(27 Mar 2014, 5:38 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Suppose it depends how it is done and how the survey is worded - coupled with how many people actually see the survey.
We're all aware of how GNE have changed their consultation, with the changes to the 1/24 discussed at length at the time (paper based consultations being 'delivered' by hand, posters on the GNE fb page living in the area stating they had never received a survey and a small percentage being returned).
ANE obviously want to see what the public want, prior to making suggestions, rather than planning changes to suit the company.
Imagine all the work that goes into planning routes, timings, pvr's etc - for the public to turn around and state they don't like the changes or for it not to be a success?
North Sunderland, the last lot of Houghton changes with the m1, 20 and 71.
I moved to Monkwearmouth at the time of the most recent North Sunderland consultation, and almost every bus I was on in that time (of the services affected) were fully stocked with consultation leaflets. The Nexus Travel Shop had copies of the leaflets, and on one occasion I saw a man (can't remember if he was a Nexus employee or a GNE employee, though I'd assume the latter) was handing out said leaflets at Park Lane.
The process should have been the same for the 1/24 consultation. There should have been plenty of opportunities for people to pick a leaflet up, so I really can't explain why people living in the area didn't ever receive a copy of the consultation.
As for a small percentage being returned - the same could be said about people who vote in General Elections. A lot of people will criticise the Government for how the country is run, but I suspect a large number of those people will be those who didn't bother voting...
If the majority of customers don't like a set of proposals, Go North East simply cannot go ahead with them - no matter how much work has gone into designing the proposals. The reason why the online presence was removed for these consultations was to avoid 'spoof responses' - people who barely use the services having a say on something happening which will affect the people who do use the services regularly, it's just not fair. I personally haven't filled out the ANE survey because I don't ever use the services in the consultation, so I have no idea what questions further into the survey say - but the company must have a rough idea of what they want to change without first consulting customers.