(17 Jun 2023, 2:11 pm)Washingtonian wrote I share your frustrations and have felt this way for a long time. For me the biggest problem is that bus companies are no longer ran by proper "bus people" but graduates who have no interest in the industry but are employed to try and make companies as streamlined as possible. Like nearly every industry these days it's all about money and not the customer.
Companies like GNE claim to be making losses, and while this may be true they seem to spend the money when they want. They were quick to step in for the Arriva services North of Newcastle recently. Go Ahead itself can't be doing that bad either when they've recently expanded into the Cotswolds with the recent acquisition of Pulham & Sons and won a £110m Kent Commuter bus contract! In recent years they bought out EYMS and started Go North West. Go-Ahead and other operators should not even be thinking about expanding in other areas when they are "struggling" to turn around their existing operations. The more bus companies they acquire the more expenses they have to pay, so something doesn't add up. It seems to me that the big companies are either scared or not willing to take a risk and try out new bus routes and networks in their existing operations but would rather buy out more bus companies and have more control nationwide. Many people have suggested on here some great ideas for new services and route variations which I believe would work but I bet if it requires the company using an extra bus or two they will not do it. I bet GNE don't even look at the service suggestions either!
People on here may call me a moaner, but I honestly don't care! I've had an interest in buses for years and years but I'm becoming more disillusioned with the industry because I honestly can't see things turning around.
They do and they laugh.
The distain shown by some of insiders on here over the years, is just part of the issue.
As an example, I think it's been said before that posts on here have been the talk of GNE Towers.
They laugh. But keep failing at the same time.
I'd have been sacked if I was as incompetent.
(17 Jun 2023, 2:19 pm)Storx wrote tbh another massive thing is the use of models no doubt. It's all good using ticketing data to tell where your customers are going but if the bus doesn't go there in the first place how are you to ever know where your customers really want to go.
It's an area that councils really should pick up because it affects roads aswell. We see all these plans with bus lanes and cycle paths on places like the Coast Road but none of this does nothing for someone living in Briardene or Holy Cross where there is no bus / alternative and no they're not going to drive to a car park and use a metro or train to the remainder of the journey regardless to what little small world they live in.
We've seem to have nowadays got to the stage the best way to make public transport 'better' is to make the alternative worse but when things like the internet exist there's only going to be one loser and that's people not travelling at all to places like Newcastle or Sunderland whereas the out of town retail parks will continue to boom where public transport don't seem to have realise exist as a lot of them are horrible underserved and I'm not talking only about Team Valley. Teesside Park, in particular, is the worst for that and it's not big box retailers you need a car to travel to there anymore.
They used inaccurate ticket data to make the 2006 changes, pissed off the punters so much that it disrupted travel habits to the point they've got no idea who goes where and who needs to go there, but gave up on the way.