(03 Apr 2020, 4:48 pm)6049 wrote Erm yes. That's what the union is there for, and company performance is assessed to see what is a reasonable demand 

I said virtually the same thing regarding the way London operators are paid - that it isn't based on fares taken because London is by and large tap and go. Routes in the North East are also created for the public benefit, but are only operated if commercially viable - if they aren't, then the local authority or Nexus will decide whether it is an essential service which needs to be kept running even if it is running at a loss.

First, you're on about staff and now you're talking about the Union. The union are not employed by any bus company, they are a separate body who are supposed to represent bus company staff. There are no staff members who care about how much the company makes before requesting a bonus. I certainly have never had that thought. These companies have a lot of money are there are other avenues that earn them revenue such as advertisements.

London isn't by large tap and go. There is no alternative, its just tap and go by the way. 

Routes up here are created for the shareholders, however, it may indirectly benefit the customer. The number of variations in routes, with some trips on duties being funded by Nexus will tell you that they aren't run for the customer, it's purely for profit. Tfl is a non-profit organisation who rely on a subsidy of sorts to keep them running. All the money they make is reinvested and benefits are widely seen. The network is easier to understand for any passenger, promotion is good, branding is good etc. It helps growth. 

Nexus is the only organisation that cares about the passenger, they are happy to fund a route for 6 hours that carries around 12 people, why? Because they get a subsidy from NECA. They are trying to adopt a similar approach to Tfl just like the big cities in England such as Birmingham and Manchester who realise that have companies dictate too much of the network isn't a good thing as it really doesn't benefit the customer. The coast road is a prime example, I often see 308s and 309s running very close together, its ridiculous.