(02 Jun 2013, 10:50 pm)CatsFast101 wrote I am inclined to agree with the above comments. I'm a fan of branding routes, but It becomes ridiculous when they can't get the right buses on the route, and I mean I'm not so bothered about the occasional mishap for the day but it's when like at the minute at Deptford on Sundays, four branded routes (2A&2C/60/61/42) all not using correct buses so it means at least two services won't have correct branding, and even 3 today isn't (I understand the 60 had drifters so was the right brand.) It proves it logistically can't happen. Simplicity Versas are used on the 26A on Sundays as a regular working. Waggonway 28 & Lambton Worm 34A services interwork on Sundays using Waggonway DAF's. It was also suggested that 17/307 interwork on weekdays (never actually got clarification) with the 17 now reintroducing 'The Centurion' brand, it would mean that 307 uses wrong branded buses, when it should really be northern.

Totally agree. I'm a fan of the branding and don't actually think its a bad thing having the majority of routes branded - in principle. But planning to have an incorrect brand running an entire service one day out of seven completely removes the point of branding a service. The 307/17 example is less bad (but far from ideal) in my mind, as the 307 isnt a branded route so not as confusing, but having a branded route operated by a different brand makes the whole thing pointless.
The odd mis-branding due to vehicle shortages is less of a problem - better the wrong bus than no bus - but it has been getting stupid lately. Despite having fewer branded Drifters thanks to repaints, Deptford seemed hellbent on having at least one Drifter on the 38 most of last week, while the 61 had Northern randoms.
Sad as it would be to see the whole fleet in Northern red, I think the time has come to abandon the branding farce, or get some management who understand how to apply it successfully.