(26 Feb 2017, 2:56 pm)Michael wrote Thanks EL1TE, they seem to be arriving quick now.

713 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 17/02/17.

697 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 22/02/17.

712 and 714 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 23/02/17.

710 and 711 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 24/02/17, as well as refurbished Merc Citaro 5285.

So they're all here now!

(26 Feb 2017, 5:34 pm)Dan wrote 713 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 17/02/17.

697 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 22/02/17.

712 and 714 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 23/02/17.

710 and 711 arrived at Saltmeadows Road on 24/02/17, as well as refurbished Merc Citaro 5285.

So they're all here now!

, are all the Solo's going in "Go North East"?


When will the smaller Solo's enter service?

5211 has gained the slogan "Stay connected. Many of our buses have free WiFi on board."

https://flic.kr/p/RgvVdg

Shame that one doesn't!

Am I missing something with these taglines? What exactly is the point in highlighting that "many of buses have WiFi" on a vehicle doesn't have it? 

I imagine that vehicle will be the usual allocation for whatever route it is being used on, and as such the passengers will never actually experience the WiFi that the tagline is bragging about.

(27 Feb 2017, 8:30 pm)mb134 wrote Am I missing something with these taglines? What exactly is the point in highlighting that "many of buses have WiFi" on a vehicle doesn't have it? 

I imagine that vehicle will be the usual allocation for whatever route it is being used on, and as such the passengers will never actually experience the WiFi that the tagline is bragging about.

Agree it's nonsense.  Might as well say 'many of our buses are better than this one - unlucky'.

(27 Feb 2017, 8:30 pm)mb134 wrote Am I missing something with these taglines? What exactly is the point in highlighting that "many of buses have WiFi" on a vehicle doesn't have it? 

I imagine that vehicle will be the usual allocation for whatever route it is being used on, and as such the passengers will never actually experience the WiFi that the tagline is bragging about.

I don't see what is wrong with it? The tagline does not say 'this bus has free wifi' - it just gives the general fact that many Go North East buses have free wifi. To me that bus has no features, as none of the blobs have been applied.

(27 Feb 2017, 8:45 pm)S813 FVK wrote I don't see what is wrong with it? The tagline does not say 'this bus has free wifi' - it just gives the general fact that many Go North East buses have free wifi. To me that bus has no features, as none of the blobs have been applied.

What kind of message does that give to the passengers of that service though? 

'We don't really care about you, but look what we're giving to other services!' is what I'd take from it.

Surely the taglines on 5211 and 5324 are appealing to new potential customers? Those who perhaps don't use buses at present?

The taglines don't advertise that the bus it is featured on has Wi-Fi or power sockets - that is of course the purpose of the feature symbols after all.

Many buses in Sunderland do have Wi-Fi - you could find this out by visiting gonortheast.co.uk (which is prominently shown on the livery in addition to the yellow tagline). Agree the one on 5324 could have been used better on a spare bus at a different depot - perhaps at Riverside, where many buses do have power sockets.

Or maybe I've missed the point..?

(27 Feb 2017, 8:47 pm)mb134 wrote What kind of message does that give to the passengers of that service though? 

'We don't really care about you, but look what we're giving to other services!' is what I'd take from it.

Are you suggesting the same of Arriva's Sapphire brand?

"Look; we've got a nice premium Sapphire specification bus on that route, but you can enjoy your bog standard bus with no premium features on this route!"

(27 Feb 2017, 8:50 pm)Dan wrote Surely the taglines on 5211 and 5324 are appealing to new potential customers? Those who perhaps don't use buses at present?

The taglines don't advertise that the bus it is featured on has Wi-Fi or power sockets - that is of course the purpose of the feature symbols after all.

Many buses in Sunderland do have Wi-Fi - you could find this out by visiting gonortheast.co.uk (which is prominently shown on the livery in addition to the yellow tagline). Agree the one on 5324 could have been used better on a spare bus at a different depot - perhaps at Riverside, where many buses do have power sockets.

Or maybe I've missed the point..?

If I was a new customer, and saw a bus with the tagline present on 5211, I'd assume that 5211 would have free WiFi - why would it be highlighting it otherwise?

If GNE are using this as a tagline, they obviously must see WiFi as something that increases passenger numbers. A potential passenger may see the tagline on 5211 and consider using that service because in their mind that bus has WiFi.

(27 Feb 2017, 8:50 pm)Dan wrote Surely the taglines on 5211 and 5324 are appealing to new potential customers? Those who perhaps don't use buses at present?

The taglines don't advertise that the bus it is featured on has Wi-Fi or power sockets - that is of course the purpose of the feature symbols after all.

Many buses in Sunderland do have Wi-Fi - you could find this out by visiting gonortheast.co.uk (which is prominently shown on the livery in addition to the yellow tagline). Agree the one on 5324 could have been used better on a spare bus at a different depot - perhaps at Riverside, where many buses do have power sockets.

Or maybe I've missed the point..?

I completely agree - it is perhaps why I have been so repetitive regarding the use of the feature symbols on corporate liveried vehicles, along with the fact that if they are going to be used, it should be a fleet wide thing, rather than just the branded vehicles and vehicles with promotional liveries.

(27 Feb 2017, 8:54 pm)Dan wrote Are you suggesting the same of Arriva's Sapphire brand?

"Look; we've got a nice premium Sapphire specification bus on that route, but you can enjoy your bog standard bus with no premium features on this route!"

The difference is that Arriva don't apply "Look at our shiny Sapphire bus" taglines to their standard vehicles...

(27 Feb 2017, 9:00 pm)mb134 wrote If I was a new customer, and saw a bus with the tagline present on 5211, I'd assume that 5211 would have free WiFi - why would it be highlighting it otherwise?

If GNE are using this as a tagline, they obviously must see WiFi as something that increases passenger numbers. A potential passenger may see the tagline on 5211 and consider using that service because in their mind that bus has WiFi.

Again, the tagline does not specifically say "This bus has free WiFi". Therefore, I wouldn't say that the vehicle it is applied to requires WiFi to be fitted.

(27 Feb 2017, 9:00 pm)mb134 wrote If I was a new customer, and saw a bus with the tagline present on 5211, I'd assume that 5211 would have free WiFi - why would it be highlighting it otherwise?

If GNE are using this as a tagline, they obviously must see WiFi as something that increases passenger numbers. A potential passenger may see the tagline on 5211 and consider using that service because in their mind that bus has WiFi.

Why would you assume this?

The tagline says "many of our buses" - not "this bus".

If I was a new customer, I would be inclined to visit gonortheast.co.uk to find out more about a service which I could use, if free Wi-Fi was something that could get me to use buses. My local service would be the Prince Bishops 20. I would discover on the website that this service does have Wi-Fi, and I may wish to change from my current preferred method of travelling to using the Prince Bishops 20 service instead.

(27 Feb 2017, 9:01 pm)mb134 wrote The difference is that Arriva don't apply "Look at our shiny Sapphire bus" taglines to their standard vehicles...

Arriva market their premium Sapphire and MAX brands all of the time - on social media, in printed formats, etc etc. The Coastliner buses at Jesmond were promoting onward connections to MAX services a while back in the form of posters along the cove panels of the bus. I believe some standard Pulsars at Stockton had the same.

Just look at the timetable Kuyoyo shared earlier for the X93. More effort has gone into designing that timetable than a standard service.

Applying the same logic as you have in your previous posts, this must be Arriva showboating a premium service in favour of other 'bog standard' services such as the 9, 28, etc?

(27 Feb 2017, 9:02 pm)Dan wrote Why would you assume this?

The tagline says "many of our buses" - not "this bus".

If I was a new customer, I would be inclined to visit gonortheast.co.uk to find out more about a service which I could use, if free Wi-Fi was something that could get me to use buses. My local service would be the Prince Bishops 20. I would discover on the website that this service does have Wi-Fi, and I may wish to change from my current preferred method of travelling to using the Prince Bishops 20 service instead.

I think it would be a reasonable assumption. 

Chances are, if you see that vehicle, it would be on your local service. If I saw that bus drive past me telling me that "many buses" have free WiFi, I think it would be reasonable to think that that vehicle was one of the buses with WiFi fitted. 

(27 Feb 2017, 9:05 pm)Dan wrote Arriva market their premium Sapphire and MAX brands all of the time - on social media, in printed formats, etc etc.

Just look at the timetable Kuyoyo shared earlier for the X93. More effort has gone into designing that timetable than a standard service.

Applying the same logic as you have in your previous posts, this must be Arriva showboating a premium service in favour of other 'bog standard' services such as the 9, 28, etc?

Again, I'd argue that that is quite a bit different. Passengers of every other service aren't faced with Sapphire/MAX taglines on their bus every day.

(27 Feb 2017, 9:13 pm)mb134 wrote Again, I'd argue that that is quite a bit different. Passengers of every other service aren't faced with Sapphire/MAX taglines on their bus every day.

I'd argue that it would be no different. Passengers of every other service aren't faced with a bus stating that many buses have WiFi every day.

I quite like the new taglines, and the rounded design is a vast improvement on what appeared on 633.

I do take mb134's point though. Perhaps taglines about WiFi for example, would be best placed on the spare/fleet livery vehicles that offer this feature. e.g. 5331/32? I am well aware that the tagline states 'many', but if it were up to me, I'd personally want to avoid my customers incorrectly assuming that we're offering something we're not. You only have to look as far as Social Media to see that a lot of customers base their opinion of the company, on that sole bus journey they've made today.

Plus I am sure there are plenty of 'fun facts' or company specific taglines that could go there instead. I quite like the ones Brighton and Hove have used on their non-branded vehicles.


Side view of Brighton and hove Hybrid Bus by Brightonbusfan81, on Flickr


Brighton & Hove: 612 GX03SVC Scania N94UD/East Lancs Omnidekka by emdjt42, on Flickr

5208 has been on 39 all day with no destination board working. Made me think how is there passengers on with no indication of a route number.

(27 Feb 2017, 9:05 pm)Dan wrote Arriva market their premium Sapphire and MAX brands all of the time - on social media, in printed formats, etc etc. The Coastliner buses at Jesmond were promoting onward connections to MAX services a while back in the form of posters along the cove panels of the bus. I believe some standard Pulsars at Stockton had the same.

Just look at the timetable Kuyoyo shared earlier for the X93. More effort has gone into designing that timetable than a standard service.

Applying the same logic as you have in your previous posts, this must be Arriva showboating a premium service in favour of other 'bog standard' services such as the 9, 28, etc?

Most of the fleet has advertisements for "visit x" or "navigate to x"... Easy promotion for other services, not onboard features...

As for the X93 timetable, the same amount of effort has gone into designing that, it's just the generic design with a changeable background, whereas other timetables have photos of people (which would change when updated). 

What Arriva don't do is plaster crap on the sides of buses, and posters on board saying that free Wifi is available, power sockets etc... I got on an Angel the other day with a poster advertising USB points!

(28 Feb 2017, 1:31 am)omnicity4659 wrote Most of the fleet has advertisements for "visit x" or "navigate to x"... Easy promotion for other services, not onboard features...

As for the X93 timetable, the same amount of effort has gone into designing that, it's just the generic design with a changeable background, whereas other timetables have photos of people (which would change when updated). 

What Arriva don't do is plaster crap on the sides of buses, and posters on board saying that free Wifi is available, power sockets etc... I got on an Angel the other day with a poster advertising USB points!

I'm really not sure what all of the big fuss is about - and clearly we're going to go round in round in circles here.

Go North East's market research has proven that existing customers appreciate having features such as free Wi-Fi, Next Stop Announcements, power sockets, etc. It's therefore a great idea to push that many of Go North East's buses have these features - and it's a growing number month on month, year on year. Around half of Go North East's main service fleet (excluding Coaching) now has Wi-Fi - this is a great thing to promote and it shows just how much Go North East is investing in this technology.

If existing customers appreciate it (which Go North East's market research proves that they do), new customers potentially will too. It's potentially something that can get more bums on seats - and that's the aim of the game, isn't it? Most of Go North East's buses are branded, so these buses are only going to be allocated as spares. Clearly Go North East has a strategy here - just as Arriva and Stagecoach do, too.

Arriva's strategy is clearly all about promoting the connections to other services - it only ever seems to be their premium MAX and Sapphire services, from what I have seen. Clearly Arriva wants to promote these brands as well as the services, as these services offer premium features compared to their standard specification. So my previous point still stands. If we are arguing that Go North East is dangling a carrot by the use of these taglines promoting that 'many' of Go North East's buses have these features, then the same should be argued for Arriva with these posters. Arriva's customers would sit on a standard specification bus and would see these posters on the cove panels. They would see the MAX brand, and find that that service has free Wi-Fi, leather seats, while the one they are on has nothing. To suggest that the company 'does not care' about passengers on that service because it isn't branded MAX or Sapphire would be ludicrous, as I'm sure you'll all agree. Just how it's ludicrous to suggest this with Go North East, too.

Regarding the poster you saw on-board the Angel - it did not promote that that bus offered USB charging points. It promoted the fact that 1 in 3 of Go North East's buses have that feature - or something along those lines - similar to these new taglines.

Informed by the genuinely lovely bloke driving the ex7.15 554 to Quorum that I'm his first passenger in 6 months to board at Haymarket.

I want a badge!

(28 Feb 2017, 6:02 am)Dan wrote Regarding the poster you saw on-board the Angel - it did not promote that that bus offered USB charging points. It promoted the fact that 1 in 3 of Go North East's buses have that feature - or something along those lines - similar to these new taglines.

I can verify this - the same poster is on 6042

On first impressions, I would take it as "Oh, it must have WiFi" but everyone is different. Obviously 633 doesn't go to the moon and back however many times it is though!.......

(28 Feb 2017, 7:20 am)Ambassador wrote Informed by the genuinely lovely bloke driving the ex7.15 554 to Quorum that I'm his first passenger in 6 months to board at Haymarket.

I want a badge!

If there's a Stanley driver I know, I will just get on a strange place. I've gotten on that stop between Pickering Nook and Lintz - Burnopfield, Watergate Bank, between byermoor and marley hill, between sacriston and the font in stanley - basically anywhere in south west T/W or Derwentside where you never see anyone ever get off, I have probably boarded there. Obviously your case is different being a bus station, but I love seeing the reactions haha

5286 has returned following refurb. 5275 has gone to Blackburn in its place.

Chester-le-Street appears to the next depot to have the old logos replaced with new logos. Reports that at least a few of the Angels have been done.

(28 Feb 2017, 4:16 pm)S813 FVK wrote Chester-le-Street appears to the next depot to have the old logos replaced with new logos. Reports that at least a few of the Angels have been done.

I believe Hexham was completed last week, after Deptford.

(28 Feb 2017, 4:18 pm)Dan wrote I believe Hexham was completed last week, after Deptford.

I noticed 6072 was running around with the old logo when I was through the Metrocentre last night - presumably because it has been allocated to the 'wrong' boards at the wrong time so it has ended up at the other depot.