(28 Oct 2023, 11:24 pm)Unber43 wrote Consett had the best network going after the Sept 2021 changes.
The only thing I would change is the 47 one went to Castleside the other went to Shotley Bridge, and the X5 went to Castleside and X15 went to Shotley Bridge I think that would have been better.
Aswell I was out early, and I was thinking with ISquared taking over Arriva, when Arriva goes in for pay negotations it could either go one way DB not wanting to talk at all, or they just give them whatever they want as theyll only be in control for maybe 6 months, however if they do the former and the drivers go out on a walk out, it might give GNE or SCNE (presumably GNE solve their dispute) to maybe purchase a depot from Arriva as they dont care theyve just sold the company, they dont want to pay their workers anymore, sell Belmont or Blyth/Ashington to GNE/SCNE make some money.
Also it is intresting that the amount of people learning to drive is reducing year upon year and that is going to have to lead to more use in public transport, that change hast to start now in crafting a network which is good, I would say pre-Sept 2021 changes GNE network was one of the best its ever been atleast in the past 10 years, they really tried, but I no one knew about it really. No one looks oooo lets see whats happening on Go North East, they need to market, I remember DAn sayign there was a big marketing push when Driver Shortage was over in the East Gateshead area, look how taht is now its only the EG Rider left.
And I think thats something else Branding, its unique to GNE yes, its perhaps not needed but it gives a route an identity, I cannot believe what happened to the Loops, there was no need to brand then East Gateshead Loop considering they spend half their time in west gateshead, same with the Orbits. Branding is something that should stay in my opinion but for it to work you need a solid network, just look at the failures with S&D.
For me most services should be branded...I know this is unpopular but I think the only services which should be unbranded is
25 (PVR 2)
34 (maybe, it does get busy)
41/41A (too many changes in NT)
99 (contracted runs 4 each day each way)
most few daily contracted services aswell
Why not brand the 701/702/703 - Chester-Le-Street Town Services.
Go back to old branding Simplicity, Silver Arrows, CityLink (58/57), no need for EG. Just the nromal Loop. for heaven sakes the Drifters flagship route has had no TLC for 10 years. Also the NTR what a joke "look out for a purple bus" theres more red and blue ones than purple, when theyre runnig that is, infact theyre the only service running and you see more coasters on them I mean FFS
But for branding to mean something you have focus on it, it means not allocating routes everywhere, it means sticking to spares being the 2019 lvieries buses only, no Prince Bishops popping up on the 700, or 60's spending more time in South tyneside. And the buses have to reliabile i mean just look at the state of the TVT, and there are going to be no new buses for years just old awful ex-london spec with rock hard seats, no USBs or anything, nothing to make people feel a reason to get the bus, "oh i can get a charge" "oh we can get a table" and I know that was one of my reasons to get the bus, but especially with the unreability of the fleet and the ex-london buses which are awful inside and wouldnt want to go on them.
Said I'd reply here, don't disagree with Consett.
Honestly what GoNorthEast now is someone who is ruthless and doesn't listen to moaning councillors.
They need to just sit down and get the crayons out (not literally, just a joke) and just start again and build a new network and when some pensioner moans because there's not a bus from Stanley to a pub in some obscure estate in Washington don't back down.
The network is just a botch job from a network from the 1970's but everything around it has changed. I'm normally one for mass network changes but the as others say, the network isn't fit for the 21st century and how many times you botch the Washington Locals or botch the routes around Wallsend it's just not enough.
Like picking Washington, the best sort of route imo would be express service than run limited stop from Newcastle to the outskirts of Washington and then start going around every estate, serve every single area starting at the top end, serving Washington in the middle, then meadering through to Penshaw in the South then running non stop to Sunderland via the hospital. Now every single person in Washington has a bus service to the Galleries where they can change to go other towns and a direct link to the two major destinations they want to go to.
The complaints would be through the roof doing it, because I can't go from x to y anymore all of 2 people, but over time it would be popular, it's basically what happened in Cramlington about 15 year ago and tbf it worked. It's arguably the two places in Washington where most people want to be, not Houghton Le Spring, not Chester Le Street, not Stanley. Now you've done that you can make those places have a quicker service as they don't need to meander around every nook and cranny so the workers from the likes of Nissan in Chester Le Street don't get a magical mystery tour.
Branding etc is irrelevant when the buses don't go where you want to go and you might actually make a profit to pay the wages.