(17 Sep 2022, 7:53 pm)54APhotography 5328 & 5331 also out today

(18 Sep 2022, 4:18 pm)busmanT Weren't mothballed for long then!!

(18 Sep 2022, 4:29 pm)Dan Perhaps indicates what's going to happen at the end of October?

(20 Sep 2022, 6:39 pm)Unber43 6326 (Angel) - X10
6313 (Xlines X21) - 21
684 (Little Pinks) - 8
6330 (Angel) - 57
6317 (Angel) - 27
6359 (Xlines X45) - X10 (It broke down at Billingham, it was there for 2 hours)

(20 Sep 2022, 10:39 pm)Ambassador Is branding just entirely dead?

Is there a total lack of care so whatever we’ve got goes on whatever we need?

Or is it simply, not enough shunters or staff and you get what you’re given to get passengers moving?

(21 Sep 2022, 5:53 am)Unber43 I mean I know GNE gets a lot of flack for painting buses, I am pretty sure one of 6331-3 have been repainted/partially pre-painted about 4-6 times, 

If they're going to "waste" thousands on paint jobs they could atleast get allocated to the right route, and if the right bus isn't there, in a RARE circumstance they'll be allocated another branded bus. 

Tho it seemed like for the better part of 5 weeks Connection4 were the regular allocation for the 28/29 atleast partly.

(20 Sep 2022, 10:39 pm)Ambassador Is branding just entirely dead?

Is there a total lack of care so whatever we’ve got goes on whatever we need?

Or is it simply, not enough shunters or staff and you get what you’re given to get passengers moving?

(21 Sep 2022, 7:29 am)Storx Must admit I use an Arriva service and get Corporate, X7/X8/X9, X10/X11, Daft Brush and 308 buses all allocated and if I had to be honest I really couldn't give a toss.

I'd much rather have a service that runs the full route and on time than the 'right' bus which I have to get off 10 stops early as it got curtailed early if it bother's to turn up at all.

Glad people don't have an interest in Arriva on here, it's all you'd ever hear at Blyth, Jesmond, Durham and Darlington.

(21 Sep 2022, 11:01 am)Andreos1 I think it's to do with the money, promo and standards we keep seeing linked to GNE.
They do things before everyone else. They predict things before everyone else. They're better than everyone else. 
They're part of the back patting club. The 'people talk about the branding, so it must work' type of logic.


Except deep down, we see (or some of us do anyway) delusions of grandeur and behind that fur coat of theirs - no knickers.

I'm like you. I want a bus that gets me from A-B.
To be honest, the gricer in me quite enjoys getting on a vehicle incorrectly allocated.

But the lack of effort, ownership, responsibility or whatever else to get the allocations sorted - smacks of apathy. It demonstrates they're no better than any of the others. No matter what some may say or think.
It is going to take a lot of effort to turn this around.

(21 Sep 2022, 11:28 am)Ambassador Nail on head there Andreos - it's not such a big deal to Arriva as they've never really taken the brand thing seriously - same way as Stagecoach.

But GNE have had it as their USP - you get tables, you get wifi - you get an experience. When an ex-First Manchester turns up you get a bus (which in the current climate is great!) but it's not what GNE have been selling.

There's a case to get shot of all branding aside X-Lines (but lose all the colours) and keep it simple on the side of a bus a la Stagecoach - it's not growing services so why bother and makes life much easier for teams and passengers