(22 Aug 2014, 8:59 pm)Kuyoyo wrote Lower PVR = Lower Costs. Adding an additional vehicle in means increased running costs (extra fuel, extra drivers so increased wage costs) which may drag the service from a small profit into a lose, which would then of course see it cut back or even frequency reduced.It goes without saying that Go North East do increase the PVR of services (either by increasing the frequency of a service or by adding another bus in to improve reliability), but only where it can be justified, recent examples including the TEN and Cobalt Clipper.
The issues that have been reported with the timekeeping of services M2/M3 do not happen with every single run, because whenever I happen to use the services (not very regularly), they're in on time and have plenty of waiting time. I can't hit lucky every time, so a fair proportion of the journeys must be running on time.
If increasing the PVR of the service cannot be justified (either down to the lack of buses available or the lack of profit already currently being generated), all Go North East can do is take a minute from one section of the route and add it to another section - which is what Stagecoach are said to have done quite a lot in the past - but this is not ideal.
Adam - please do send that e-mail to Customer Services if you already haven't. I know from past experience that those complaints do assist management when they are considering route/timetable alterations to assist reliability. Customer feedback is key - negative or positive.