For me it used to be GNE. I grew up with them and they were the dominant operator where I grew up (Silksworth) however there were independents that I used frequently too (Redby and George Bell - remember them?). However now, I feel too much emphasis is placed on the gimmicks of what is on board (and the brand) rather than the basics of providing a decent service which is frequent and offers value for money and most importantly a stable network. The fleet is good too bar the hideously unreliable and rattley Mercs. The chopping and changing of routes makes understanding the network complex (or more complex than needed anyway).

Stagecoach are the dominant operator where I live now and I'm happy with the service they provide on my local route. Every 10 minutes with decent buses too (gas buses which I rate). I remember when Stagecoach first introduced the 12 to Silksworth and we had leaflet drops and other marketing and it provided a good reliable service and provided competition to GNE. Stagecoach also have a much more stable network than GNE and a decent fleet. One thing I think however, is if the GNE X36 was a Stagecoach service through the North Estates, it probably would have been more popular.

Arriva is a tough one. I've worked for them and I would say from an outsider, they have vastly improved the fleet however the lack of investment in recent years has started to show. The network is mostly stable too. They don't however operate anywhere near where I live so I rarely use them as a passenger.

Overall, I would say Stagecoach is my preference of operator. I would like to see some new routes tried but overall the stability of the network (and buses that take me and my family where I want to go) puts them miles ahead.