022, 7:24 am)Storx wrote [ -> ]Tbf the team is probably extremely limited numbers now in the low single digits who likely do support aswell. When they're butchering the frontline services I can't imagine them having a team of 20 people sitting in an office offering nothing.
There's a definite noticeable decrease in support staff.
I think if people knew how few people most bigger operators employ for back office functions they'd be surprised to be honest.
(20 May 2022, 9:18 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]Hows the 58 changed over the years the only thing I can rember is Hadrians Park Extension although that might have been the 57
Was answering the question of what else was a 'Gold Standard' service