(28 Dec 2021, 8:05 pm)L469 YVK wrote But, if they did, CLS to Stanley for remote reliefs is less mileage than CLS to Hownsgill.

(28 Dec 2021, 8:27 pm)Wybus wrote I’m sure pre Covid I remember long queues at peak times for the X84/X85 in Eldon Square, and didn’t GNE used to run an additional peak hour trip (used to be something that did a Team Valley then a short 12 then an X85 as I recall), it’s strange how it’s gone from this to such a big reduction

When all the workers return to their offices when we are back to normal they are going to no doubt have to find an alternative way to travel home, unless they can all fit on an hourly Versa.

(29 Dec 2021, 2:00 am)BeachBoy99 wrote Workers aren't going to be returning to the office, though. Remote working is now the future, hence why the bus industry is one of those significantly struggling to recover from this pandemic. We're never 'going back to normal' per se.

(29 Dec 2021, 8:54 am)streetdeckfan wrote People keep saying this and I just think it's a load of rubbish. I give the whole remote working thing another year, at most.

(29 Dec 2021, 8:54 am)streetdeckfan wrote People keep saying this and I just think it's a load of rubbish. I give the whole remote working thing another year, at most. In fact, most people I know who had to work from home were literally celebrating when they were allowed back in the office. 
The company that one of my friends worked for gave up part of their office space during COVID as they believed remote working was the future, now they're regretting it as everyone wanted to be back in the office, and they actually had a few leave when they were told they didn't have space.

You would think that if the reason for less people using the bus was because they're working from home, then car traffic would also be down as they don't all travel by bus. But no, traffic is worse than it used to be, it's almost as if all that scaremongering about public transport being dirty and dangerous is what stopped people using it!

(28 Dec 2021, 11:21 pm)peter wrote My prediction would be that 6331-6333 will head to Chester for the 21/X21, 6301-6307 could go to Washington for X1 spares and then to have the same number of Euro 6 vehicles funded for by South Tyneside Council for the 50, then 6336/8-40 for the Consett expresses, with 1 spare out of 6356-6363, plus 6064.

(29 Dec 2021, 1:59 am)6049 wrote You're then adding in resources to facilitate driver changeovers at Stanley from Chester. That's dead mileage in a van or bus to a depot which currently has next to no dead mileage for driver changeovers as of the top of my head, Chester changeovers all occur at the Front Street/South Burns.

Consett, all changeovers at some stage involve dead mileage.  Drivers there all either have to take a bus up to Consett or Stanley - whether that's running light to/from the depot to start/end points, or just using a bus as a shuttle to relieve a service at Consett/Stanley.

Keep the resources where they're needed anyway instead of diluting them. Not every X30/X31 changeover happens at Stanley anyway if its changed at Consett as an X70/X71. The only way I could think of avoiding it would be to interwork it with an X21, but the frequency wouldn't make it an easy interwork and you'd probably have to magic some low height deckers out of thin air which won't happen.

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(29 Dec 2021, 8:54 am)streetdeckfan wrote People keep saying this and I just think it's a load of rubbish. I give the whole remote working thing another year, at most. In fact, most people I know who had to work from home were literally celebrating when they were allowed back in the office. 
The company that one of my friends worked for gave up part of their office space during COVID as they believed remote working was the future, now they're regretting it as everyone wanted to be back in the office, and they actually had a few leave when they were told they didn't have space.

I've worked from 'home' for years, but I didn't realise how much of that time I spent working from places that weren't home until I couldn't go to them!
Even as someone who has a dedicated office, I find actually working at home for extended periods of time quite difficult as I get constantly distracted and side tracked, hence why I would often just go to Spoons or IKEA for coffee.

You would think that if the reason for less people using the bus was because they're working from home, then car traffic would also be down as they don't all travel by bus. But no, traffic is worse than it used to be, it's almost as if all that scaremongering about public transport being dirty and dangerous is what stopped people using it!

(29 Dec 2021, 11:53 am)54APhotography wrote If people in secure jobs can work at home, MOJ, UKAEA, then so can everyone else. The civil service has jumped on remote working and is set for the future. The days of the Cobalt are over, the savings for remote working are enormous and when the ministry says yes, the rest follow.

(29 Dec 2021, 8:54 am)streetdeckfan wrote People keep saying this and I just think it's a load of rubbish. I give the whole remote working thing another year, at most. In fact, most people I know who had to work from home were literally celebrating when they were allowed back in the office. 
The company that one of my friends worked for gave up part of their office space during COVID as they believed remote working was the future, now they're regretting it as everyone wanted to be back in the office, and they actually had a few leave when they were told they didn't have space.

I've worked from 'home' for years, but I didn't realise how much of that time I spent working from places that weren't home until I couldn't go to them!
Even as someone who has a dedicated office, I find actually working at home for extended periods of time quite difficult as I get constantly distracted and side tracked, hence why I would often just go to Spoons or IKEA for coffee.

You would think that if the reason for less people using the bus was because they're working from home, then car traffic would also be down as they don't all travel by bus. But no, traffic is worse than it used to be, it's almost as if all that scaremongering about public transport being dirty and dangerous is what stopped people using it!

(29 Dec 2021, 12:53 pm)L469 YVK wrote Not exactly though. Some companies with offoces elsewhere in the country but looking for a cheaper location than the likes of London, Leeds, Manchester etc might actually decide to up ship and move to the likes of Cobalt etc.

Thankfully, GNE have streamlined the Cobalt & Coast services to actually make money other ways, especially the 309 now being seen as a viable alternative to the 308 in most instances.

(30 Dec 2021, 1:15 pm)L469 YVK wrote Vehicle allocations to save money........E400MMCs kept in dark green but just branded Consett or Stanley to Newcastle. StreetDecks kept in light green with Red Kite stripped off and branded Consett - Sunniside - Gateshead - Newcastle

(30 Dec 2021, 7:34 pm)Adrian wrote What are you basing the cost saving on? How many drivers would you need to resource your suggestion and how do they fit in to the existing duties for the depot?

(29 Dec 2021, 8:40 pm)54APhotography wrote The secure intranet available means secure jobs are now remote. The offices moving away from London will go to Tory constituencies, that's already been decided.

(29 Dec 2021, 8:40 pm)54APhotography wrote The secure intranet available means secure jobs are now remote. The offices moving away from London will go to Tory constituencies, that's already been decided.

(31 Dec 2021, 8:22 am)Storx wrote Personally I think Cobalt will do alright as it's quite easy to get to and has useful amenities on the doorstep like The Village for example for people to stop over and it's just off the A19 but in taxi distance from Newcastle Central. I believe BT/EE has already committed for it to be one of it's new hubs for call centres and Sage has just moved it's HQ there which will always be there. Similar with Quorum I think will survive long term aswell being so close to Newcastle with BT/EE also committing to keeping the massive call centre opposite near Greggs (who also won't be going anywhere).

It's the likes of Peterlee, Rainton, Regent Centre and Doxford Park which are in big trouble. In the middle of nowhere with nothing at all for people wanting to stay over or awkward to get to using long distance public transport. EE at Doxford is on borrowed time imo.

(10 Jan 2022, 6:27 pm)L469 YVK wrote When will these month's changes be fully announced if still going ahead?

(11 Jan 2022, 10:40 pm)peter wrote New timetables now up on the GNE site

-Hexham interworkings aren't immediately obvious - looks like the 680/684/688 will interwork in a roundabout sort of way, as well as the 686/687/689.
-The 55/X20 are now equally spaced from Sunderland, while on the X1 the :19 journeys will extend to Dalton Park and the :49 journeys to Peterlee.
-Looks like the 10/10A/10B will all interwork as opposed to the 10 being standalone
-Overall looks to be nothing that we didn't already know about

(11 Jan 2022, 11:45 pm)Jimmi wrote I was certainly under the impression that the 680/684/688 would all interwork with one another which also goes some way as to the allocation of Versas at Hexham on the 684 as a replacement for the E400MMCs.

687/689 already confirmed to be interworking with Consett doing some 687 runs between the 689 to/from Consett, presumably the other journeys will be the bus that does the 686 off peak. 686 is cut to run Prudhoe to Wylam only apart from the first Prudhoe trip starting from Corbridge, St Helens Lane and the last one from Prudhoe terminating at Corbridge.

684 will also run to Queen Elizabeth High School at school times

Another thing to note is that the X10 will return to departing from Eldon Square Bus Station, seemingly from the same stand as the X1.

(11 Jan 2022, 11:58 pm)peter wrote Yeah it deffo looks like they interwork, tho the pattern is quite complex with the 680/688 being every 2 hours as opposed to hourly, would say it's a PVR of either 4 or 5. Yeah the 687 interworking with the 686 and 689 accounts for most journeys but the ones around 08:00 and 15:00 are when the buses are on both the 686 and 689 so presumably they fit into the 680/684/688 pattern as well somehow. I'm sure BusTimes will reveal all when the timetables start.

(23 Dec 2021, 12:45 pm)Storx wrote Might aswell just bring back the 43/44 if doing that. There's been umpeen changes and everytime they're getting closer to where it all started anyway. Can't really remember anyone ever complaining about the routes either (excluding delays).

(12 Jan 2022, 10:02 am)Michael wrote Full changes now online:

https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/service-changes-30-january