(08 Jan 2024, 12:29 pm)Dan wrote 3G has become end of life and many machines aren’t tracking at the moment for this reason (as they have 3G SIM cards). They are being changed for new SIM cards over the next week or two.

This is a national problem and further evidence of why bustimes can’t be used as the holy grail.


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(08 Jan 2024, 12:29 pm)Dan wrote 3G has become end of life and many machines aren’t tracking at the moment for this reason (as they have 3G SIM cards). They are being changed for new SIM cards over the next week or two.

This is a national problem and further evidence of why bustimes can’t be used as the holy grail.


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(08 Jan 2024, 7:26 pm)Storx wrote Surely it's incompetance rather than a 'problem'. It's not as if, it's been kept a secret, that the 3G turn off was happening at the start of this year, and it's not as if 4G/5G sim cards have just come out in past month either.

(23 Jan 2024, 3:20 pm)Rob44 wrote https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6p129yej9yo

how many do we think they'll actually get??

(23 Jan 2024, 7:44 pm)DeltaMan wrote How many they keep is the more pertinent question.

(24 Jan 2024, 10:51 am)Andreos1 wrote I'd love to know what the attrition rate is. 

Recruitment and training costs will be massive. 
When they're looking at making savings, this is a huge opportunity to get back to the drawing board. 

Invest in things which keep the drivers happy/reluctant to hand in their notice and the cost savings could be huge.

As an example. It may cost money to set up perks, comms and basic people management courses. In addition to paying off the incompetent managers. But the returns could be huge when you look at those costs vs the actual outgoings recruitment and training see.

(30 Jan 2024, 1:12 am)nova347 wrote I've noticed on the GNE website, GNE has full-time and part-time options for drivers, does anyone know how many hours the part-time job is?

(30 Jan 2024, 1:12 am)nova347 wrote I've noticed on the GNE website, GNE has full-time and part-time options for drivers, does anyone know how many hours the part-time job is?

(04 Feb 2024, 12:44 pm)Iamtheone8483748 wrote "Due to a paint spillage on the Service 47, the 12:10 Service from Blackhall Mill will not operate. Sorry for any inconvenience caused."

That's a new one

(04 Feb 2024, 12:44 pm)Iamtheone8483748 wrote "Due to a paint spillage on the Service 47, the 12:10 Service from Blackhall Mill will not operate. Sorry for any inconvenience caused."

That's a new one

(06 Feb 2024, 9:54 am)Rob44 wrote I've seen loads of people not being allowed on buses with paint - maybe this is why!

(15 Mar 2024, 4:38 pm)Ambassador wrote Eighton Lodge roundabout is closed (Southbound) all weekend from 8pm Friday 22nd March until 6am on Monday 25th March as part of the A1 upgrade works but this will obviously impact GNE considerably 

Nothing as of yet on the GNE website but in terms of impact to buses if they follow normal process (they may do something different)

21 - will divert via it's evening diversion through Lamesley - Smithy Lane - Allerdene - return to normal route and vice versa for Durham/CLS bound journies

X21 will have to go through Birtley and take same diversion going towards Newcastle or omit Low Fell and go via Mill House, Eighton Banks, Wrekenton, Old Durham Road (could then travel down through Allerdene to normal route)

Return journey unaffected

28 - Northbound - via same diversion as 21 but continuing to Wrekenton
Southbound - from Wrekenton - via Allerdene - Smithy Lane - Lamesley then normal route

Areas without service as a result 
Angel of the North, Long Bank, Eighton Banks (lower) upper still served by 25 and 81

81 - no impact

Arriva
X12 - god knows! 

(15 Mar 2024, 4:38 pm)Ambassador wrote Eighton Lodge roundabout is closed (Southbound) all weekend from 8pm Friday 22nd March until 6am on Monday 25th March as part of the A1 upgrade works but this will obviously impact GNE considerably 

Nothing as of yet on the GNE website but in terms of impact to buses if they follow normal process (they may do something different)

21 - will divert via it's evening diversion through Lamesley - Smithy Lane - Allerdene - return to normal route and vice versa for Durham/CLS bound journies

X21 will have to go through Birtley and take same diversion going towards Newcastle or omit Low Fell and go via Mill House, Eighton Banks, Wrekenton, Old Durham Road (could then travel down through Allerdene to normal route)

Return journey unaffected

28 - Northbound - via same diversion as 21 but continuing to Wrekenton
Southbound - from Wrekenton - via Allerdene - Smithy Lane - Lamesley then normal route

Areas without service as a result 
Angel of the North, Long Bank, Eighton Banks (lower) upper still served by 25 and 81

81 - no impact

Arriva
X12 - god knows!

(15 Mar 2024, 7:41 pm)Storx wrote Couldn't the X21, go down Chowdene Bank and join the A1 at Team Valley instead if it wanted to do both? Can't see why it couldn't. It'd be quicker than going around the world along Smithy Lane etc.

Edit: Will the X21 be affected at all? It's the South side of the junction that's shut? So assume they'll be able to access the A1 in both directions?

(15 Mar 2024, 10:14 pm)Ambassador wrote The issue would be they can’t leave the A1 at Eighton Lodge so would have to go through Birtley and take a longer route to Low Fell unless it omits low fell. It’s fine heading southbound

The letter the highways folk have shows the roundabout fully closed southside which according to them is the Birtley side (which in carriageway terms is actually northbound)

(15 Mar 2024, 11:20 pm)Unber43 wrote Couldnt the X21 just come off at A194(M) turn off and go through Felling BYpass?

(16 Mar 2024, 12:34 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Then it wouldn't be a to serve the Cannon for the 3 people who need it. 

And I do hope that this makes national news, just like the bit of M25 that is closed. It's vitally important that millions of people who are unlikely to ever use that junction know about the inconvenience they will have to suffer.

(16 Mar 2024, 9:27 pm)Ambassador wrote The X21 hugely helps getting people to the Fwll during the peak as the 21 is so unreliable, more so with Durham bound journeys.

If the 21 was properly managed with a reliable fleet there’d be no need for X21 to serve low fell but I don’t see that happening

(16 Mar 2024, 10:03 pm)Storx wrote imo the 21 should be curtailed at CLS, with an extra X21 running instead which could then interwork with the 6 at the Southern end of the route which is an mess (timetabled to follow each other). Most people would have a stop to Durham anyway because of the limited stop nature of the X12 serving most places.

Also throw an extra bus into the X21 aswell and give an extra 5 minutes per bus as the 4 minute layover for the length of the route is stupid, as an understatement.

(16 Mar 2024, 11:12 pm)L469 YVK wrote How can extra X21's run when GNE don't even have vehicles available to run the current 21/X21 never mind extras.

With full heights going on the X71/X72 (StreetDecks), 6x E400MMC from Consett + 6102 need shifted to Riverside alongside existing 6352-55 and 6377. Would sort a lot of the vehicle quality & reliability issues out.

StreetDeck:
- 6356-60 - Consett - X71/X72 (and non low height decker boards)
- 6361 - Consett - Spare
- 6362-63 - Riverside - Spare but no use on X10
- 6377 - Riverside - X10/X21

E400MMC:
- 6336-37 - Consett - Spare
- 6338-45 - Consett - X30/X31/X45
- 6346-55 - Riverside - X10/X21

B9TL:
- 6102 - Riverside - X10/X21

Note that Consett would still have sufficient spares (currently have 3x E400MMC covering a PVR of 19x for X30/X31/X45/47/X71/X72). 

Riverside would have a lot more flexibility especially with suitable vehicles to cover the X10. Any issues found, another E400MMC gets put on for the day or swapped over with a suitable spare in place filling in on the X21.