(24 Aug 2021, 10:57 am)Adrian wrote Replacement departed from the Galleries almost 2 hours later.

Although it doesn't seem to be showing on bustimes, 7128 is sending the following data to BODS showing 72 out of 55 seats in use(??)

<VehicleUniqueId>7128</VehicleUniqueId>
<DriverRef>**removed** (unsure why this is even being sent)</DriverRef>
<SeatedOccupancy>72</SeatedOccupancy>
<SeatedCapacity>55</SeatedCapacity>
<WheelchairOccupancy>0</WheelchairOccupancy>
<WheelchairCapacity>1</WheelchairCapacity>

...and the replacement (7150) is showing as having 24 out of 66 seats in use. I'm actually surprised people hung around for that long. 

<VehicleUniqueId>7150</VehicleUniqueId>
<DriverRef>**removed** (unsure why this is even being sent)</DriverRef>
<SeatedOccupancy>24</SeatedOccupancy>
<SeatedCapacity>66</SeatedCapacity>
<WheelchairOccupancy>0</WheelchairOccupancy>
<WheelchairCapacity>1</WheelchairCapacity>

(24 Aug 2021, 12:59 pm)mb134 wrote I'd agree. It's good to see initiatives like this, especially in the current climate, but if customers have experiences such as today where they have to wait 2 hours in Washington Galleries for the dupe (and you can't really go anywhere in the meantime, as there's no indication of when it'll turn up), you don't imagine they'll be quite as keen to come back. If they are operating a once a day special such as this, I'd suggest that they also need to put in place corresponding systems as you've outlined - you can't run this once a day special like the 21 and just tell folk another one will be there soon. 

At the very least, I'd think you would need to have the following in place:

• Vehicle checked and ready to go.
  
• Route learned driver at work, or some sort of supervisor willing to take it instead. 
  
• Better communication with passengers waiting at Washington - the first Tweet I saw today was at 10:22, an hour after the main coach had left and when the dupe was apparently leaving Riverside. I see now there was a follow up stating 11am arrival at Washington, but I'd query how it took it that long to get there.
  
• Incentivise advance purchases (as yourself and Andreos1 mentioned)
  
• More alert to live data on the day (as yourself and Andreos1 mentioned)
  

I also wonder if there would be a way for either supervisors based at Washington if they exist, or drivers passing through, to report back to GNE Towers how many folk they see waiting for the X11 in the 5-15 minutes before arrival? Just to help get the ball rolling that bit earlier if the ticket data from Newcastle/Gateshead is borderline.