(23 Sep 2014, 7:51 pm)Tom wrote Your not missing much, Michael. There service is shambles.
Jimmi certainly didn't paint a pretty picture of Arriva's services on Teesside today - but I'm not one to tar the company with the same brush due to bad experiences on one specific service.
When I have had to use services 23/24 outside of Tyne & Wear in the past, I've had no major issues. By and large, the services have been on time. My experiences with other Arriva services are limited, but are similar to services 23/24. Time-keeping did seem to be an issue on the Quorum Express, though this has seemed to improve after umpteen amount of changes (which I still hear passengers complaining about).
I've always found the attitude of most drivers to be unpleasant, though this is replicated across all three operators. I do feel that bus drivers are under-paid for what they have to go through on a day-to-day basis, which could in part explain the poor customer service given by these drivers.
Branding is a major issue for Arriva at the moment, now more than ever as there is a growing 'hierarchy' of services: Sapphire > MAX > Normal. The mis-allocation of buses really does need to be nipped in the bud.
Of course, we all know my thoughts and feelings on the lack of knowledge some drivers have of the ticketing options in Tyne & Wear, and I needn't elaborate, as I've done that one to death!