(22 Nov 2021, 7:31 pm)Ambassador wrote Having seen his speech and performance, I’d hope electric buses don’t have that effect on everyone ?

Get amazed by Voltra but wonder why Diane from accounts isn’t too thrilled with her Omnidekka. Probably one for another debate but bus and to a extent metro travel is the number one barrier to us getting colleagues back into the office. Hard to install confidence in them

You’re absolutely right - but allow people to have a conversation about it, rather than just give up on public transport completely.

If even just some of the 120 business leaders travelling on that bus today start thinking about how their employees travel to work and consider bus as a viable option - because buses have changed since some people have last used them (pre-Covid), including all the cosmetic changes but also more attractive ticketing options (better price, more flexibility) - then this is a good thing.

I don’t think any of them were under any illusion that every bus was to that standard - but as I say, it enables a conversation to start taking place. There’s a long journey ahead and it won’t be easy, but there needs to be a proactive and collaborative approach to getting those people back in offices.

Usually see a lot of criticism on this forum about how operators are not proactive, don’t do anything besides ‘titivating’, and so on. I’d like to think, political views aside, that this ought to be considered a positive.

That was what today was about, more than anything else. The PM being there and wanting to talk about Go North East’s electric buses was just a by-product, and I can’t see there being any reputational damage when the MD’s Twitter account has a very limited audience.


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