(17 Feb 2021, 11:03 pm)mb134 wrote Yeah it seems cyclical. Those at the top seem to think large scale investment needs to happen two or three times per 10-15 years, still living in the years of Leyland/Volvo Olympians... If you look at Arriva as a whole, there has been investment at a more steady pace in other regions, Yorkshire, Merseyside and some of the ones down south spring to mind.

DB, ultimately, don't control the day to day goings on at ANE. The regional MD is responsible there, for things like shoddy presentation and deteriorating reliability - lets not forget the new MD has an engineering heavy CV, so its surprising that the overall standard appears to have nosedived since he took over the show.

Budgets will be key and I wouldn't be surprised to see them stretched to the limit.
Looking at Featham's track record and the ongoing issues at GNW, I'd not be surprised if motivation and moral was low. 
Tight budget and the implications of it, low moral and ageing vehicles - not a challenge for the faint hearted.