(04 Aug 2022, 11:24 am)col87 wrote There’s one clear fact which no one seems to have picked up on. Going off this forum Go North East struggling in the spring with driver shortages so why even waste a driver doing the X11 in the first place if they were having issues. 

This is just typical of Go North East though start a service don’t promote properly then either cut it back or get rid completely.  Over the last 5-6 years.

X5 / X6  within a year X6 axed from Hartlepool.  X5 renumbered 55 messed with quite a bit then axed from Hartlepool after 2 years completely giving up despite go north east serving the town in some way going back to the 1930s. 

Then constant changing of brands and buses and moved about meaning constant repaints.  There is no stability at go north east starting using and getting used to one service within a few weeks it’s either going to be axed or messed about with.

Well you’ve hit the nail on the head here for me.

Firstly, ‘driver resource issues’ have been going on for months so why did they even start the X11 or even mitigation perhaps with just a Saturday/Sunday timetable so that weekday buses were not impacted. I said yesterday that I was, all things considered, supportive of the X11 being withdrawn but I am surprised at the cancellation of a service which does heavy loads (full buses on some trips) at a time when we’re told things are tight financially.

Secondly, promotion of services vastly needs to improve. I’ve said it before on here but 65 going half hourly, Sunday buses and later evening journeys for the first time in ten years was a big deal, but apart from being listed in a big long list of bus changes I’ve never seen GNE social media/marketing teams mention it once. I remember being told marketing was planned for this service (perhaps a few others) but nothing materialised and the less than 12 months later, Sunday buses stripped right back and evening journeys binned. I almost forgot about the X6 Hartlepool extension and the X7 going to Oakerside yet another example and there’s many more across the network. 

Thirdly, I’ve said before that I do overall like the branding of services but you’re right in the fact it doesn’t work when things are constantly changing. I’ve raised before about services the 2/2A & the 61 which have had that many different names, identities and coloured buses they should be part of LGBT pride, as it’s a rainbow of mixture colours from silver, red, blue, purple, pink, green etc. None of that is an effective use of branding. And whilst it was unsurprisingly due to the withdrawal of the 55, the 61 changing from ‘Blue’ to ‘Violet’ overnight only highlights such ineffectiveness. 

In each of these three cases it’s just sheer short sightedness and zero stability. I appreciate things change and best laid plans etc. but it just seems that things at the drop of a hat. There should only be a deviation from original plans in exceptional circumstances whereas at GNE it seems strategy, marketing and operations change almost weekly.