(19 Oct 2022, 6:02 pm)GNE6312 wrote I've noticed recently that arriva have been cancelling a number of 308 duties, for example on Monday due to delays & a missing bus there was a gap of 45 minutes at peak time. Another example was a gap over over an hour in some areas at peak time today due to a cancellation and severely delayed bus. The worst part is arriva don't even bother publishing these cancellations or as of the cancelled 308 service at 14.55 off Blyth today there was a supervisor who didn't bother notifying the passengers (most of whom were pensioners) and instead decided to buy a chocolate bar from the kiosk at the bus station and go into the office rather than notifying the passengers or even knowing it was a peak run even covered that 308. During driver shortages ALL staff who have a licence (including managers and supervisors) should be helping cover shifts. Another problem with cancellations is the AM Jesmond X30 frequently being cancelled including not running at all this week. Bus companies should be held responsible for cancellations and delays the same way train companies are and be fined for cancellations.
It isn't their fault if they can't find a driver. Managers and supervisors have their own jobs and it won't help if there's a shortage of them because they are driving buses instead of doing their usual work, it probably would work if you selected a small group instead of making all staff who have a license cover shifts (although this could be wrong depending on the percentage of staff who actually have a license in management and the amount of cancellations etc). Giving arriva fines for cancellations won't help though since they would run it if they could, but they can't and there's not much they can do about that