(28 Mar 2014, 8:25 am)Dan wrote I'm the only one who seemingly has a negative opinion of the Arriva survey, so I disagree with what you've said in the first half of the post.
I understand the points Kuyoyo and tyresmoke have made, but the majority of the questions are factors which can be monitored by the company more accurately than if they ask their customers (if I have one bad experience, I can't strongly agree that reliability has improved - but the company can see exactly how many journeys have operated late, have been curtailed and ran light, etc..)
As for the other factors in the survey, I agree that there is a point in asking them to seek further improvements with the route. All in all, however, this method is completely different to what Go North East use, and Arriva's method holds a completely different purpose to Go North East's Customer Consultations - I am struggling to comprehend why the two methods are being compared.
Personally, I think there are huge flaws in Arriva's method, just how members of this forum think there are flaws in Go North East's method. My main issue with Arriva's method is how much of a waste of resources it is for what it actually achieves. People are having a go at Go North East but their consultations achieve what Arriva's does and more - as a customer I have an insight into future plans for my service. I can't say I know what any 'tweaks' will be with Arriva.
Arriva's is letting customers travel arrangements dictate what the network is, Go North East have the network designed and want the customer to decided what they would prefer. This survey of Arriva's is getting the customer's point of view.
As for 'the company can get the dead mileage/lost mileage figures themselves', using the 17 for example, it could be 10 minutes late leaving Yarm for the terminus at Kingsmead but on time when it leaves there. The timings for most routes are quite slack (X17s for example, the long trips get 51 minutes to do the run compared to he 44 minutes the X6 got pre-changes). The only service I'm aware of drivers have complains about timings at present is the 28 due to it's re-routing back to operating down Marton Road rather than via Easterside and Marton Manor. Previously the short journeys got 8 minutes layover in Nunthorpe, now they get 2 minutes on paper but whether they do get that is not known to me at present.
It's perhaps ironic here that, apart from myself and tyre smoke, the other two people who have voiced their opinions for the method Arriva are using, are both keen on Nexus' QCS and the persons who aren't would prefer the partnership method - yet this Arriva T&EC consultation/survey are perfect examples of partnership in action (a partnership of passengers and company designing a network together, passengers' giving their travel arrangement and preferred designation and the company then acting on that).