(29 Aug 2014, 7:29 pm)aureolin wrote I like how Dan is there for four weeks and the WiFi is sorted mind.

(29 Aug 2014, 7:37 pm)marxistafozzski wrote Where's the like button

#NEBLIKES

(29 Aug 2014, 7:38 pm)Marcus wrote #DanIsTheSaviour
#MarcusDoesn'tKnowHowToUseHashtags

(29 Aug 2014, 6:11 pm)citaro5284 wrote In all seriousiness, I am pleased you enjoyed it and your look 'behind the scenes' of what we do, from the recruitment process, to the Risk Management Department and through to what we do at Bensham and what it takes to actually operate a bus service and the amount of staff involved in the background.

As you seen, in Risk there is so much going on, from checking tools for vibration, to risk assessments and Health and Safety Meetings. I believe you also sat in on a meeting about on the road accidents and how these figures can be reduced going forward by bringing quite a few of the different departments of the business into one room and for them to discuss there part of the project and what they can do.

When you came to Bensham, you saw the amount of staff based there along with the vast amount of roles which is covered in a Head Office Function from IT, payroll, revenue, service planning and Customer Services along with our roles with System Admin.
You saw how the Mix Telematics system worked along with how the destination displays are programmed and what we report to Go Ahead at Period End along with the associated KPI's - which is quite a bit.....

(29 Aug 2014, 6:36 pm)marxistafozzski wrote Sounds like Dan has had quite a look at GNE and can only be a benefit for him if he wants a career of some kind within the Company

(29 Aug 2014, 7:29 pm)aureolin wrote I like how Dan is there for four weeks and the WiFi is sorted mind.

(29 Aug 2014, 7:41 pm)marxistafozzski wrote Hash tags are a Twitter and Facebook thing although it can be incorporated into message boards, I think, whether it can on here I don't know

(29 Aug 2014, 7:41 pm)Dan wrote It's so interesting how much is done behind the scenes, and as a passenger (indeed even as an enthusiast), you really do not appreciate how much work is done to make the things you see on the road a reality.

As someone who has absolutely no interest in engineering (and I made this clear on multiple occasions to those who asked me about coming back for an engineering apprenticeship), I was rather surprised indeed to see how much work has to be done for engineering tools before the company's fitters can even get their hands on them. Although I understood nothing at all about the process, I used a little machine to test the vibration levels of a tool. I recorded the numbers that the machine gave me, and used a spreadsheet to calculate the times that the fitters can use the tool for.

The Risk Management Department comprises of lots of different jobs - you've mentioned just a few. Fire Risk Assessments are regularly undertaken and are reviewed prior to the recommended date if any incidents happen, to accommodate for the nature of the incident to prevent it happening again.

Although the Health & Safety meetings weren't the most interesting part of my time in the RMD, it was good experience to be sitting in meetings (and this was commented on by my head teacher, after my arrival at school from Chester-le-Street mentioned a few days ago). As I had attended more than one of these meetings, I was able to comment on things which were problematic across multiple depots when it was queried - so I even had useful input to the meetings too.

The same applied in the meeting I attended about accidents. As you mentioned, I attended the MORR meeting held earlier this month. A project team of 12 individuals has been formed, all from different departments in the company. The aim of the game is to reduce the amount of accidents across the company by the end of this financial year, with the directors of the company wanting to see an improvement by a certain percentage. I had quite a bit of input during this meeting, which was held all day, and I put forward a suggestion which has been taken on board as a factor to monitor throughout this project. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to keep up to date with the project now that I'm no longer with Go North East, but I really hope that they keep me posted as it is a really interesting project, and it could potentially see a lot of changes for how things work behind the scenes (all the way from the recruitment department onwards!)

Bensham is rather quiet, as you know, but this is to be expected when the three directors of the company are sitting with their doors wide open. A lot of group-based reporting is done at Bensham, especially at the end of period, and it's just crazy how much reporting has to be done. I can't imagine how you guys would cope without Excel! I have to admit that the work done at Bensham isn't quite as interesting as the work done at Riverside (at least from what I experienced and observed). Nevertheless, this was all beneficial experience and I'm very pleased indeed that I had the chance to see all of this. Citaro5284, on my behalf, please thank those at Bensham who made this possible. I said my goodbyes to everyone at Riverside today and they were all quite sad to see me leave - and the feeling was mutual for me with them too.

(29 Aug 2014, 7:49 pm)marxistafozzski wrote So the whole experience has bit of an eye opener for you, because, as enthusiasts we don't appreciate what goes on behind the scenes and tend to curse the companies about stuff that we can't possibly know about.

It is good that you have had access to the inside, I think your experience sounds good, not just exploring future career paths, but benefits you as an Enthusiast as well, and benefits this community in a small way, it is good for NEB to have people on the inside in my opinion

(29 Aug 2014, 7:59 pm)Dan wrote Yes, it's been quite a big eye opener indeed. As enthusiasts, I feel we have more of an idea about things that go on behind the scenes than your average customer does, but never in a million years did I think that so much went on (and I expect this would be the case for all other enthusiasts too, if they had been involved in something similar to what I've done).

I know I've made statements in the past about all three companies which could arguably be considered as 'brash', but I really will try and think twice before posting now. This month I was shown information which I wouldn't usually see, which has increased my understanding of how things work. I'd argue this has influenced what I've said in some of my recent posts, and I hope that I've passed on a bit of the knowledge I've gained to you guys.

(30 Aug 2014, 12:06 pm)GuyParkRoyal wrote Wifi on the Lime 78.

My personal highlight of #skysportsdeadlineday so far... https://t.co/nkvfF1Nkoi

oh dear, another clanger. #deadlineday https://t.co/g5NbwoD3sB

CLASSIC: Norwich City fans on #TransferDeadlineDay.
https://t.co/b5BFelWNeh

(02 Sep 2014, 11:01 am)eezypeazy wrote (sings) Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur....

(04 Sep 2014, 8:53 pm)Adam wrote Got a letter from my bank this morning saying they're automatically transferring me from an Under 19s account to a Student Account, and they're throwing in a FREE 3-year NUS Extra card. Bring on the savings!

Edit: Just some of the terrific savings:

25% off with National Express
10% off with Megabus
10% off with CrossStinky and Grand Central
25% off at Odeon Cinemas
10% off on Amazon
20% off at Pizza Hut & Frankie & Benny's
25% off at Domino's
10% off at the Co-op

(04 Sep 2014, 8:53 pm)Adam wrote Got a letter from my bank this morning saying they're automatically transferring me from an Under 19s account to a Student Account, and they're throwing in a FREE 3-year NUS Extra card. Bring on the savings!

Edit: Just some of the terrific savings:

25% off with National Express
10% off with Megabus
10% off with CrossStinky and Grand Central
25% off at Odeon Cinemas
10% off on Amazon
20% off at Pizza Hut & Frankie & Benny's
25% off at Domino's
10% off at the Co-op

(04 Sep 2014, 9:12 pm)aureolin wrote If you haven't got one already, they at least used to offer discount on 16-25 rail cards too.

(07 Sep 2014, 7:06 pm)Robert wrote The comments on this :p

(07 Sep 2014, 7:07 pm)Dan wrote It's still going!