(19 May 2021, 10:36 pm)peter wrote This is very true...was trying to be optimistic with that comment! I suppose the ending of lockdown is the time to make sure services and vehicles are as nice as they've ever been, in order to try and draw passengers back! While this is something we've seen GNE do, I can't see Arriva doing the same. As I said, it seems likely Arriva are going to keep some of their previously more frequent services less so, due to the likely reduced demand for bus travel - in fairness they're meeting the reduced demand and cost-cutting on vehicles and drivers alike.
I suppose GNE are taking a more pro-active approach to try and combat the impacts of COVID-19, whereas it seems more likely that Arriva will just be accepting those impacts and scaling back their operations to reflect that. While Arriva's option might end up being the more profitable, I do wish GNE luck, time will tell as to whether the demand returns, and indeed it might even with ANE in time, but it will be interesting to see how the short-term response post-COVID influences the long-term response
I think, if they wanted to, GNE could also use this as an opportunity to start to intrude on Arriva's territory. They were clearly already planning on doing it to some extent with the 21 extension to Brandon.
Passenger numbers on the X21 from Bishop to West seem to be getting stronger (and from my experience are way better than they were pre-covid), and it doesn't seem to just be concessionary travellers either