(24 Jan 2021, 11:29 pm)S813 FVK wrote While I agree with a number of the points being made, I do think it's perhaps a bit unfair to be using brands that were designed before any geographical colouring strategy was dreamt up as means to criticise it.

This scheme is going to take some time to roll out fully - there are going to be exceptions to the rules running around the region for a while yet.

(24 Jan 2021, 7:58 pm)Andreos1 wrote If it's not a new thing, why hasn't anyone noticed it before? Too subtle perhaps? Or just flawed?
Why the random mixture of colours that don't correlate to any of the strategy at all and an apparent inconsistency across the fleet? 

The 26/27 branded Geminis are red at the back - so that apparently allows them to qualify for the strategy for the red area (wherever the red area is), yet the 4 branded Mercs are pink at the front - allowing them to qualify for the strategy. But not the back, cos that's blue and despite the back end of some buses being included in some areas - with other parts of the fleet, its the front end.

Some strategy! 

As I've said before, I'd rather (and I'm sure many other passengers across the region would too) to have a network of services that works for me. That takes me to where I need to be, without the need to faff on changing buses and hoping there's some sort of connection within a relatively short period of time.
I'd rather that, than see the operator prioritising repaints and faffing on with the blind displays - swapping formats and ignoring best practice.

A network that works for passengers may get more likes on social media too and not just likes from enthusiasts or even colleagues in other parts of the country - intent on carrying on the apparent industry habit of slapping each other on the back at any given opportunity.

I'm sorry if honest and constructive feedback from a customer perspective shocks.

(25 Jan 2021, 2:05 am)BeachBoy99 wrote (snipped) 

(25 Jan 2021, 2:05 am)BeachBoy99 wrote I completely agree with you. Seems like a dodgy move to make, associating all of the brands to colours of areas that some of them don't even cover. What's even more confusing is why the colour schemes don't match up to the GoZones. You'd think they would do that...

Personally, I used to have so much admiration for Go North East's diverse range of liveries, but that's gradually going out of the window as more of them are discontinued. If they decide to do a massive overhaul to the likes of "Coast & Country", "Black Cats" and "Prince Bishops" — by which I mean they alter the colour schemes or they remove them completely — I'll be well and truly done, which makes me really sad because I’ve been so passionate about GNE for years. "X-lines" and the recent addition of coaches on the X9/X10 were bad enough in my eyes. Genuinely praying that the coaches fail like the others did in the past. Not sorry.

As a design enthusiast, I'm also absolutely sick of seeing the Axiforma typeface plastered all over every bus as well, now; the exact reason I hate Best Impressions, because ironically they give off the worst impression by duplicating the same designs for every company they are commissioned for. Would love to know what happened to the arrangement with Beacon, whose work was actually worthy to look at and promoted some differentiation — and they were a local business.

The last decade or so has seen regular Go North East users become accustomed to associating the routes they use with the livery and brand name that the bus is emblazoned with. They want to know where the bus is going to take them, which route branding plays a key part in. Taking those brands and their route information away from the sides of the bus — which has now either already been done to, or proposed to, 24 brands and counting since the 2016 rebrand took place — and giving every vehicle the same look, has the effect of pushing customers away. Why would anyone want to do that? I mean, what the hell happened to the likes of "Loop", "The Waggonway" and "The Blaydon Racer" (black version)?? Do not tell me they were irrelevant for the routes they covered. Now they're all red, yellow and blue. Boring man. I could go on, and on, and on. Literally.

Also totally agree with you on the way in which the individual areas are being represented. "Crusader"/"CityRider" red colour at the back yet "Connections 4" pink at the front? Makes no sense.

Don't even get me started on the blind displays; they’re my biggest pet peeve right now. As far as I see it, what they're now doing — by swapping the number onto the offside AND introducing different sizes to vehicles, i.e. the Yutongs — is ridiculous. Why, after years of the sizes being roughly the same and the numbers being on the nearside face, are they being changed? To copy Transdev? Wow. Because their format is really attractive. Not. Not to mention how all of this has now upset the fleet as loads of the buses have the white section and require the number where it was. Just change it back, or cut the black glazing to allow more of the blinds to be seen at the side. The Citaros and Solos certainly don’t need them on the other side.

Go North East have become this operator that is either copying everyone else through using “Best” Impressions, or trying way too hard to stand out from other local operators with their inverted destination display format. It really is nonsense. Sorry Dan, if you’re reading this, but my enthusiasm for GNE's future is teetering, and I mean it: that was a lot of enthusiasm.

(25 Jan 2021, 12:21 am)Drifter60 wrote Sorry maybe I wasn’t clear, I understand that that Prince Bishops and Coast & Country pre-date this ‘coloured zone’ approach to branding. The point I was trying to make was what do you do with those two routes mentioned which have been purple and green respectively for 10-15 years now? Give them a new colour scheme completely just to fit in with this new idea? Even though, people in Consett, Stanley, Chester-le-Street and Sunderland would (hopefully) identify that the green bus is the 78. Likewise with the 20. And take the Coast & Country service 8. Does it go Red to fit Sunderland’s colour or pink to match Washington? And what colour is Stanley? Never mind the fact the 8 interworks (or used to) with the 78 so you’d need some yellow to represent Consett too. I can’t wait for the new red/green/yellow Coast & Country brand!

(25 Jan 2021, 12:21 am)Drifter60 wrote Sorry maybe I wasn’t clear, I understand that that Prince Bishops and Coast & Country pre-date this ‘coloured zone’ approach to branding. The point I was trying to make was what do you do with those two routes mentioned which have been purple and green respectively for 10-15 years now? Give them a new colour scheme completely just to fit in with this new idea? Even though, people in Consett, Stanley, Chester-le-Street and Sunderland would (hopefully) identify that the green bus is the 78. Likewise with the 20. And take the Coast & Country service 8. Does it go Red to fit Sunderland’s colour or pink to match Washington? And what colour is Stanley? Never mind the fact the 8 interworks (or used to) with the 78 so you’d need some yellow to represent Consett too. I can’t wait for the new red/green/yellow Coast & Country brand!

(24 Jan 2021, 11:28 pm)mb134 wrote Surely this should be the job of a corporate livery? 

Majority of the non-enthusiast bus users would be able to know the difference between Arriva (blue) and Stagecoach (beachball/new corporate) if they were the two operators in their area, for example. It baffles me that GNE would go "nah, we've got a decent corporate livery, but what will really work is to paint everything into the rainbow again", it seems a tad confusing given how they seemed to very much be on the path of cutting unneccessary brands and bringing everything into a few defined styles (X-Lines, corporate/Crusader etc stripes, Voltra/Quayity swoop).

It also begs the question of what happens to corporate liveried vehicles operating in, for example, the green or orange zone? Do GNE not want that bus to be associated with them?

I wonder if Mr. Stenning was struggling for income over the pandemic, he can't be now!  

(25 Jan 2021, 2:05 am)BeachBoy99 wrote I completely agree with you. Seems like a dodgy move to make, associating all of the brands to colours of areas that some of them don't even cover. What's even more confusing is why the colour schemes don't match up to the GoZones. You'd think they would do that... 

Personally, I used to have so much admiration for Go North East's diverse range of liveries, but that's gradually going out of the window as more of them are discontinued. If they decide to do a massive overhaul to the likes of "Coast & Country", "Black Cats" and "Prince Bishops" — by which I mean they alter the colour schemes or they remove them completely — I'll be well and truly done, which makes me really sad because I’ve been so passionate about GNE for years. "X-lines" and the recent addition of coaches on the X9/X10 were bad enough in my eyes. Genuinely praying that the coaches fail like the others did in the past. Not sorry.

As a design enthusiast, I'm also absolutely sick of seeing the Axiforma typeface plastered all over every bus as well, now; the exact reason I hate Best Impressions, because ironically they give off the worst impression by duplicating the same designs for every company they are commissioned for. Would love to know what happened to the arrangement with Beacon, whose work was actually worthy to look at and promoted some differentiation — and they were a local business.

The last decade or so has seen regular Go North East users become accustomed to associating the routes they use with the livery and brand name that the bus is emblazoned with. They want to know where the bus is going to take them, which route branding plays a key part in. Taking those brands and their route information away from the sides of the bus — which has now either already been done to, or proposed to, 24 brands and counting since the 2016 rebrand took place — and giving every vehicle the same look, has the effect of pushing customers away. Why would anyone want to do that? I mean, what the hell happened to the likes of "Loop", "The Waggonway" and "The Blaydon Racer" (black version)?? Do not tell me they were irrelevant for the routes they covered. Now they're all red, yellow and blue. Boring man. I could go on, and on, and on. Literally.

Also totally agree with you on the way in which the individual areas are being represented. "Crusader"/"CityRider" red colour at the back yet "Connections 4" pink at the front? Makes no sense.

Don't even get me started on the blind displays; they’re my biggest pet peeve right now. As far as I see it, what they're now doing — by swapping the number onto the offside AND introducing different sizes to vehicles, i.e. the Yutongs — is ridiculous. Why, after years of the sizes being roughly the same and the numbers being on the nearside face, are they being changed? To copy Transdev? Wow. Because their format is really attractive. Not. Not to mention how all of this has now upset the fleet as loads of the buses have the white section and require the number where it was. Just change it back, or cut the black glazing to allow more of the blinds to be seen at the side. The Citaros and Solos certainly don’t need them on the other side.

Go North East have become this operator that is either copying everyone else through using “Best” Impressions, or trying way too hard to stand out from other local operators with their inverted destination display format. It really is nonsense. Sorry Dan, if you’re reading this, but my enthusiasm for GNE's future is teetering, and I mean it: that was a lot of enthusiasm.

(25 Jan 2021, 9:35 am)idiot wrote I agree that little buses that serve one area would be good as one colour, for example little pinks. The pinks would only be in one area and not cross boundaries.

So basically it would suit indigo services I think.

(25 Jan 2021, 10:35 am)Dan wrote ...which is largely what the strategy is, but sadly the perception seems to be that it's either black or white and no in between!

There may be a subtle nod to one of the colours on cross-boundary services; such as how Cityrider and Crusader includes red at the rear, Cobalt & Coast includes blue at the rear, and Connections4 includes pink at the front, but it's not the be all and end all, 'farce' and 'flawed strategy' that it's being made out to be, due to a very small reference included within an internal team briefing.

(25 Jan 2021, 10:35 am)Dan wrote ...which is largely what the strategy is, but sadly the perception seems to be that it's either black or white and no in between!

There may be a subtle nod to one of the colours on cross-boundary services; such as how Cityrider and Crusader includes red at the rear, Cobalt & Coast includes blue at the rear, and Connections4 includes pink at the front, but it's not the be all and end all, 'farce' and 'flawed strategy' that it's being made out to be, due to a very small reference included within an internal team briefing.

(25 Jan 2021, 10:35 am)Dan wrote ...which is largely what the strategy is, but sadly the perception seems to be that it's either black or white and no in between!

There may be a subtle nod to one of the colours on cross-boundary services; such as how Cityrider and Crusader includes red at the rear, Cobalt & Coast includes blue at the rear, and Connections4 includes pink at the front, but it's not the be all and end all, 'farce' and 'flawed strategy' that it's being made out to be, due to a very small reference included within an internal team briefing.

(25 Jan 2021, 10:35 am)Dan wrote ...which is largely what the strategy is, but sadly the perception seems to be that it's either black or white and no in between!

There may be a subtle nod to one of the colours on cross-boundary services; such as how Cityrider and Crusader includes red at the rear, Cobalt & Coast includes blue at the rear, and Connections4 includes pink at the front, but it's not the be all and end all, 'farce' and 'flawed strategy' that it's being made out to be, due to a very small reference included within an internal team briefing.

(25 Jan 2021, 2:29 pm)Drifter60 wrote Also ‘Little Pinks’. As someone who isn’t massively fan of ‘Little Coasters’ as a concept you can guess my opinion on that one. One question where is the Big Pink? ‘Little Coasters’ works (although personally not a fan of that naming strategy) because of the ‘main’ or ‘Big’ Coaster 1 service which goes further afield. There is no big pink in Washington. And if Connections 4 is meant to do that, well it’s not even prominently pink? The new livery looks 70% blue. And also doesn’t reference ‘pink’ in its brand name. It’s almost as if indiGo had to go at all costs, for whatever reason, and no one had any other ideas.

(25 Jan 2021, 3:15 pm)Dan wrote 70% blue? More like 70% pink! (..which, might I add, has just been the subject of criticism, as the pink colour for Washington is on the front instead of the back?!?!)

Dear me.

(25 Jan 2021, 3:15 pm)Dan wrote 70% blue? More like 70% pink! (..which, might I add, has just been the subject of criticism, as the pink colour for Washington is on the front instead of the back?!?!)

Dear me.

(25 Jan 2021, 3:50 pm)ifm001 wrote Dan.

Just a quick question. Not complaining about the colours or livery however how will this work when depots operate services outside of their areas . I'm thinking the 5/50 operated by Washington which is pink but the 5 solely operates in South Tyneside which is red.   Or because this interworks with the 50 which operates into Washington is this then deemed as acceptable?.

(25 Jan 2021, 3:50 pm)ifm001 wrote Dan.

Just a quick question. Not complaining about the colours or livery however how will this work when depots operate services outside of their areas . I'm thinking the 5/50 operated by Washington which is pink but the 5 solely operates in South Tyneside which is red.   Or because this interworks with the 50 which operates into Washington is this then deemed as acceptable?.

(25 Jan 2021, 6:10 pm)Rapidsnap wrote Regarding Ray Stenning, I've seen him at Showbus a few years ago and I still have nightmares. He dresses like his bus liveries and was going around showbus with shorts that looked more like Y Fronts.

Also I remember when he was tasked to rebrand Oxford Bus Company, he instructed them that theyshould paint the corridors in the offices of the new depot under construction at the time bright orange.

(25 Jan 2021, 3:15 pm)Dan wrote 70% blue? More like 70% pink! (..which, might I add, has just been the subject of criticism, as the pink colour for Washington is on the front instead of the back?!?!)

Dear me.

(25 Jan 2021, 7:40 pm)JP6004 wrote Why should you concern yourself with how people dress? It's no ines business but their own!

(25 Jan 2021, 8:53 pm)Rapidsnap wrote Well it's also no concern of yours on how I form opinions of someone.

I'm sure he's a nice person to chat to even though he's rehashing old ideas to sell to other bus companies. I bet in a few years there be something similar to X Lines appearing elsewhere.

(25 Jan 2021, 9:14 pm)JP6004 wrote Well actually, judging someone by the way they look would be classed as bullying. I make it my business to stand up for anyone who is bullied and cannot defend themselves.
I'm sure you wouldnt like it if someone made derogatory comments about the way you are

(25 Jan 2021, 9:38 pm)Rapidsnap wrote Huh, the amount of abuse I've had over the years, it's nowt new. Abuse from customers, former friends, strangers, randoms etc. I don't give a flying feather anymore. I know people talk behind my back, no doubt people be having a good laugh at this little tirade, but let them get on with it. I just don't care, they don't know me.

(25 Jan 2021, 10:05 pm)JP6004 wrote Just because you have been subject to it, does not give you the right to do the same to others

(26 Jan 2021, 12:43 am)Rapidsnap wrote I don't know who you think you are, but I don't give a damn about your sodding opinion or even going to listen to you. I'm going to do what I do to the vast majority of enthusiasts in this area and just ignore you like the rest of them. I live my life how I want to, no one is tells me how I should live it. I'm saying no more on this matter as you're boring me now.

(25 Jan 2021, 7:50 pm)Drifter60 wrote My apologies Dan, colours round the wrong way, you got me! 

Interesting you didn’t reply to any of the other points raised ?

(26 Jan 2021, 10:02 am)Dan wrote I had nothing to respond to any of the other points that you raised. The section of your response that I quoted inferred further reasoning for your opinion that this branding strategy is flawed (in that there is no 'big pink' bus in Washington, because the one that is big and pink, is only 30% pink). Your reasoning was actually flawed itself.

Whilst I still maintain that the original comment has been taken too literally, some of the points Andreos1 in particular has raised are interesting, and are less subjective. Though I haven't responded to them either, on the basis that I had nothing further to contribute to the debate (and gone are the days where we'd have hours upon hours of differing opinions with no 'proper' debate), it would be interesting to see whether he'd be willing to anonymously ask some of these questions to Martijn as part of Go North East's live Q&A session planned for Global Community Engagement Day:
https://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/live-q-and-a-with-our-managing-director-on-global-community-engagement-day-thursday-28-january-419678

(26 Jan 2021, 10:02 am)Dan wrote I had nothing to respond to any of the other points that you raised. The section of your response that I quoted inferred further reasoning for your opinion that this branding strategy is flawed (in that there is no 'big pink' bus in Washington, because the one that is big and pink, is only 30% pink). Your reasoning was actually flawed itself.

Whilst I still maintain that the original comment has been taken too literally, some of the points Andreos1 in particular has raised are interesting, and are less subjective. Though I haven't responded to them either, on the basis that I had nothing further to contribute to the debate (and gone are the days where we'd have hours upon hours of differing opinions with no 'proper' debate), it would be interesting to see whether he'd be willing to anonymously ask some of these questions to Martijn as part of Go North East's live Q&A session planned for Global Community Engagement Day:
https://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/live-q-and-a-with-our-managing-director-on-global-community-engagement-day-thursday-28-january-419678