(04 Aug 2022, 1:42 pm)You Drifter60 wrote 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 I said yesterday that I was, all things considered, supportive of the X11 being withdrawn but I am surprised at the cancellation of a service which does heavy loads (full buses on some trips) at a time when we’re told things are tight financially.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.

Because of Go North constant messing about first Darlington then Hartlepool have lost Go North East completely despite both having had a service of some sort going back to the 1930s at least. The X6 pretty much had the same problem as the X10 and X1 in that they was only a few minutes between that and what was then the X5. Add in the fact it was an exact copy of the 23 route between the Marina and Peterlee and it was asking for trouble despite at least 3 other ways it could have left Hartlepool by before the coast road up to Blackhall.  I actually went to Seaham on it and it was a decent ride but it seemed like it was set up to fail they was absolutely no promotion the service at all if I wasn’t an enthusiastic on here I would have just assumed they where just putting solos on the X5.  That’s another thing it wonder the 55 went it was constantly getting messed about with. Since it started in 2006 up till 2016 it had very little in changes possibly a better name than fast cats as  it took forever but it worked ok. Then within 3 years it had had 3 different service numbers was constantly getting messed about with and they messed about with other services to compete with it. It worked fine as the X35 then they changed it to the X5 which made some sense so they could us the same brand then it got changed again to the 55 with a 55A for a short while as well.  

Let’s not forgot the mess they have made with the X10 either.  

Worked fine as the X9 X10 working together with a combined 30 minute frequency.  So of course they had to then mess about with it. Constantly taking the X9 off then bringing it back. Then bringing them awful coaches in so it was made difficult for people with disabilities. Now combining the X9 and X10 both which were often full anyway into one service adding another 15 - 20 minutes to it and then reducing so it will be impossible to enjoy the ride. 

Basically a big eff you to anyone south of Peterlee despite been go north east they really don’t care about a large part of it although saying that they don’t care much about East Durham either ( apart from the begging bowl to Durham country council that is ). 
let’s not the whole farce over the X84 X85 or is it 684 and 685 as it’s probably by the time I have managed to keep up or the constant axing of services.
 Do you know which brand the service is this week although it don’t matter because a Tyne Valley 10 will probably be having a day out on the Angel 21 while an Angel 21 will be travelling down to Middlesbrough on Xlines X10 while one of the Xlines X10 is pretending it’s an East  Gateshead Orbit or whatever name it is this week. City Rider 56 will be board so it will pretend it’s a Prince Bishop while the Venture will have a day as Peterlee whatever brand it it today.  Providing of course they even have enough drivers left to actually drive them or they not getting painted into the latest brand idea.  
The management won’t care though they will be to busy saying we can’t be bothered running this service use Arriva instead then be wondering why passenger numbers are falling.  That is the exact state of Go North east at the minute.