(11 Feb 2024, 9:42 pm)Ambassador wrote It may be a rose tinted glass I’m looking through but I don’t recall as many issues when Chester ran the service. Similar with the Angel (aside the hybrids which was seemingly beyond control)
I can’t see how a policy of buying cheaper intra company stock from London that can barely hit 30mph and deploying them to intensive service work can possibly be helping either mind.
Probably because the depot is miles away so can't easily be regulated. Imo not building the depot at Drum Ind. Estate was a big mistake, would help things massively and it wouldn't surprise me if it paid for itself in a few years anyway considering you would've had:
- Reduced costs from staffing staff running dead runs to Chester every morning / evening
- Closure of Washington depot and costs associated to a crumbling depot
- Most routes in 5 minute taxi distance from it, or a short drive so drivers can have their reliefs there; thus the Washington bus station problem solved (short taxi from Shiney Row for 4 and X1)
- The sale cost from both Washington and Chester Le Street, where did this money go?
- No dispute over closing the depot from CLS drivers.
Seems a right short term decision which has caused a whole load of problems. Could've even opened a new paint shop and whatever else is at Saltmeadows and shut that in the process aswell, saving even more money and having a new base for it.