(19 Apr 2022, 2:14 pm)Dan wrote I don't think it goes to show an element of truth in the "needless" painting at all. Whilst a lot of enthusiasts are jumping on the bandwagon to point the finger and cast aspergens on how much money is being 'wasted' on paint, there is a reason and rationale behind every bus being repainted at the moment.
It goes to show the disadvantages of route branding when the network is clearly as fragile as it is. It goes to show that if buses weren't route branded, these vehicles could move around and there'd be no issues at all... But how effective route branding is, and the pros and cons of this, is a completely separate issue to the one being discussed here.
I’m not sure you can lay that line just at the door of enthusiasts either. It’s your own colleagues who’ve said this, there’s been articles in the local press which is more damming for the company than a couple of people on a bus forum, albeit many of which who are customers too.
Which ever way you look at it, whatever the pros and cons, money has been ‘wasted’ on paint. It might be that painting buses into new colours every year helps boost customers, but which ever way you look at it GNE are throwing about money on paint. How many paint jobs would a 5 year old bus usually receive? 6332 has been in ‘Hop Tap and Go’ then ‘XLINES X21’ then ‘XLINES X45/X46’ and now presumably into corporate or perhaps XLINES X21 again.