(02 Dec 2023, 3:42 pm)Adrian wrote 'How customers have responded to the offer on day one'? You're not suggesting that customers would have actively persuaded Go North East not to offer a issue a free ticket, which entitles them to travel on other operators and the Metro?
The offer is completely different now. It's free travel on one operator, as oppose to free multi-modal transport across the region.
This was perhaps a good gesture in theory (and recognising this is very likely a first from an operator), but to significantly shift the goal posts now shows that it's ill-conceived in practice.
Obviously not. I was referring to the confusion around which tickets could be purchased (or obtained free of charge), resultant delays to boarding times, and some customers simply boarding the bus and sitting down without stating which ticket they were actually wanting. All of which added to conflict on buses this morning, according to the company’s drivers who fed this back to their depot teams, and the company promptly reacted.
The offer remains much the same to the majority of customers (given the majority of tickets operators sell are single, returns and operator-specific day tickets).
This was - and still is - a very good gesture, with one aim to re-build trust in the company and get people back on board, and also to avoid conflict situations for drivers after prolonged strike action (hence the prompt response to drivers’ feedback this morning). We can all understand why some of Go North East’s competitors would be against them doing this, but as customers - for once - let’s simply see this for what it is.
Arguably an even simpler thing to do would have been simply to have a button push for free travel.
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