North East Buses

Losing public support more by the day now...

(19 Oct 2023, 3:29 pm)idiot wrote [ -> ]Losing public support more by the day now...

Honestly so what....probably will get the same amount of abuse as they normal do..so nothing different

(19 Oct 2023, 3:29 pm)idiot wrote [ -> ]Losing public support more by the day now...

Doesn't really matter in the scope of things. It'll only end if the Union end the strike cover payments or the financial pressure gets too much for a sizeable amount of drivers (which is what I'm assuming GNE are aiming for)


Support for train drivers strikes dipped to record low levels but they continue. Bus passengers aren't really prioritised or of that much interest to the Government or local authority unless it starts impacting the region economically but percentage wise - it likely won't, it's just the low paid workers and those without options that suffer.

Everyone else is either on a train, walking, driving or using ridershare/taxi. They'll use the bus again in the future, but right now, they don't care

(19 Oct 2023, 3:26 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]saw someone in a FB comment (shock) said they should fire all drivers..good luck with that, it will probably be cheaper to pay them all £30 an hour than re-train thousands of staff and pay all the unfair dismissal lawsuits

Bit of an odd comment. They'd be in the same position - no buses running...

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Some on FB are saying the drivers should not strike and let everyone on for free.

If GNE staff do end up getting paid say £15.32 (which I believe is the starting wage at GNW) its going to have a lot of SC/ANE drivers wanting a big pay rise too

(19 Oct 2023, 3:40 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]If GNE staff do end up getting paid say £15.32 (which I believe is the starting wage at GNW) its going to have a lot of SC/ANE drivers wanting a big pay rise too

We're not even asking anywhere near that much either. I wish we were but we're not, even the full amount we asked for is nearly £1 less then that.

(19 Oct 2023, 4:00 pm)deanmachine wrote [ -> ]We're not even asking anywhere near that much either. I wish we were but we're not, even the full amount we asked for is nearly £1 less then that.

So drivers only want like a 14% increase, GNE just pay it. Its not that much. Cut Nigel's Salary a bit its not like hes ever up here, and kick ben to the curb, while theyre clearing out could get rid of the team who are in charge on keeping buses on time/getting them back on track as theyre not very good at it (forgot what the department is called)

(19 Oct 2023, 4:05 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]So drivers only want like a 14% increase, GNE just pay it. Its not that much. Cut Nigel's Salary a bit its not like hes ever up here, and kick ben to the curb, while theyre clearing out could get rid of the team who are in charge on keeping buses on time/getting them back on track as theyre not very good at it (forgot what the department is called)

I mean, call me mental, but is it not the bus drivers responsibility to keep the bus on time, and the control team or whatever regulate them for being rubbish?

(19 Oct 2023, 6:00 pm)UniteTheOnion wrote [ -> ]I mean, call me mental, but is it not the bus drivers responsibility to keep the bus on time, and the control team or whatever regulate them for being rubbish?

Yeah as the bus drivers can keep on time when there has been a crash or you know buses coming into Newcastle two hours late. 

i know some drivers go Out of Service on their own accord but I dont think some do unless control tells them.

I think its the Service Delivery team, also say an X1 there is a bus cancelled one before and one after towards Newcastle and it ends up getting into Eldon Square 15 mins late, and if the driver thinks oh ill run dead to Washington, there wont be bus for 45 mins.

(19 Oct 2023, 6:07 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]Yeah as the bus drivers can keep on time when there has been a crash or you know buses coming into Newcastle two hours late. 

i know some drivers go Out of Service on their own accord but I dont think some do unless control tells them.

I think its the Service Delivery team, also say an X1 there is a bus cancelled one before and one after towards Newcastle and it ends up getting into Eldon Square 15 mins late, and if the driver thinks oh ill run dead to Washington, there wont be bus for 45 mins.

I think you may have answered your own question there. If there’s a crash, they’ve got to deal with however many buses are affected by that crash. I wonder how many people work in there at any one time. Cannot be many! 

Bus drivers shouldn’t need babysitting really, if they’re late, then that’s on them, barring traffic and obvious other issues, but GNE usually put that on their website for you to see.

Looks like 6182 may need a jump start when it's fired up again! This was Hownsgill tonight.



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(19 Oct 2023, 6:42 pm)UniteTheOnion wrote [ -> ]I think you may have answered your own question there. If there’s a crash, they’ve got to deal with however many buses are affected by that crash. I wonder how many people work in there at any one time. Cannot be many! 

Bus drivers shouldn’t need babysitting really, if they’re late, then that’s on them, barring traffic and obvious other issues, but GNE usually put that on their website for you to see.

so why do they have the service delivery centre?

also you cannot expect drivers to know where every bus is and whats happening

(19 Oct 2023, 6:45 pm)Unber43 wrote [ -> ]so why do they have the service delivery centre?

also you cannot expect drivers to know where every bus is and whats happening

I’d imagine, to deal with breakdowns and to communicate to their customers about issues in real time, so people can make further arrangements or just be aware that the next bus isn’t coming. Do they deal with diversions as live too, so they’ll be communicating to drivers about hazards on route and specific routes to take, I’d hazard.

(19 Oct 2023, 6:42 pm)UniteTheOnion wrote [ -> ]I think you may have answered your own question there. If there’s a crash, they’ve got to deal with however many buses are affected by that crash. I wonder how many people work in there at any one time. Cannot be many! 

Bus drivers shouldn’t need babysitting really, if they’re late, then that’s on them, barring traffic and obvious other issues, but GNE usually put that on their website for you to see.

Crikey, evident you don't use buses. 

Buses can run late for hundreds of reasons, and at most the driver is responsible for a few. Dodgy ticket machines, mechanical issues, problem passengers, large passenger loadings are just some very common examples of why buses are late that drivers have nothing to do with. Even reasons that I'd say are down to the driver, such as being new to a route or being new in general, aren't really their fault. 

You'll note that in job descriptions for bus drivers, keeping the bus on time is not mentioned. Delivering safe journeys, getting people where they need to go, and offering good customer service are the usual responsibilities listed (or some rewording of those).

(19 Oct 2023, 6:55 pm)UniteTheOnion wrote [ -> ]I’d imagine, to deal with breakdowns and to communicate to their customers about issues in real time, so people can make further arrangements or just be aware that the next bus isn’t coming. Do they deal with diversions as live too, so they’ll be communicating to drivers about hazards on route and specific routes to take, I’d hazard.

Isnt that what you just said drivers would do?

Breakdowns/cancellations same thing

Also making people aware theyve posted nothing on FB/Twitter for months

(19 Oct 2023, 6:56 pm)mb134 wrote [ -> ]Crikey, evident you don't use buses. 

Buses can run late for hundreds of reasons, and at most the driver is responsible for a few. Dodgy ticket machines, mechanical issues, problem passengers, large passenger loadings are just some very common examples of why buses are late that drivers have nothing to do with. Even reasons that I'd say are down to the driver, such as being new to a route or being new in general, aren't really their fault. 

You'll note that in job descriptions for bus drivers, keeping the bus on time is not mentioned. Delivering safe journeys, getting people where they need to go, and offering good customer service are the usual responsibilities listed (or some rewording of those).

Thank you

(19 Oct 2023, 6:42 pm)UniteTheOnion wrote [ -> ]I think you may have answered your own question there. If there’s a crash, they’ve got to deal with however many buses are affected by that crash. I wonder how many people work in there at any one time. Cannot be many! 

Bus drivers shouldn’t need babysitting really, if they’re late, then that’s on them, barring traffic and obvious other issues, but GNE usually put that on their website for you to see.

Individual drivers don't have the resources to fill the gaps created when vehicles are delayed beyond their control. Someone else with a wider overview is required to regulate services, send in substitute vehicles and drivers (because soldiering on might take a driver over their legal hours) and so on. 

Your posting style seems rather familiar.

(19 Oct 2023, 3:40 pm)NEbushopper wrote [ -> ]Some on FB are saying the drivers should not strike and let everyone on for free.

I might be wrong, but this form of striking is still a 'thing' in some countries, including Japan etc. I believe it was made 'illegal' in the UK in the 70s/80s.

Chief Cycle Lane Enthusiast and Leisure Centre Shutter Martin Gannon (who also leads Gateshead Council and chairs the Transport Committee has taken time from his busy schedule of blaming the state of Gateshead on Margaret Thatcher and Napoleon to plea for a resolution

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-67157763

A story the bbc have inexplicably filed under their Tees regional site

are GCT accepting GNE tickets? Since ive been using there buses to get to work a high % of punters seem to be show the driver a QR code on their phone?? Or Can you get a network 1 ticket on your phone now?

(20 Oct 2023, 8:20 am)Rob44 wrote [ -> ]are GCT accepting GNE tickets?  Since ive been using there buses to get to work a high % of punters seem to be show the driver a QR code on their phone??  Or Can you get a network 1 ticket on your phone now?

Not sure if they're accepting GNE passes, but Network One tickets can be bought on the GNE app.

Drivers are not officially allow to self regulate. What used to happen was as long as you weren’t running out of driving hours you were made to run often up to 30 mins late and just get hammered until the bus behind caught you up. Often by the time it caught you up you missed the next trip anyway as you got later and later due to the inane questions and picking up 2 -3 times the amount of passengers you would normally - does nothing for stress levels for driver or passengers, whilst managers stay warm in their offices, or are already home for the day.

Reading into driver posts on here (and what you see on social) there seems to be a us vs them mentality and some built up resentment between management and core workers, in most cases it seems to be provoked by 'management' and 'office staff. I've seen some stuff on X from Service Delivery Managers and Dogsbody Assistant types that are just mindblowingly out of touch and inappropriate.

You get that in every workplace but it seems to be allowed to fester and no attempt is made to address it or work on the issues (i.e Ben's ridiculous press releases and internal memos)

(20 Oct 2023, 10:30 am)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Reading into driver posts on here (and what you see on social) there seems to be a us vs them mentality and some built up resentment between management and core workers, in most cases it seems to be provoked by 'management' and 'office staff. I've seen some stuff on X from Service Delivery Managers and Dogsbody Assistant types that are just mindblowingly out of touch and inappropriate.

You get that in every workplace but it seems to be allowed to fester and no attempt is made to address it or work on the issues (i.e Ben's ridiculous press releases and internal memos)

Probably no doubt because a lot of the management are there due to licking the boots of their highers than merit. 

Ben Maxfield being a prime example of it with Arriva for example. People generally don't jump from a graduate to a commercial director within 7 years, his experience (or lack of it) is really showing the past few weeks.

(20 Oct 2023, 10:30 am)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Reading into driver posts on here (and what you see on social) there seems to be a us vs them mentality and some built up resentment between management and core workers, in most cases it seems to be provoked by 'management' and 'office staff. I've seen some stuff on X from Service Delivery Managers and Dogsbody Assistant types that are just mindblowingly out of touch and inappropriate.

You get that in every workplace but it seems to be allowed to fester and no attempt is made to address it or work on the issues (i.e Ben's ridiculous press releases and internal memos)

What happened to the social media policy they had? I wonder if it has been smply forgotten about or just not enforced these days.

I remember a huge crackdown a few years back, quite often played out in public.

Seems to be only drivers that get the bollocking, anyone higher up get away with it.

(20 Oct 2023, 11:18 am)Storx wrote [ -> ]Probably no doubt because a lot of the management are there due to licking the boots of their highers than merit. 

Ben Maxfield being a prime example of it with Arriva for example. People generally don't jump from a graduate to a commercial director within 7 years, his experience (or lack of it) is really showing the past few weeks.

Yes couldn’t agree more, not only do you need experience you need personality he doesn’t have any of it at all. A degree doesn’t give him any of it. When I was a Stagecoach South the OMs there were ex graduates which much the same as Ben no personality, no personal skills and much less respect than the OMs who had came through the ranks.

(20 Oct 2023, 12:32 pm)Coastliner700 wrote [ -> ]Yes couldn’t agree more, not only do you need experience you need personality he doesn’t have any of it at all. A degree doesn’t give him any of it. When I was a Stagecoach South the OMs there were ex graduates which much the same as Ben no personality, no personal skills and much less respect than the OMs who had came through the ranks.

Yeah totally, doesn't help they've never drove a bus so they don't understand the role at all. Very different job to retail or something like that and has unique problems, the problems which seem to be the stumbling blocks on this strike aswell.

I know people slag off the likes of Roger French but least he worked his way up. It's no wonder the industry is a mess when the current crap management train graduates in the same current crap practices, it's just a merry go roundabout of rubbish which currently over the generations is gradually getting worse. It's no wonder when something like COVID and the fuel price increases come around everything just goes tits up.

Gilbert and Hornby are two prime examples of it, who ran before getting the boot.

The lack of people engagement and the people culture is a serious problem and probably a major driver (excuse the pun) behind this