(19 Jun 2021, 8:49 pm)Micheal Aaron wrote Wonder if we will receive a new branded poppy bus sometime

(04 Jul 2021, 10:19 am)Michael wrote https://www.facebook.com/100009920923911/videos/537960537241976

Not much info tbh, just says about everyone working together because of COVID, and staffing issues due to it.

Delays at the DVLA causing problems too....

(06 Aug 2021, 5:01 pm)Michael wrote New update:

https://www.facebook.com/100009920923911/videos/480329233270813

Talks about the passenger numbers for each depot (compared to pre-pandemic)

(06 Aug 2021, 5:39 pm)Adrian wrote I think its refreshing to hear his attitude towards growth and passenger numbers, compared to others in the industry. A lot of talk about moving forward and encouraging growth, rather than standing still with the same tired old system.

(07 Aug 2021, 4:54 pm)L469 YVK wrote I agree with Martijn. GNE could easily sit around and not invest in marketing, vehicles and branding. They could also not cut routes to "keep the small minority of punters" happy. But at what cost? Would that be sustainable in the long term? 

To put it in a context (and I do have some sympathy to an extent), the only decent deckers Arriva Northumbria have are the 17 plate Sapphires at Ashington and probably the 14 plate Sapphires if they haven't been shot regularly standing in on the Alnwick / Berwick 'X' routes. The youngest decker at Blyth depot (where some of their alleged 'goldmine' routes run from) is soon to be 10 year old! 

Arriva might be making a profit but at somepoint, the old vehicles that "do just fine" and "at least turn up" will need replacing. Where will Arriva / DB get the capital from and how can they sustainably replace them?

If anything, Arriva could take a leaf out of GNE's book and actually run a sustainable operation that's customer friendly too and even deliver some benefits. Prime example being a restructure of the X7/X8/X9/X10/X11. If Arriva somehow replaced the southern part of the X8 and introduced a new 'X' for the Northern part eventually combining with the X10/X11 between Cramlington and Newcastle, that would be an instant win with faster journeys.

(07 Aug 2021, 4:54 pm)L469 YVK wrote I agree with Martijn. GNE could easily sit around and not invest in marketing, vehicles and branding. They could also not cut routes to "keep the small minority of punters" happy. But at what cost? Would that be sustainable in the long term? 

To put it in a context (and I do have some sympathy to an extent), the only decent deckers Arriva Northumbria have are the 17 plate Sapphires at Ashington and probably the 14 plate Sapphires if they haven't been shot regularly standing in on the Alnwick / Berwick 'X' routes. The youngest decker at Blyth depot (where some of their alleged 'goldmine' routes run from) is soon to be 10 year old! 

Arriva might be making a profit but at somepoint, the old vehicles that "do just fine" and "at least turn up" will need replacing. Where will Arriva / DB get the capital from and how can they sustainably replace them?

If anything, Arriva could take a leaf out of GNE's book and actually run a sustainable operation that's customer friendly too and even deliver some benefits. Prime example being a restructure of the X7/X8/X9/X10/X11. If Arriva somehow replaced the southern part of the X8 and introduced a new 'X' for the Northern part eventually combining with the X10/X11 between Cramlington and Newcastle, that would be an instant win with faster journeys.

(07 Aug 2021, 6:33 pm)Storx wrote There's nothing wrong with the DB300's at Blyth and there's not much difference age wise between them and the 100 or so B5TL's/B9TL's which are between 11 - 63 plate at GoNorthEast which won't be going nowhere anytime soon.

Stagecoach is the one you should be targeting about old battered fleets. There's battered MAN's running around on flagship services every day which are much much much worse than the Arriva Northumbria fleet.

If your making a profit, it's probably not in your best interest to copy a bus company which isn't making a profit. Change the X8 and X9 by all means as they probably are going to struggle at some point but I'd leave the X7, X10 and X11 alone there's nothing wrong with them.

(25 Jan 2022, 8:36 pm)L469 YVK wrote Just seen MG's video update. Some changes to Percy Main services in March. Will GNE revert the evening 309 journeys back to xx:45 or xx:50 in line with potential BSIP?

(25 Jan 2022, 9:11 pm)Thomas12 wrote Wonder if it's more to do with Nexus contract changes? 

Believe the 41/41A are being cut from Howdon and Holy Cross with the 11 replacing them, although that's just talk from a driver.

(25 Jan 2022, 9:29 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Sounds bleak from the way Martijn talks on that video, particularly if the public funding bail out from LAs that he seems to be relying on doesn't materialise.

Realise we don't know what the future holds for other operators but notable this will be the second round of major cuts (sounds like anyway) from GNE with Stagecoach and Arriva (as far as I'm aware) having made no substantial cuts since pre-pandemic.  I'm sure they will come for those as well in some form, but why is it GNE seem so badly affected on this compared to the other NE operators?

(25 Jan 2022, 9:11 pm)Thomas12 wrote Wonder if it's more to do with Nexus contract changes? 

Believe the 41/41A are being cut from Howdon and Holy Cross with the 11 replacing them, although that's just talk from a driver.

(25 Jan 2022, 9:35 pm)Dan wrote Go North East were in the worst position financially pre-pandemic. Post-pandemic, without CBSSG, only Stagecoach are making a profit in the North East (and a small one at that). It’s not surprising that Go North East is therefore making the biggest cuts. I think Arriva have made some fairly big cuts across the network too, but seem to ‘get away with it’ for want of a better phrase.

The cuts from other operators will come, you are correct. I have just posted earlier this evening that Nexus tenders in North Tyneside and Newcastle include services which are currently operated by Stagecoach commercially, that they intend to withdraw.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(25 Jan 2022, 10:55 pm)AnonPM1 wrote They want to cut the 11, 42/42a and 19 completely/. The 41 will go from Hadrian Park to Wallsend only via Wiltshire Drive.

The Q3 will also only go as far as St. Peters all day

Its likely they are cutting those services so that Nexus have to put a tender out for them that GNE can then bid on, as i believe Martijn said in the update. because although the reasoning for them being cut is that they lose money operating them there is still alot of demand for them in the day.

(25 Jan 2022, 10:59 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Arriva are mostly being quiet about it. I can't think of any services that have been axed but many in Co Durham have been gradually halved. The 6, 7 and 64 are all a fraction of their former selves.

(25 Jan 2022, 11:04 pm)Thomas12 wrote Pretty drastic and disgraceful cuts. Hopefully they don’t win them back.

(25 Jan 2022, 10:55 pm)AnonPM1 wrote They want to cut the 11, 42/42a and 19 completely/. The 41 will go from Hadrian Park to Wallsend only via Wiltshire Drive.

The Q3 will also only go as far as St. Peters all day and go via osborne road

Its likely they are cutting those services so that Nexus have to put a tender out for them that GNE can then bid on, as i believe Martijn said in the update. because although the reasoning for them being cut is that they lose money operating them there is still alot of demand for them in the day.

(25 Jan 2022, 11:09 pm)busmanT wrote Given the current National driver shortage, it’s very likely that the only operators who will be able to operate the contracts will be the ones who run them now, so they are likely to be the only ones who tender.
I can’t see Nexus having sufficient money to replace everything exactly the same.

(25 Jan 2022, 11:20 pm)Thomas12 wrote I agree.

However - to cut that many services without even trying any different, as Andreos has mentioned before, is a disgrace. 

They could’ve just reduced the 11 in frequency, or incorporated services together. And to reduce the Q3 completely between Wallsend and St Peters is another disgraceful decision, could’ve just operated half hourly.

(25 Jan 2022, 11:20 pm)Thomas12 wrote I agree.

However - to cut that many services without even trying any different, as Andreos has mentioned before, is a disgrace. 

They could’ve just reduced the 11 in frequency, or incorporated services together. And to reduce the Q3 completely between Wallsend and St Peters is another disgraceful decision, could’ve just operated half hourly.