North East Buses

Gne have disabled comments on twitter or x whatever u wanna call it. I do do do wonder why. Can't be the amount of complaints they would get for not running services

(04 Dec 2023, 5:10 pm)Aaron21 wrote [ -> ]Gne have disabled comments on twitter or x whatever u wanna call it. I do do do wonder why. Can't be the amount of complaints they would get for not running services

Metro do the same, it does help them reach out and track genuine support and feedback queries over random rants

(04 Dec 2023, 2:30 pm)DeltaMan wrote [ -> ]As unwise as some of the staff comms were, I can't recall seeing defamatory comments in what has been made public or anything derogatory being shared from his or Feathams social media accounts.....

Maybe not from their social media accounts, but company communication tools, the website and mailing lists were all used in some vein attempt to whip up frenzy towards striking workers. Some of the staff comms in particular were outrageous and lacked basic professionalism. 

(04 Dec 2023, 5:01 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]As much as I hate the comms from GNE, the behaviour of some drivers on that GNE Facebook strike debate group has been incredibly ill advised. I get the emotional context and getting riled up by the average thicko who uses Facebook 

Would have hoped the Union might have given some advice out

I haven't seen the posts in question, but generally I don't condone people getting involved in spats on social media. I agree it would have been pertinent to put out some advice, but I'd say this was also inevitable, given the company's insistence on playing out this dispute in the public domain. As soon as you start doing that, people start talking about it, and those involved in the dispute feel that they have to defend their position - which usually ends up going too far.

I think there's a lot of lessons to be learned here for everyone, but I don't think suspending people en-mass and going down the route of disciplinaries, in an industry that is already marred by a disciplinary culture, is the best way forward. They're already going to be dealing with issues at each depots between those who stuck it out and those who scabbed, those who voted to accept and those who didn't and managers who undermined the dispute. 

Sometimes it's better to simply speak to people, try and draw a line under it and move on.

It's such a shame to see the demise of the Percy Main services after the industrial action. The drivers have turned awful for some reason, and reliability is shocking.

There was an angry driver on the 1 tonight for no apparent reason, shouting at passengers to hurry up and get on. And on the way there the driving standard were atrocious.

Will be sticking with Stagecoach and Arriva going forward, from what was once a regular customer.

Hope the cat gets there pay rise as he's on the payroll
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-tyne-67803472

(27 Dec 2023, 1:13 pm)Rob44 wrote [ -> ]Hope the cat gets there pay rise as he's on the payroll
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-tyne-67803472

Get him trained, he'd probably be safer than the drivers in North Tyneside since the strike ended. They certainly seem more aggressive and less patient these days!

(27 Dec 2023, 1:13 pm)Rob44 wrote [ -> ]Hope the cat gets there pay rise as he's on the payroll
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-tyne-67803472

He's a good lad is wor Dave, he's listed as one of the Operational Supervisors in their office.

Im sure the website is run cheaply in house by a vaguely competent yes man but there’s still a story on the first page of the news pushing the anti driver rhetoric from the strike days.

The others have finally been removed but the ‘evil drivers amazing Ben’ story remains.

They might want to get head office to pay for an SEO specialist to push unites anti GNE stuff and GNEs anti unite stuff down the search feed too. Sure there’s money in BSIP to hire someone vaguely competent….

Overheard a couple of Riverside drivers talking about possible industrial action. Something to do with backpay?

(14 Mar 2024, 5:09 pm)DeltaMan wrote [ -> ]Overheard a couple of Riverside drivers talking about possible industrial action. Something to do with backpay?

The backpay was paid two weeks after the dispute was resolved.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(14 Mar 2024, 5:09 pm)DeltaMan wrote [ -> ]Overheard a couple of Riverside drivers talking about possible industrial action. Something to do with backpay?

I heard something about the dreaded terms and conditions being messed with in the new rotas. Just Riverside though, and I don't work at that depot so it's purely second hand information heard from a bus driver's canteen.

Hoe much an hour do you start on if you've already got your pcv at Riverside and is it a good depot to work from.

(18 Apr 2024, 11:19 pm)lloyd647 wrote [ -> ]Hoe much an hour do you start on if you've already got your pcv at Riverside and is it a good depot to work from.

£14.27 if you already have a PCV license, and no run for the hills

(19 Apr 2024, 12:24 am)NL62WVW wrote [ -> ]£14.27 if you already have a PCV license, and no run for the hills

I've seen similar comments elsewhere about avoiding Riverside.  For the uninitiated, what makes Riverside worse than other depots?

(19 Apr 2024, 11:59 am)Chris 1 wrote [ -> ]I've seen similar comments elsewhere about avoiding Riverside.  For the uninitiated, what makes Riverside worse than other depots?

Too big and too top heavy with managers

Today marks the first anniversary of the Great Strike of 2023. Any reflections?

(02 Oct 2024, 7:37 am)R852 PRG wrote [ -> ]Today marks the first anniversary of the Great Strike of 2023. Any reflections?

Wow a year already.

I'd say standards and service levels have dropped considerably since then (not necessarily the fault of the drivers) and from being a very prominent (and bad) management team - they've morphed into a very bad (and not very prominent) management team

(02 Oct 2024, 12:36 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Wow a year already.

I'd say standards and service levels have dropped considerably since then (not necessarily the fault of the drivers) and from being a very prominent (and bad) management team - they've morphed into a very bad (and not very prominent) management team

The service offered is absolutely shocking with the large majority of services across the region operating to a "Minimum Service Level" which for some services just isn't enough to match passenger demand whilst other services such as the 21 have returned to pre-covid service levels however it is being propped up by BSIP Funding which for a commercially run service in my opinion should not be the case.

(02 Oct 2024, 12:36 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Wow a year already.

I'd say standards and service levels have dropped considerably since then (not necessarily the fault of the drivers) and from being a very prominent (and bad) management team - they've morphed into a very bad (and not very prominent) management team

I don't travel anywhere near as much as I used to, but when I do, I find the cuts in frequencies end up making every journey take longer. When the X1 and 4 were every 12 minutes, and the latter didn't have a diversion around Follingsby, you could pretty much hop off one of the connections and straight on to a waiting bus into town or on to the Metro system. The X1 reliability now, especially on a morning or afternoon, feels awful. 

I agree on prominence too. You'll have likely seen it all before, but it's almost like they've swallowed a couple of volumes of bad HR-led gimmicks, rather than engaging with their workforce and customers as adults. Spin the wheel and a packet of sweets, anyone? 

(02 Oct 2024, 2:24 pm)Malarkey wrote [ -> ]The service offered is absolutely shocking with the large majority of services across the region operating to a "Minimum Service Level" which for some services just isn't enough to match passenger demand whilst other services such as the 21 have returned to pre-covid service levels however it is being propped up by BSIP Funding which for a commercially run service in my opinion should not be the case.

I agree, and I suspect that this is what they're doing. Enough people will complain about the frequency, but the operators will claim that it's "not quite there" in terms of increasing it commercially. Knowing they'll eventually get to that pot of gold at the end of Cllr Gannon's rainbow.

Is not just the frequencies. The quality and suitability of vehicles has continued to decline with more cascaded stock than newly purchased appearing on what used to be regarded as flagship routes, often in pretty scruffy condition.

I had to buy a car so very rarely unless I'm having a drink.

(03 Oct 2024, 4:50 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Is not just the frequencies. The quality and suitability of vehicles has continued to decline with more cascaded stock than newly purchased appearing on what used to be regarded as flagship routes, often in pretty scruffy condition.

Yes that’s very true. Even single deck allocations on DD routes doesn’t inspire with confidence.

(03 Oct 2024, 9:37 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Yes that’s very true. Even single deck allocations on DD routes doesn’t inspire with confidence.

The 307/309/X39 are starting to creep into this category even more now, as you’ve pointed out a couple of times. 

They even had a Versa on the 309 after the match on Tuesday, absolutely ridiculous and it left people behind. Surely there must have been a decker in the depot at that time to swap it with. 

In general, I don’t have a problem with Percy Main services. The drivers are usually fine, and reliability is fine too. But they obviously have a shortage of double deckers which is going to have a negative impact on those services.

(03 Oct 2024, 4:50 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]Is not just the frequencies. The quality and suitability of vehicles has continued to decline with more cascaded stock than newly purchased appearing on what used to be regarded as flagship routes, often in pretty scruffy condition.

Like I said in the other thread I've just started getting the bus to work again and I got put in the unfortunate situation yesterday of needing to get the bus home. Got to the bus station 60 rammed and standing all the way to the front. So the one behind was 17 mins late by the time it got to Park Lane, so everyone had to get on the 16:56, 45 minutes after I had finished, and didn't get home till close to 17:40. 1hr 30 mins after I had finished, baring in mind it takes me 25 mins max in a car. There was a 61 that came in 26 mins late and left NIS, while I agree with the choice to run it NIS as there was one right behind. Some people were waiting an hour for a bus which was rammed and standing when it left. Its not a good look plus the state of the East Durham Explorers are attrocious. 

Another thing I have noticed is the amount of Drifters and other buses at Deptford which have been in crashes due to various panel replacements.

Can't believe it's been a year already. Have they attempted any changes to T&Cs in the meantime?

There certainly didn't seem a lot of love lost between drivers and management during and in the in the aftermath. Just reading the Go-BE awards piece on the GNE website, is there now really a "..a deep respect & admiration..." in place?

(03 Oct 2024, 9:37 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]Yes that’s very true. Even single deck allocations on DD routes doesn’t inspire with confidence.

It was seeing a versa on the long 21 that brought this to mind!

(04 Oct 2024, 2:17 pm)BusLoverMum wrote [ -> ]It was seeing a versa on the long 21 that brought this to mind!

It’s a daily occurrence now. If they had any sense they’d limit to CLS runs

Delightful to think that our taxes are paying for single deckers to roam the 21 extended frequency

(04 Oct 2024, 9:04 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]It’s a daily occurrence now. If they had any sense they’d limit to CLS runs

Delightful to think that our taxes are paying for single deckers to roam the 21 extended frequency

Even after 10pm on a Friday night, the 5 buses tracking on there are:

2x Angel Streetdecks (6316 and 6326)
1x 19 year old B7TL (3962)
1x 15 year old ex-London E400 (6955)
1x 12 year old ex-London B9 (6156)

It's their flagship route, and they're getting handouts to run knackered old deckers to try and make a 7-8 minute frequency commercially viable...

(04 Oct 2024, 9:04 pm)Ambassador wrote [ -> ]It’s a daily occurrence now. If they had any sense they’d limit to CLS runs

Delightful to think that our taxes are paying for single deckers to roam the 21 extended frequency

Not defending them at all, but is there only CLS runs now. I thought they all interworked now so every bus will eventually do a long run.

(04 Oct 2024, 9:24 pm)Storx wrote [ -> ]Not defending them at all, but is there only CLS runs now. I thought they all interworked now so every bus will eventually do a long run.

I think they still do. I'm sure the last one I caught into Newcastle was after the change and that went back out to Chester le Street. 

And while catching the 21 from Eldon Square to somewhere between CLS and Durham bus station might seem pointless, as the X21 leaves at about the same time and is much faster, sometimes there is no sign of the X21 on the app or on bustimes and a bus in the stand is worth two on the timetable.