(26 Apr 2022, 10:08 am)ne14ne1 wrote You wouldn’t be so sure if blind or partially sighted though.

As I’ve said before the destination/service number announcement would be far less intrusive if it was simply ‘21, to, Newcastle’, London-style, but I was shot down and told “well this isn’t London” / “that’s too abrupt” / “customers haven’t raised an issue with the announcements, only you”, and so we have to listen to ‘This is the Angel 21 service to Newcastle’ every 5 mins.

(28 Apr 2022, 11:55 pm)Ambassador wrote I travel a lot…and I very rarely see those types of passengers (perhaps that’s the issue) tho if partially sighted you’re better off on the train versus the X10 as station assist will help you on the train…less help at Eldon square.

I agree the announcements need to be succinct and they really struggle on the 21, by the time its left one stop and done it’s endless announcement its reached another, it’s like the system gps cannot keep up  (a particular issue through low fell, allerdene and Birtley)  The stops haven’t been updated to reflect changes at John Dobson st either.

We aren’t London. Passengers will board via a front door, they’ll encounter a driver from Chester, they will immediately become the drivers enemy but the driver will confirm the route/destination  and help… (shout out to all of the X39 drivers who are an absolute delight….infact can we send the Percy main team to Chester to show them how to smile?  We had that cheery Irish bloke but assumed he was fired for not being angry enough for CLS)

(30 Apr 2022, 6:08 pm)Andreos1 wrote Noticed 'live updates' for NR trains to and from Heworth today on board GNE buses.
Hartlepool and Newcastle both showing on the displays. 
Except there were no trains today at all on the Durham Coast line.
Not sure where this information is being pulled from, but clearly it's not accurate nor live.

(30 Apr 2022, 7:55 pm)omnicity4659 wrote If they were showing 05/45 departures then it'll be pulling the replacement bus data. Comes from the same source and should be denoted as a bus, perhaps one for GNE to fix?

(30 Apr 2022, 7:55 pm)omnicity4659 wrote If they were showing 05/45 departures then it'll be pulling the replacement bus data. Comes from the same source and should be denoted as a bus, perhaps one for GNE to fix?

(30 Apr 2022, 6:08 pm)Andreos1 wrote Noticed 'live updates' for NR trains to and from Heworth today on board GNE buses.
Hartlepool and Newcastle both showing on the displays. 
Except there were no trains today at all on the Durham Coast line.
Not sure where this information is being pulled from, but clearly it's not accurate nor live.

(01 May 2022, 10:08 am)DeltaMan wrote Network Rail put the bus info where the platform data is. So as long as GNE display platform data (they do on the buses to Metrocentre) then it would say Platform BUS

(02 May 2022, 11:45 am)DeltaMan wrote I hope to god GNE don't go down the SNE route of blasting out driver job adverts via the NSA system.

(24 Jul 2022, 7:28 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Awful awful awful:

https://twitter.com/microbusg/status/1551263692137893888?s=21&t=IXxf3BZ6-SKdcUb2GhjMmQ

Is this a sponsorship deal open to random businesses or just for a laugh for a bus fanboy or is Go North East running booze cruises now, promoting drinking?

And what do they mean ‘change’? Change on to what? Don’t they mean ‘alight’?

And is ‘Railway Quarter’ something the Microbus owner has come up with themselves. That area was always known as the ‘Bridges Quarter’.

(24 Jul 2022, 7:28 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Awful awful awful:

https://twitter.com/microbusg/status/1551263692137893888?s=21&t=IXxf3BZ6-SKdcUb2GhjMmQ

Is this a sponsorship deal open to random businesses or just for a laugh for a bus fanboy or is Go North East running booze cruises now, promoting drinking?

(24 Jul 2022, 8:01 pm)Adrian wrote Why is it awful? I mean how dare a big bad multi-national operator promote local business.

I can't see the problem with it personally, aside from 'Railway Quarter' instead of 'Bridges Quarter', and if anything, I'd actually like to see more announcements like it. Alighting for Morrisons at Birtley would be useful on the 21, as would Trinity Square on the Jackson Street services. Unless we're assuming that everyone travelling on buses, knows exactly where everything is?

(24 Jul 2022, 8:01 pm)Adrian wrote Why is it awful? I mean how dare a big bad multi-national operator promote local business.

I can't see the problem with it personally, aside from 'Railway Quarter' instead of 'Bridges Quarter', and if anything, I'd actually like to see more announcements like it. Alighting for Morrisons at Birtley would be useful on the 21, as would Trinity Square on the Jackson Street services. Unless we're assuming that everyone travelling on buses, knows exactly where everything is?

(24 Jul 2022, 8:10 pm)F114TML wrote Tbh, the stop should probably be called "Birtley Morrisons" in that case? We already have "Murton Co-Op" and "Leechmere (Road) ASDA", and probably many others I can't think of.

This implementation just feels a little tacky though and feels like it's being sponsored by Microbus and Axis. With MG's constant plugging of it on his Twitter, it's quite easy to call bs on this, at least a little bit. Would be a bit weird hearing "Next stop: Gateshead - Ocean Road; for Machine Mart and The Alexandra Steakhouse" wouldn't it? Especially considering there are other businesses in the immediate area.

In any case - what if I was going to Hungry Shack, heard the announcement plug Microbus and Axis, think "it's not here" before watching it sail past the window  because I was relying on the NSAs to tell me where it is?

(24 Jul 2022, 8:10 pm)F114TML wrote This implementation just feels a little tacky though and feels like it's being sponsored by Microbus and Axis. With MG's constant plugging of it on his Twitter, it's quite easy to call bs on this, at least a little bit. Would be a bit weird hearing "Next stop: Gateshead - Ocean Road; for Machine Mart and The Alexandra Steakhouse" wouldn't it? Especially considering there are other businesses in the immediate area.

In any case - what if I was going to Hungry Shack, heard the announcement plug Microbus and Axis, think "it's not here" before watching it sail past the window  because I was relying on the NSAs to tell me where it is?

(24 Jul 2022, 8:31 pm)Adrian wrote Birtley High Street would be better. If you started naming stops after shops, then how do you decide which one to name it after? Birtley Snooker Club might have something to say, if it was renamed Birtley Morrisons...

The leisure and hospitality industry is likely to be a huge draw for a bus operator, so there's got to be benefits to working like this in order to try and convert some of those taxi journeys into bus journeys. I'm not saying it's the magical solution to all their problems, but it seems like they're damned if they do and damned if they don't! 

Gilbert might be plugging it a lot on his twitter, but I'd say he plugs Beamish just as much, which again GNE have a working partnership with and have done for many years. Plus, it's his personal twitter feed, so it's really up to him what he wants to babble on about.

(24 Jul 2022, 10:15 pm)omnicity4659 wrote When he moves to Lumo, Martijn will be installing a station directly above Microbus with a lift to the bar.

(24 Jul 2022, 10:20 pm)Ambassador wrote I’m assuming he’s the link, it’s cringeworthy 

Sure Dan will be along to defend it soon!

(24 Jul 2022, 10:26 pm)Andreos1 wrote https://www.meet-and-drink.co.uk/microbus-gateshead

Here's the official tale about asking for some leaflets.