(07 Oct 2024, 8:30 pm)Storx wrote In fairness to Arriva, there's signs of the opposite with them as they're currently upping the PVR commercially to a few services in Northumberland which have been desperate for it for years and they've pretty much restored all the temporary timetables that they implemented, unlike GNE, who don't seem to understand what that means.
Seems like the new owners actually want to try and improve the service which is a change from the awful DB days by the end and some services locally around here are busier than they've ever been. Surprising what happens when you don't get the jack hammer out in the middle of the pandemic, when customer confidence is low, so when they return they notice the service they used to use doesn't exist anymore.
The new owners of GNE on the other hand... Has anything actually postive happened in the North East since they've took over as I'm struggling and I'm not counting cast offs and frequency increases paid by the tax payer...?
Also before someone comes along, as I know someone will try it, and claim that the temporary stuff never happened - https://newsroom.gonortheast.co.uk/news/...ber-452139
Tbh, I think Arriva started improving even before their takeover.
Do GNE even have Tap on Tap off fleet wide yet?
Given they use the same (or even newer at this point) ticketing machines as Arriva, and they piloted it years ago on certain routes, there's no reason Arriva should have beat them to it.
In fact, prior to giving up on public transport a few months ago, I rarely used GNE at all, favouring Arriva as I didn't even have to talk to the driver, I could just tap my card on the reader and be done with it. The other day I genuinely forgot how to ask for a single ticket!
The only 'improvements' made to GNE I can think of, even going back to the demise of MG, have been the £2 fare cap, and the TNE tickets, neither of which were down to them!
Routes have been cut, frequencies slashed, vehicles downgraded, it's almost as if they're death spiraling on purpose!
I remember the days I was accused on here of being a GNE fanboy, and perhaps I was because I believed in MG's mission, he seemed like a guy that was genuinely trying to turn things around, and to improve the general perception of public transport.
But now, they're just an embarrassment!