(12 Jan 2014, 7:47 pm)gtomlinson wrote I think GNE are excellent at telling us about what they are doing, hence the perception.
May sound silly but having a corporate set livery as Stagecoach does can see new buses slip by the general public as they don't look any different (to a degree) to the old bus. Same livery, nicer seats inside as opposed to the fanfare around The Purple Pumper or whatever GNE brands something
Exactly this. GNE are very good when it comes to interacting with their customers, and the other two let themselves down here.
Does anyone think that anyone outside of the enthusiast community are aware that Stagecoach purchased 20+ new Enviro 200s for Sunderland last year? I doubt it. GNE buy 11 new Citaros for the M1, rebrand it as the 4, and everyone knows about it.