(17 Nov 2014, 5:30 pm)Andreos1 wrote And we all know the flaws with sampling .

Just as an example, it would generally be accepted that members of this forum have a range of views or opinions. We will have different views with the consultation.
We can put those viewpoints across in a post, in a comment or via a poll on this forum.
However, people such as Michael, Drifter60, Cbma40, Fozz and myself may not be able to share those views with GNE staff on Monday.
Dan would potentially be the only member of the forum who uses Deptford based services, who could get to the session and share his viewpoint and in turn, help shape the services across Sunderland. Those views could be shaped by Bazza and Kuyoyo happen to be in the area for the day - but primarily use the services of another depot. Three people agree with a proposal, influencing it on the day - yet 5 others who are affected and can't get there, have no say.

This is why sampling can be flawed and why a range of methods needs to be used.

(17 Nov 2014, 6:36 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Would the reliability of the 56 improve if GNE added 6099 allowing the service more layover time and better timing points? I'ce notcied that the three main trunk road routes (21, 56 and 308) always tend to get delayed for some reason or another. I think it is down to high passenger usage and not only that, but also people making short hops with the wrong change. I know people don't want to go down the Lothian Route but I think if GNE did it with the 21 and 56 and Arriva did it with their 43, 44, 45, 306 and 308 with clear publicised fare zones and prices, reliability would improve massively. Everytime I got a slightly late 43, if only a small number of people got on in Lockey Park (Wideopen) with the wrong change (£5, £10, £20), it would always end up running 10 minutes late.  Both operators should consider it.

(17 Nov 2014, 6:36 pm)DaveyBowyer wrote Would the reliability of the 56 improve if GNE added 6099 allowing the service more layover time and better timing points? I'ce notcied that the three main trunk road routes (21, 56 and 308) always tend to get delayed for some reason or another. I think it is down to high passenger usage and not only that, but also people making short hops with the wrong change. I know people don't want to go down the Lothian Route but I think if GNE did it with the 21 and 56 and Arriva did it with their 43, 44, 45, 306 and 308 with clear publicised fare zones and prices, reliability would improve massively. Everytime I got a slightly late 43, if only a small number of people got on in Lockey Park (Wideopen) with the wrong change (£5, £10, £20), it would always end up running 10 minutes late. Both operators should consider it.

(17 Nov 2014, 6:52 pm)AIG20 wrote Volvo Olympian 3833 (S833OFT), apparently the last "High Floor/Step Entrance" bus purchase by GNE, has been preserved by the County Durham Bus Preservation Group according to "Jonothan Ruddick" of the "Northern Road Transport Trust" Facebook Group.

(17 Nov 2014, 7:10 pm)Andreos1 wrote Which livery will 3833 end up in?!

(17 Nov 2014, 7:13 pm)Marcus wrote Me thinks 3833 will look quite nice in that Go-Ahead Northern livery Sean Blair photoshopped onto a photo of her, looks really smart!

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/77351420@N04/15425568780/

(17 Nov 2014, 7:15 pm)Andreos1 wrote Sacrilege! 

(17 Nov 2014, 6:01 pm)Dan wrote I understand completely what you are saying, which is why I said in my previous post that I do agree the survey should have been conducted over a number of different days; however, I don't think it would be irrational to suggest that most people have the same routines every day (at least on week days). At least ten people get on the bus I get to school every morning without fail (different people depending on which service I get), and this applies to the majority of people who are either at work or are still in education. I'm in the minority as I have the ability to travel using the first bus which turns up - others don't (either because their ticket doesn't permit this or they get on the service at part of the route which is not duplicated by another service).

If people can get to Park Lane on Monday at some point between 08:00 and 16:00, the chances are they'd have been likely to do it again the next day and the day after that too. Some people have varying work shifts or varying times when they need to go to school, college, etc. These people will be in the minority. Most of us will know how sampling works, and therefore will know that the views of these people will be accounted for by the majority (ie the people who will be in Park Lane at some point on Monday because they are every single day).

At this early stage when we haven't actually seen it in play, I think that this form of consultation is the best yet. Arriva's recent consultation saw an online questionnaire; even though I'm not from the area, I was able to share my views with the company, similar to your quoted anecdote where Bazza and Kuyoyo had the opportunity to give the company their feedback (although I'd argue that, with a face-to-face consultation, this is less likely to happen). Alas, Arriva's consultations are better than Stagecoach's methods on Teesside, for I do not believe Stagecoach has undertaken a customer consultation for the upcoming service changes on Teesside...

(17 Nov 2014, 7:13 pm)Marcus wrote Me thinks 3833 will look quite nice in that Go-Ahead Northern livery Sean Blair photoshopped onto a photo of her, looks really smart!

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/77351420@N04/15425568780/

(17 Nov 2014, 8:32 pm)aureolin wrote It won't of ever had that livery though? Were they not delivered new in the Go North East blue/red/yellow livery?

(17 Nov 2014, 8:37 pm)Marcus wrote Haha I know, I did say it was photoshopped

(17 Nov 2014, 8:38 pm)aureolin wrote No, I know, but it'd be pointless preserving a bus into a livery it never wore!  

(17 Nov 2014, 8:07 am)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Didn't realise GNE were doing free rides on the 2C this morning, Driver gave me and 3 other Passenger our Money Back and told us to just get on.

#FaultyTicketMachineOn5321
#HashtagsOnNEB

(17 Nov 2014, 6:41 pm)aureolin wrote I think the 56 stopping at every single stop, between Concord and Sunderland, doesn't help matters. I wonder how well running 3x 56s an hour, and 3x X56s an hour would work? Having half boards setup to run 56 one way and X56 the other way, and the other half to do the opposite. Would allow a lot more flexibility in making up time.

(18 Nov 2014, 10:41 am)Andreos1 wrote Hopefully there weren't any passengers waiting for the 9.23 50 out of Durham this morning. It decided to run via Fram and Abbey Road to the Arnison Centre - arriving approx 10mins late, before picking up the official route.

Whilst not insinuating anything at all, how come we have so many examples of services running light - yet official figures seem to state otherwise?

Hopefully there weren't any passengers waiting for the 9.23 50 out of Durham this morning. It decided to run via Fram and Abbey Road to the Arnison Centre - arriving approx 10mins late, before picking up the official route.

(18 Nov 2014, 10:50 am)Dan wrote All lost mileage is reported and categorised; indeed, in my month hopping around various departments with GNE in August, I sorted some of the end of period reporting for it.

I think it's more a case of the mileage being operated is so much more than what you'd expect. The figure was crazy just for one period, and I can't remember off the top of my head what it was, but the mileage being dropped from Gateshead to Newcastle a couple of times per day on service 56 (for example) was nothing...

(18 Nov 2014, 4:29 pm)citaro5284 wrote we roughly operate 2.5 million 'live' miles every 4 weeks.

(18 Nov 2014, 5:53 pm)G-CPTN wrote Is that regional, nationwide or worldwide?

Other routes will have lost mileage, too.

Do they consider how many passengers might have been on the lost miles?

(14 Nov 2014, 10:55 am)gtom wrote In today's climate if the commercially run services into Birtley weren't making money...they wouldn't be running.

The 82/83 tend to get used in Birtley as a more local service as opposed to the whole route serving the North and Central end of Birtley (Portmeads etc) as well as Barley Mow as a link to the town centre (which will become more important once Morrisons opens at Easter 15)

Whilst Durham Road is well served other areas of Birtley aren't and Birtley is particularly hilly. Portmeads, Katergina etc are sheltered and elderly accomodation

The 23 is similar.  The short runs from Barley Mow to The Crematorium are mainly for the local.  Birtley has a very aged population and Elisabethville is nearly all elderly accommodation now as with large parts of Barley Mow.  

So it's more a 'service' than a commercial need.  Saying that I think the 23 could cope with going hourly.