(05 Sep 2015, 6:26 am)citaro5284 wrote Go Ahead is the same to a point, all driver payroll for every Op Co is done at Bensham, IT Service Desk and Accounts Payable are all based at Grey Street.

The same in some ways, but also crucially different: Go-Ahead's Commercial, Marketing and Customer Services departments all remain at individual op-co level.

I have stated on so many occasions now that Arriva UK's centralised Customer Services department is absolutely useless, as they have no knowledge of the routes or areas in question. As a customer, I was always much more satisfied with the responses I received from Stagecoach and Go North East (the former of whom simply seem to use Customer Services as a tool to forward the complaint to the appropriate manager).

I'd suggest that it's equally as important for Marketing Departments to remain separate; whilst one form of promotion may work well in Brighton or Oxford, there's every chance it would be a complete flop in Sunderland. Whilst discussions between each individual op-co may be frequent owing to previous members of Go North East staff moving on to pastures new at another op-co, I think this is where it should end, as (in my opinion) the amalgamation of business units breeds uniformity and limits the amount of fresh ideas that can be brought to the business.

I'd suggest that Arriva North East's Marketing Department is already amalgamated with the rest of the UK, given that Sapphire and MAX launches in every division (by photos I've seen - have yet to attend one yet given that they insist on weekday launches only) are exactly the same. From the outside looking in, very little seems to be done at op-co level with regards to marketing. The magic recipe for a successful bus launch seems to be a Royal Family lookalike, celebrity from TOWIE, plus bus and members of Arriva staff...