(04 Feb 2021, 12:39 pm)Dan wrote You have voiced this opinion lots of times recently, and it's rare that others contribute afterwards (I too have resisted comment until now), but couldn't you say much of this about every bus operator in the region?

Over the last few years especially; each of the 'big three' has reduced service levels, covering gaps as best as they can, in order to reduce costs and increase profitability. You have your views on this, and have voiced them in the past many times over the years, but this is the business model of bus companies, and you know that (despite the views and opinions you may have on it). These service reductions do obviously come at the detriment of the customer, and operators' desires to maintain as many links as possible probably adds layers of complexity to the network too. Very little has been done to develop the network and implement real, noticeable improvements. This is unfortunate, I agree.

The current funding arrangements (CBSSG) prevent operators from making significant changes to their networks, which is why services such as the 925 and 938 exist in Go North East's network currently. Go North East has made very minor changes to its network in response to customer feedback and by identifying gaps in the market where there is potential, such as the diversion of services 83/84 via Peel Retail Park, and the extension of the 10B service to Tyneview Retail Park.

Unlike most other operators in the country who have simply stood still during the past 10 months, Go North East has continued to invest and use this as an opportunity to deliver a positive impact in what they are able to control, which is their marketing and promotion of bus services (i.e. everything which, in your view, isn't important). Clearly it would not be ethical to promote bus use right now, when the government guidance is that passengers should only be making essential trips only on public transport, but repainting and refurbishing the fleet, and making real improvements in terms of the quality on-board, means that the company will be in a position to better promote their services as we emerge out of the current pandemic. Clearly we have opposing views here, but in the absence of being able to make a difference with the network right now, I think Go North East's actions over the last ten months are commendable.

I am not suggesting that everything Go North East has done of late will deliver improvements and allow the company to be in better standing to increase patronage post-COVID, such as your examples of the 'faffing around' with destination displays. Clearly that's not related, and the fact such changes have been avoided until the current MD's tenure would suggest who is responsible for it, but in the current climate the alternative would of course be to go down the route that Arriva has, where marketing teams have been centralised, and as we were reminded elsewhere on the forum recently, commercial team headcounts reduced, delivering absolutely no benefits whatsoever to their passengers.

I've mentioned it repeatedly, because it just seems to be an endless stream of titivating.

I'd argue a little pink bus is no different to a little sort of purple bus. Just as a green back end is no different to a blue back end. Doing away with an established brand name and creating a new one, probably is different. 
Id argue a strip along the side does nowt during the daytime when the majority of punters use the bus and in the spring/summer/early autumn won't see much use at all.
I don't know what sort of increase in numbers will be seen with the what seems like weekly changes on blinds.
I struggle to see how moving the angel about is the work of a marketing genius. 
Yet to see the benefits of replacing a perfectly functional table, with a slightly newer one. 
Struggling to see how money being spent on private plates and disguising the age of the vehicles allocated to the X9/10 is in any way going to attract punters away from the train. 
'Likes' on social media and endless back patting from colleagues with other operators? Erm...

However I do see a network which is stagnant and prior to the pandemic (remember there was life before last March) didn't do what people wanted it to do.
There was repaints, faffing with blinds and re-brands prior to then too.
There was the whole exercise in sticking an X in front of a number and hoping punters thought the route was quicker, faster or nicer than it was the day before when the same route, with same bus stops didn't have an X pre-fix. 

Yet very few improvements to the network in the way of frequency increases (I see decreases.though), route improvements, improved connections, headway tweaks (look at the shambles which is Chester and the sudden rush of buses across a short period of time - then nowt). 

Whilst the extensions to Peel and Prudhoe Retail Parks are (in my opinion) excellent ideas, there's absolutely nothing stopping anyone focusing on improving headways or connections.
There was absolutely nothing stopping network improvements prior to March and there was absolutely nothing stopping the commercial team in re-routing the 25 away from the QE last summer.

Remember, that 925 and 938 only came about due to commercial decisions. Nobody made GNE remove the 238, withdraw the 11 or re-route the 1 and 25. Yet customers are the ones impacted.

But aye, priorities...