(27 Jul 2015, 3:01 pm)S813 FVK wrote Ah right i see. When i first read that i thought it would just be at each end ie auto change at the Newcastle end and auto change again at Gateshead (after the loop). Didn't realise it was planned to happen midroute too.
We are also looking into a link between the ticket machine and destination controller which automatically changes the destination based on the journey number the driver inputs into the ticket machine, removing the need for drivers to input a destination at all. This would achieve what you initially thought had been referred to previously.
The aforementioned changing of the destination mid-route and dropping off via points using the Next Stop Announcement system was more important. We could not show "Q1 Newcastle" on the destination leaving Gateshead for the first time around, as passengers would get on thinking they were in for a 10 minute journey over the Quayside before getting to Newcastle, when really, they had an Orbit around Gateshead to get through first. As such, the destination had to be split mid-route, so it made sense to trial this system which automatically changes the destination.
Nothing ever goes swimmingly (hope for the best but expect the worst is my motto), so it comes as no surprise that the system didn't work as it should, but Hanover have been working on the fix since 10:00am yesterday morning, when the driver of the bus I was on told me the destination hadn't changed automatically.