(11 Mar 2013, 7:27 pm)Andreos1 wrote Dont't know if it was true, but after the strike in the 90's, the story was that by setting up Wear Buses, Vfm, Go Gateshead etc - then unions wouldn't be able to have another walk out.

Some of the vehicles OK were using during that strike were ancient - at the time I hadn't seen anything like them before. I remember an old single decker appearing that was still knocking about into the mid-90's on scholar work in Washington!

With regard to this strike, I have been saying for a long time, that GNE are clearly only looking out for their shareholders. Passengers aren't at the top of their priorities and their staff obviously feel like they are being ignored too.
Services have been axed, fares have been increased beyond inflation, wages haven't...
4.5% over two years on an £18k salary (to take it upto 19k) is nothing to a multimillion pound organisation like Go-ahead who apparently aim to increase group wide profits by 200%!
Agreeing/disagreeing whether strike action is correct, is another thing, but the drivers obviously feel this is their only way.

I think that is partly true because Wear Buses, VFM, Coastline etc came about after that strike, 1991 if I remember correctly, I'm am almost certain the company was split up as a result of that strike.

Who remembers who ran what services during that strike, off the top of my head I remember:-

Scarlet Band running the 220(now 20)
Bleanch of Hetton running the 154(now 65)
Michael Franks running the 153(which was close to the 152(now 202))

And I remember OK Travel running s**tload of Go Ahead Northern services throughout Co. Durham and Tyne and Wear, I also remember companies like Bells getting some services, and also Busways had a Local Service round Murton ran under there Favourite brand(155)

(11 Mar 2013, 7:57 pm)Andreos1 wrote Forgot to say - there was a lime operating the 65 this afternoon between Durham and Seaham.
That has got to be a rare working if ever there was one!

That is not as rare as you think, while I have not seen the Lime on the 65 with my own mince's for a while, Lime has been on the 65 quite a few times, and recently Lambton Worm and Waggonway branded vehicles have been on 65