(03 Feb 2024, 12:00 am)DaveFromUpNorth wrote I don't think it is lack of investment

We all know London needs the amazing buses and the mid life workhorses need to be cascaded elsewhere

I think a as a personal opinion that the group reorganisation is to blame incorporating GNE into East Yorkshire 

Which Martijn at the time had to take under his remit

Then we saw ECMS under GNE suddenly become part of GNWest

Under the MD control now how many buses is he in charge control never-mind the public ownership of Manchester "bee Network" plus travelling between Newcastle and Manchester by train or car with an added trip from Scarborough to Manchester

The area is out of depth for a plc company and needs be chopped up

Many people have views of Martijn but as a North East Region he did a canny job of even improving "tat" aka midlife buses

His biggest test was covid when he shut down depots used them as storage depots to run a service

During the initial covid outbreak the best mile per bus was running and worst performing  buses was VOR 

We need to really consider is the area for Nigel  too big as a MD which will be a failure

He will see stats and figures but will never understand or visit villages like Quaking Houses or Greenside or even No-Place or High Haddenhold

He will go on data its how the PLc wants to run the business 

As an MD

If Manchester is busier and more profitable would you not send the best to that area

I may be cynical but hasn't a few buses went to Manchester recently aka in the past 12 months ?

Have to agree with the post after mostly about the leadership to be fair, surely Bex Maxfield is the one who should be running the show on the ground with Nigel overlooking it. Mind if his PR Comms are the same as his ability at management then god help GNE.

Btw I wouldn't exactly call the fleet coming from London mid life, they're more end of life, some of them are over 15 years old. They'd be fine for schools or the odd spare but they appear to be in frontline on the 51/52/93/94. The first two which had new buses in 2016. Obviously if they had a decent refurb then that'd be fine but they haven't either. 

To me, and this is pure speculation, it really feels like they're trying to cut costs in every place to flog it off on the cheap. Nigel doing both as when it goes, he'll head straight to Manchester only. Not sure who'd want it though mind.