(10 Jul 2024, 8:18 pm)Adrian wrote It feels like I don't use buses an awful lot nowadays, but I'm staggered at the state of the GNE fleet every time I do.
- Buses looking filthy inside and out.
- Bits of branding missing for months and months on end.
- Buses appearing to be randomly allocated to services.
I'd be embarrassed expecting my customers to sit in a pigsty, or have a bus turn up that looks like it's been in a fight. I get that there's an importance to get buses back out on the road, but when you start corner cutting at one point, where do you stop.
The allocations are a mess. It's bloody confusing to customers, when you're training them to look out for a brand and not a service number. Looking right now for example, you've got a Tyne Valley 10 and a X45/X46 Red Kite on the X21, an Gateshead Rider on the 21, a Country Ranger on the 4, and a connections4 on the 8.
I get that there'll be times it's unavoidable, but this is every day and seemingly at random. Does the depot allocate buses with a bingo caller or something?
Is anybody actually running this business nowadays, or have they given up? There's no pride whatsoever in the fleet anymore.
Just feels like GoAhead don't care about the area anymore as they know it's on borrowed time, so why bother.
Not the right opinion of course but if I'm right it's the only area that's getting took over by franchising in their operating areas.
I can kind of understand it in a way. If it's making a loss, it's getting took off you some point in the near future. What's the point in investing and the way tendering works your past experience is just irrelevant anyway.
It's probably why GNE and GNW have been merged since they're the two franchised areas tbh.
Mind if I worked there and had any pride I'd be bolting to either SNE or ANE who will still exist commercially post franchising. Not saying ANE will be winning any awards either mind.