(06 May 2015, 4:31 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote Its not like me to say things like this, but here goes, the damage has been done, buying new buses to replace the 57-reg E400s wont bring passengers back. A stereotype has been set, members of my family used to use the X31/X32/X33 and X21/X22 very frequently, but due to the reliability of the service they dont bother and just use their cars and catch the Metro into Newcastle from a P&R site.

The service is not well advertised, the only advertisement that I have seen is free tickets through the door, even people redeem them on a X21/X22 bus then get off and use the X20.

Some members of my family received free tickets, but just passed them down to me or their friends as they've gave up with the service.

(06 May 2015, 4:40 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote I think the problem with the X21 is this:

- Lack of suitable vehicles (e.g 7501 - 7509)
- De-Tour via Neddderton adding time onto the journey.
- Far more incentive to either get a 35 to North Seaton then jump on the X20 straight to Newcastle if living in Newbiggin.
- X20 can complete the journey from Ashington to Newcastle much quicker.
- X22 is more reliable and faster on the section between Bedlington and Newcastle improving punctuality and reliability.
- Too much focus on 'eco nonsense' rather than setting up the vehicles to ensure enough power is maintained for all speeds. 
- Small number of drivers making no safe or legal effort to keep as close to time as possible.
- Lack of consistency.


Arriva need to do the following:
- Get rid of 7501 - 7509 and buy new buses (either more ADL E400s setup correctly with no ecnospeed or alternatively, Scania N230UD E400s with ecnospeed and setup for economy and efficiency).
- Either re-route the X21 via the X22 route between Bedlington and Newcastle (making the combined frequency every 9-11 minutes from Ashington and between Bedlington and Newcastle with small timing adjustments on both services) with another route serving Nedderton OR, bring back the X31 / X32 under the Sapphire brand with 11x ADL E400s and X33 under MAX brand with 5 VDL Pulsars.
- Enforce high standards of driving ensuring that all drivers drive safely and as quickly as possible according to the road, traffic and weather conditions.

(06 May 2015, 4:41 pm)mb134 wrote In my opinion, covering old ground here but, they would have been far better off using 7514-21, if they didn't want to buy new vehicles. 

I know, for example, that as soon as I pass my driving test and save enough for a car, I won't be using the service. Though that may seem obvious, prior to this academic year, I liked getting the bus to school, added an element of adventure, now it's adding an element of wondering when I'm going to get there.

The only time I get excited now is if an Omnicity is going to turn up, or if I get one of the two (7523/4) that actually have all the promised features working. 

• Refurbish 7514-21 for Sapphire work, buy 9 new buses.
  
• Refurbish 7501-7507 standard Arriva spec for 35/35A/100, cancel StreetLites.
  
• 7 new buses for X14/X15
  
• 5 new buses for X18
  
• Remaining E400s would displace the ALX400s
  

(06 May 2015, 4:47 pm)Robert wrote 7501-7509 are not useless. They still have a few years left in them even if they aren't the most reliable vehicles in the world. Every bus breaks down, some more than others. Its something which passengers need to understand and because a bus breaks down, it is immediately the companies fault...i cant remember a standard arriva vehicle being allocated to the service for ages now so something must have improved...

(06 May 2015, 4:56 pm)Robert wrote And were these covering for 57 reg examples? I would also leave them right where they are. Can't see arriva spending all that money converting a bus to Sapphire just to convert it back to standard arriva spec.

(06 May 2015, 5:04 pm)Robert wrote Exactly. You don't know. How can you blame the unreliability of the services all on the 57 reg enviros (which is essentially what you're all doing). The 14 reg examples can break down too. We all know the X93 killed the E400s but still...if we don't actually know what the problem is, we technically don't have an argument. As for time keeping issues, thats a different matter.

(06 May 2015, 5:16 pm)RobinHood wrote Buy new this... get rid of Econospeed that... etc, etc.

Only a small number of people on this forum seem to understand how a business works. If some of you were left to it, you would bankrupt a company within weeks buying new buses.

You cant just buy new buses for the sake of it. Services need to be able to justify new vehicles, which means that they probably need to proove that expenditure from a central directorship will deliver a good profit on investment. If someone from Arriva approaches the central team and asks for new buses, they likely need to show how the new buses will grow revenue to justify the initial cost, otherwise it will be refused.

It is highly likely that he X21/X22 couldnt justify a full fleet of brand new vehicles, so only part were bought new, the rest would have been a smaller upgrade budget.

Also, the single biggest cost in a bus company is fuel. Any % saving, even 1% is likely to be a huge amount of money. This is why bus companies go for fuel efficiency and fit these devices. No matter how much we sulk, its the way forward.

Whilst people may think that Arriva (or any other operator for that matter) have no clue, we actually have no clue as to what is happening behind closed doors.

(06 May 2015, 5:04 pm)Robert wrote Exactly. You don't know. How can you blame the unreliability of the services all on the 57 reg enviros (which is essentially what you're all doing). The 14 reg examples can break down too. We all know the X93 killed the E400s but still...if we don't actually know what the problem is, we technically don't have an argument. As for time keeping issues, thats a different matter.

(06 May 2015, 5:20 pm)mb134 wrote I also agree with the Econospeed statement, as I've stated in a post yesterday some vehicles that have it fly, so I don't see how it can be that much different on others (obviously there will be some differences). 

(06 May 2015, 5:25 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote Do you rely on the X21 service? No.

I found out that a taxi was the way forward this morning, couldn't be bothered to wait 5+ minutes at a cold bus stop as I checked the map for my bus.

(06 May 2015, 5:26 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote Which ones? A few of them don't have Econospeed enabled on them at the moment.

(06 May 2015, 5:30 pm)Robert wrote What has relying on a bus service got to do with it? If you're going there though, i have to rely on service 825. It's hardly ever late and hardly ever breaks down and thats with it using vehicles a lot older than the 57 reg enviros. It unlikely that anybody is lucky enough to be on a service that breaks down more than once in a week.

(06 May 2015, 5:34 pm)Robert wrote That could be it but i still think its not right that people are blaming the reliability issues on the services purely down to the 57 reg Enviros.

(06 May 2015, 5:25 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote I found out that a taxi was the way forward this morning, couldn't be bothered to wait 5+ minutes at a cold bus stop as I checked the map for my bus.

(06 May 2015, 5:34 pm)Robert wrote That could be it but i still think its not right that people are blaming the reliability issues on the services purely down to the 57 reg Enviros.

(06 May 2015, 5:35 pm)northern156 wrote Gosh! 5 minutes... for a bus?!?! :O
I can't comprehend that, really can't. You'd be waiting longer for a bloody taxi to arrive!!!

(06 May 2015, 5:41 pm)Dan wrote Bet a five minute wait is a luxury for you out in the sticks..!  

(06 May 2015, 5:53 pm)northern156 wrote I'd say 15 minutes is the 'expected'!

(06 May 2015, 5:53 pm)northern156 wrote I'd say 15 minutes is the 'expected'!

(06 May 2015, 5:55 pm)Andreos1 wrote Jammy so and so :p
Try living in the urban sprawl of T&W and having to rely on the 4. 15 minutes sounds like a dream!

(06 May 2015, 5:59 pm)Dan wrote Think you and your mates must just be rather unlucky...

Of the seven buses out on the 4 service at the moment, the maximum delay is three minutes late (ie within the one minute early to five minutes late guideline as 'on-time'.) The biggest problem right now is one bus running two minutes early!

(06 May 2015, 6:01 pm)Tom wrote You should check the 17 sometime!
One bus you'll see will be running four minutes early, the other 25 minutes late.

(06 May 2015, 6:03 pm)Dan wrote I did last time you were complaining about it, and only one bus was outside of the 1 minute early to 5 minutes late guideline (of the ten or so allocated).