(31 Mar 2022, 1:13 pm)omnicity4659 wrote The awards that they basically give to themselves? 

(31 Mar 2022, 1:32 pm)Drifter60 wrote It’s interesting in a way that Go North East sort of went down the route of going into more generic route branding, using the company corporate style with just the route numbers, ie The 9 & The 49 but both no longer exist.
Did these brands exist because no one had any better ideas? No one came up with a good brand name for them and there was no ideas for a colour scheme?
Or was it a step towards gauging how a more generic corporate inspired branding style worked for a wider concept? Perhaps rebrand the whole fleet to that sort of style with perhaps a select few key core routes keeping a different style.

(31 Mar 2022, 10:11 pm)Jimmi wrote I have mixed views on route branding, if it's done right then it really can make a difference but I feel now in places it's just done for the sake of branding and cos industry people spout that it's such a good thing.

I feel the biggest way to make an impact with a service is to really drive promotion of services such as leaflet drops, social media posts and general word of mouth, with route branding at the likes of Go North East on some routes it feels like they introduce liveries and then do very little with it beyond that.

One thing I hate with a lot of these new liveries is the service number is nowhere to be seen (although some companies have ditched service numbers altogether with some routes), another thing is the company names has also disappeared or is so miniscule it might as well not be there, one of the main things people identify a service with is the service number.

I personally ain't a fan of local identities as if there's multiple identities crossing one another, it begins to become confusing (especially if a bus with an identity strays onto another local identities route), I remember having an issue with a Transdev driver once on a branded route with no local identity applied and as I was unfamiliar with the area at the time I had no clue which Transdev page to direct the complaint to, is it Burnley or is it Blackburn?! Since then it could be Rosso and don't even ask where a complaint for their Ribble Country services go.

My favourite form of route brandings are ones that don't stray too far from a standard identity/livery, one of my personal favourites over the years was the 'Metro Coastlines' brand that Blackpool Transport adopted in the noughties where each route had the same yellow base accompanied by another colour (eg Line 1 was orange, Line 5 was red) and they also stated the main destinations served and also showed the service number: https://flic.kr/p/72wZdu  .Many independents have a stronger recognised brand than most of the big firms do these days, you can see the likes of Weardale's fleet from a mile off (admittedly diluted slightly with much of the service fleet being just dealer stock White with just a logo on the front and maybe the rear).

I think constantly chopping and changing service numbers / liveries doesn't build up a strong profile for a route, about one of the biggest branding success stories is the 36 between Ripon, Harrogate & Leeds operated by Transdev, there's been little done to the route and the livery since they started, think they're on their third? proper livery adoption in 18? Years for the service with only so some small changes but sticking with marketing as a premium offering, then look at something like the Sunderland 61, the liveries have changed multiple times in half that time that Transdev have including having silver base liveried Citaros with no branding for a while and there's even more liveries to add when you include Sunday interworkings causing wrong brand workings such as Silver Arrow and Berries and then they made it service 9 for a while only to then go back to the 61 a short while later.

(01 Apr 2022, 12:29 am)omnicity4659 wrote Cityzap is an example of a good route going down the pan. Frequency halved and reduced operating hours over the coming couple of weeks.

(01 Apr 2022, 9:15 pm)Ambassador wrote Arriva X12 Newcastle to Birtley £2.60

Angel £3.10

One has tables, USB, funky tables and pretty colours. The other has seats and wheels.

I’m a passenger….branding is expensive

(01 Apr 2022, 10:14 pm)DeltaMan wrote They both have seats and wheels though and one of those can't be bothered to operate on Sundays....

(01 Apr 2022, 9:15 pm)Ambassador wrote Arriva X12 Newcastle to Birtley £2.60

Angel £3.10

One has tables, USB, funky tables and pretty colours. The other has seats and wheels.

I’m a passenger….branding is expensive

(01 Apr 2022, 10:32 pm)L469 YVK wrote Same argument could also be applied to the 308 & 309. One is cheaper but only slightly less frequent. The other however runs slightly more frequent and runs earlier in the morning and later at night than the other particularly between Whitley Bay and Blyth.

(01 Apr 2022, 10:32 pm)L469 YVK wrote Same argument could also be applied to the 308 & 309. One is cheaper but only slightly less frequent. The other however runs slightly more frequent and runs earlier in the morning and later at night than the other particularly between Whitley Bay and Blyth.

(02 Apr 2022, 12:03 am)6049 wrote Can Arriva afford to price match GNE? You're talking a bus every half hour at most and as has already been mentioned, limited operating hours.

The 21 is a reliable service, you know for a fine fact that you go to a bus stop and one will rock up within roughly 10mins. Fair enough, you may get customers rocking up at the stop who "get lucky" and catch an X12 which will save them 50p but in all likelihood, they'll end up catching a 21 back the other way.

I'd argue that you're not paying for the branding with that extra 50p, you're paying for the frequency. I know nothing is guaranteed in the current climate but the 21 has to be the most reliable service going - between Chester and Newcastle - you'll very rarely wait more than 15-20mins for a bus even up midnight and then you have the hourly night bus if you're out for a few sociable ones.

Sent from my SM-G981B using Tapatalk

(02 Apr 2022, 6:21 am)DaveFromUpNorth wrote I am sure because of deregulation  bus companies can't charge the exact same fares as a competitor which is why you have price discrepancies

But then again that business 2 cans of Doctor Pepper In pound land however  90p in other shops...

It's business

That is why we need regulation like what London has and integrated ticketing

Even when GCT operate the service as a Nexus Secured service the price is different to GNE service during the day

(04 Apr 2022, 8:58 am)F114TML wrote Today, I was driving to Uni (because the bus was 3 mins early so I missed it) and sat behind a Peterlee Purples, and on the back it said "Flit into town and ride like a purple emperor", and I was just left thinking "what the actual hell does that mean?"

I don't mind them branding buses but I wish they'd get shot of these nonsensical slogans that tell you nothing about the service (and while we're here, why is the via points cut off at the bottom on the back of the Solos? Looks a bit odd, especially considering on some routes, the top and bottom line are the same height and the bottom line scrolls)

(04 Apr 2022, 8:58 am)F114TML wrote Today, I was driving to Uni (because the bus was 3 mins early so I missed it) and sat behind a Peterlee Purples, and on the back it said "Flit into town and ride like a purple emperor", and I was just left thinking "what the actual hell does that mean?" 

I don't mind them branding buses but I wish they'd get shot of these nonsensical slogans that tell you nothing about the service (and while we're here, why is the via points cut off at the bottom on the back of the Solos? Looks a bit odd, especially considering on some routes, the top and bottom line are the same height and the bottom line scrolls)

(04 Apr 2022, 11:31 am)Andreos1 wrote At the risk of seeing things I didn't want to see (see MurdnunoCs euphemism comments), I Googled it.
Apparently a purple emperor is a butterfly. 
Quite why a rare butterfly would flit in and out of Peterlee is anyone's guess to be honest.

(04 Apr 2022, 10:47 am)MurdnunoC wrote A "purple emperor" seems like a euphemism for something else.  

Perhaps whomever coined that little ditty should stop acting like a "purple emperor" and channel their energies into something else completely nonsensical. 

For example, The Purple Emperor could the new brand name for an express service from the former Sven Adult Books on Scotswood Road and Pulse and Cocktails in Blaydon.

(04 Apr 2022, 8:58 am)F114TML wrote Today, I was driving to Uni (because the bus was 3 mins early so I missed it) and sat behind a Peterlee Purples, and on the back it said "Flit into town and ride like a purple emperor", and I was just left thinking "what the actual hell does that mean?"

I don't mind them branding buses but I wish they'd get shot of these nonsensical slogans that tell you nothing about the service (and while we're here, why is the via points cut off at the bottom on the back of the Solos? Looks a bit odd, especially considering on some routes, the top and bottom line are the same height and the bottom line scrolls)

(16 Apr 2022, 2:18 pm)L469 YVK wrote Well, this is what I've thought off. Not outright generic but more simple than now. New corporate livery with subvariants for depot operating areas.

Connecting.......................
- North Tyneside & Newcastle (Percy Main)
- South Tyneside & Wearside (Deptford & Washington)
*** 56 - Connecting Tyneside & Wearside
- County Durham (CLS & Consett)
- Newcastle & Gateshead (Riverside)
- The Tyne Valley (Hexham) (Riverside TVT)

Local Links from Go North East
- Predominantly aimed at Minibus services with the exception of the Tyne Valley

XLines
- Fast and frequent links from County Durham to Tyneside & Wearside (ALL current XLines services bar X10)

Tyne Tees Xpress X10
- Fast links from Teesside to East Durham & Tyneside

(16 Apr 2022, 2:36 pm)DeltaMan wrote I think you've just invented Go Ahead Gateshead, Wear Buses, Coastline, Northern and Expresslink. Something i'd wholeheartedly agree with!

(16 Apr 2022, 2:18 pm)L469 YVK wrote Well, this is what I've thought off. Not outright generic but more simple than now. New corporate livery with taglines & text graphics for depot operating areas.

Connecting.......................
- North Tyneside & Newcastle (Percy Main)

- South Tyneside & Wearside (Deptford*** & Washington)
*** For vehicles on the 56 only - Connecting Tyneside & Wearside

- County Durham (CLS)

- County Durham & Derwentside (Consett)

- Newcastle & Gateshead (Riverside)

- The Tyne Valley (Hexham) (Riverside TVT)


Local Links from Go North East
- Predominantly aimed at Minibus services with the exception of the Tyne Valley


XLines
- Fast and frequent links across the North East