(13 Sep 2013, 9:53 pm)eezypeazy wrote As enthusiasts (and I guess I've been one for longer than most people on here), shouldn't we be spending our time encouraging others to use buses, rather than getting our knickers in a knot when the wrong colour bus turns up? The more people use buses, the greater the demand, the more buses there will be and the more interesting and varied this hobby of ours becomes. But if all we do is perpetuate negatives, well, we're just talking the industry down and doing it - and ourselves - no favours at all.
On that first sentence, I couldn't agree with you more to be honest. I do feel that enthusiasts should be encouraging others to use buses. My worry is if that suddenly started happening tomorrow, it would be completely one sided. There has to be just as much give as there is take.
The bus industry has has almost developed a closed door policy, and has forgotten about the basic principals of customer care. Aside from bus station management, which I think GNE especially do very well with, I get the impression a lot of customers feel unloved by all the big operators. I know it''s been discussed above, but I do think a lot of customers are using buses as a last resort, and that they wouldn't if they have a viable alternative. That's a trend only the operators can change - not enthusiasts.
eezypeazy, we've had a massive discussion on here about poor customer service. You might of seen our almost endless thread on the life and times of Go North East's Facebook page. Perhaps GNE have been a victim of their own success here. Their page is by far the largest of the big three operators in the region (although Stagecoach don't have one!). I would say a fair summary of what members of this site think about the GNE Facebook page would be "a shambles".
If I was sitting behind Kevin Carr's desk today, and I seen a summary like that drawn about the customer service my organisation is providing, I'd be distraught. Not only that, but I'd also have a complete strategy to ensure that trend is completely reversed, and that my customers receive second to NONE service going forward. If you were behind that same desk, would you rather have customers that WANT to keep using your services - because they think you provide a great service, or customers that NEED to use your service - because they feel that they have no viable alternative?
Another thing that really gets me is how faceless the management teams of these big companies have become. I would never doubt that some real work goes on behind the scenes, but your customers want to see you! I can't think of the last time I heard of senior managers getting really involved with their customers? It's amazing how easy this tactic builds up relationships with customer bases. I remember Peter Huntley having a 2 hour window every week when he was in charge, which was in it's simplest form, an open door policy to everyone. How many companies can you think of that does this? I really think GNE had something unique here, and would have loved Arriva and Stagecoach to follow suit. There again, even GNE have slammed the door well and truly shut on that one.
I'd love to see one of the big three operators set up a customer based focus group/consultation panel. There's a real opportunity here, and one for these companies to really interact with their passengers. All for the sake of a couple of hours a month. Heck, I'd even donate my own time and experience to chair such a thing if any of them were willing to give it a shot.
In summary. I'd love nothing more than seeing bus usage rapidly increase year on year. It benefits us just as much as it benefits the companies. There's a lot of broken bridges and middle ground to cover before people are sold on this though. Convincing enthusiasts is the least of these companies worries. It's your average Joe that you need to please.