(29 May 2014, 3:04 pm)Marcus wrote I love the way a small depot sounds. I can't imagine Hexham being staffed by more than 30 odd people? citaro5284 will know.

About a year ago I asked a PA at Chester about how many people actually worked at Chester, and she said there were 20 engineers, 13 clerical staff and 187 drivers. That last one blew me away, but I would assume that includes National Express.

Since then, I've noticed several drivers have left Chester, several have joined and a few have just randomly disappeared . I recall being told by Gary Wheatley that one went to work with a nice independent company in the countryside. I would imagine the amount of drivers would hover around the same number.

Having lived in areas primarily served by Washington, Sunderland Rd and Chester over the years, there seem to have been a core that have been loyal for a significant period (one in particular at Washington has been there since at least the early 90's. There was an Indian guy based at Sunderland Rd who appeared around the same period), others have been there for a shorter period and there are others which come and go.

To be honest, it isn't just the bus industry like that. Wherever you work, there are members of staff who fall into each of those 3 categories.