(07 Feb 2023, 11:36 pm)ASX_Terranova wrote Almost true, except for the extra pay increases that should be given to people like yourself.

(07 Feb 2023, 10:04 pm)Dan wrote It was moved to Washington because Go North East guaranteed drivers their choice of depot when Chester-le-Street closed, rather than them being forced to transfer to the depot that needed the most staff (Riverside).

Once driver numbers settled, it was always the plan for services to move back to the depots which they are most suited to operate from - i.e the 58 at Riverside.

Prior to 29 January, lost mileage was almost nil at most depots on most days (as had been observed on this forum), so it was the right time for the first move back to Riverside.

Running services from the wrong depot is not only very costly and inefficient, but also results in extra drivers being needed to run those services, making the recruitment gap even bigger. Presumably the surplus of drivers from the outgoing depot might facilitate frequencies being restored on routes with temporary reductions, ie 8 at Washington and 65 at Deptford.

The 6, 25 and 28/29 are the other non-scholars services which, at some point, will transfer to Riverside.

In the meantime with the transfer of the 58, Riverside are now short-staffed again (hence the rise in short-notice cancellations). Recruitment efforts are being focused on Gateshead, and some drivers from depots which are over-staffed (ie Percy Main, Consett and Washington) are temporarily (and voluntarily) moving to Riverside. In the short-term there will be some disruption at Riverside again, but the company’s financial performance should improve and overall lost mileage will reduce.

As I have said several times now, the company is under new leadership - and they are clearly making every effort to improve the financial performance of the business.


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(08 Feb 2023, 12:27 pm)Chris 1 wrote Out of interest, is there a reason why Riverside seems to struggle more than other depots for recruitment?

(08 Feb 2023, 3:38 pm)Rob44 wrote Well its bad enough trying to get out of costco so imagine a long sh£t shift driving a bus only to jump in our car and have to wade through loads of traffic before you get home.

(08 Feb 2023, 3:54 pm)Storx wrote Not to mention there's competition in the area who pay more and, based on the lack of moaning coming into the public, have a better staff morale aswell. 

I do believe Stagecoach Walkergate and Slatyford poached a lot of drivers from both GNE and Arriva from things I've read.

(08 Feb 2023, 3:54 pm)Storx wrote Not to mention there's competition in the area who pay more and, based on the lack of moaning coming into the public, have a better staff morale aswell. 

I do believe Stagecoach Walkergate and Slatyford poached a lot of drivers from both GNE and Arriva from things I've read.

(08 Feb 2023, 3:57 pm)Rob44 wrote They certainly poached lots of drivers from arriva at Jesmond - thats why the 43, 44 and 45 had loads of cancelations last year

(26 Jan 2023, 5:30 am)Dan wrote Contrary to what The Chronicle would have you believe, GNE is fully staffed (albeit over-staffed in some locations and under-staffed at Riverside). Cancellations have been minimal for weeks and most days have had no cancellations for the past week or so.


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(19 Feb 2023, 12:49 pm)Metroline1511 wrote While it is encouraging that GNE do now have sufficient staff, this might in part be due to service reductions to match available staff numbers.

Screenshot_20230309_185753_Stagecoach.jpg (Size 436.67 KB | Downloads 34)

(09 Mar 2023, 7:09 pm)idiot wrote As annoying as it is as it's the bus I needed, you can't fault the clarity of it.

(09 Mar 2023, 8:36 pm)Unber43 wrote How are SC Cancellations now? And Arrivas?

(09 Mar 2023, 10:28 pm)idiot wrote First one I've seen a while for Stagecoach tbh

(20 Mar 2023, 2:17 am)Drifter60 wrote According to the GNE website, it seems it’s just Riverside with planned cancellations tomorrow, which has been the case for a while now, in the main. It make you wonder why the 58 was moved back to Riverside when they’re struggling to cover lots of the services they already had, another - dare I say it - short sighted decision?

(20 Mar 2023, 4:30 am)Dan wrote Every other depot is now fully (even over-)staffed. All willing volunteers to temporarily transfer to Riverside have been used up, which is why GNE is now running extra work such as Metro Replacement again, but not from Riverside.

Riverside is expected to be fully staffed by the end of this month.

Moving the 58 back to Riverside was the right decision - I have previously explained the cost savings associated with this (so crucial for a loss-making company), as well as the fact lost mileage at Riverside can be spread across a wide number of services rather than concentrated on a very small number (customer impact is far greater when there is lost mileage at Washington).


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(20 Mar 2023, 11:20 am)Drifter60 wrote I know you have, I have seen the post where you mentioned that, but if that’s the argument it begs the question why it was ever considered in the first place. Surely it made financial sense - on balance - at one stage, otherwise the 58 wouldn’t have ended up at Washington in the first place. I appreciate the remote changeovers were an additional cost that didn’t need to be there but the fact that Gateshead still have loads of cancellations today I’d still suggest that maybe the albeit temporary arrangements could have lasted a little longer yet, especially if as you say, Gateshead depot will have more staff available quite soon.