(19 Feb 2025, 7:27 pm)Storx wrote Not sure I agree here mind. Yes points and a slap on the wrist type fines you're right but it's now a completely different ball game to the bigger issues. 

If you maul down 2 people because your break fails you're now liable, without doubt, for the death because of the defective vehicle. Without the letter the driver can just say X said and then x can say management said it was alright and it'll go around in circles and no-one will get prosecuted bar a nasty fine for GoAhead. 

It's all been done to protect GoAhead as they've done the training for what should be on the road so now it's down to the depot level for who takes the blame. Result, depot level are bow saying hang on a minute, if that's the case we want working vehicles or we're going on strike as were not taking the liability for you.

I don't really get your point here - which situation do you think the GNE letter makes any difference in?  The slap on the wrist type or killing someone?  Whether you get stopped as a driver for having a tail light out, or for mowing someone down due to knackered brakes or whatever fault was present, you're liable regardless what anyone at the depot did or didnt say if you were driving a vehicle with an unsafe to drive fault showing.  

I understand people think this daft letter means GNE can say nothing to do with them, but they could equally do this without the nonsense letter as DVSA are clear who is responsible for ensuring a vehicle is roadworthy (it's not the person sat in control room).  The letter is basically pointless but also as I said before, if I was a driver I'd view it as corporate permission to do exactly as others have said and engine off, refuse to move - send replacement bus and recover the heap etc.