(08 Dec 2022, 11:14 pm)Ambassador wrote I hadn’t realised how poorly engineers in the PSV sector were paid. 15.27 an hour on a 40 hour week is £29,300. 

They’d be better off at Nissan. Hell, I’ve got unskilled non time served school drop outs in my organisation earning more than that for taking basic calls. 

I notice the news and union are running with the profitable GoAhead line and not the basket case regional embarrassment that is GNE

The fact that GNE along with most other companies not being profitable are not down to the drivers or engineers - it's down to appalling mis-management for years.

All these 'rising fuel costs' are complete crap - they usually have fuel costs hedged for 3-5 years in advance.  Penny pinching on cheapest possible parts regardless of the quality has long been an issue, as has the attitude of 'just get it serviceable' rather than have any pro-active maintenance asides from annual PSV.

Staff turnover in engineering has in my experience always been high simply because with the best will in the world, no decent engineer wants to be putting band aids on all day every day and having to patch the same problems because the company doesn't see that for example an ABS sensor that is half the cost that needs to be replaced 3 or 4 times as often isn't cost effective, or that waiting 6 weeks or more for a compressor with the bus off the road all that time or in service and breaking down repeatedly doesn't really make sense.  Even if it is a third more in cost - they could go an pick it up from Washington and have it fitted the same day and have the bus back on the road instead of scrambling to find whatever works that is left in the yard.

That's before we get to things like putting old knackered buses or unsuitable buses on the 6 - how many times per day have these broken down in service over the past month?  Sure the 6 is a 'bus breaker' route - but put something on that has a chance!