X11 is run by deptford so what does a 4 hour gap on the 25/28A have to do with a depot that does not run it?

(16 Jul 2022, 3:41 pm)N1cholas wrote X11 is run by deptford so what does a 4 hour gap on the 25/28A have to do with a depot that does not run it?

Go north east is go north eat to me.  I work and can be sent anywhere in my organization especially if the bloke who does what i do in Boro is off on long term sick!

But just to please you lets change the 25 and 28a to the 56. SEVEN canceled journeys today and 1 driver from DEPFord getting a tan down south

(16 Jul 2022, 4:10 pm)Rob44 wrote Go north east is go north eat to me.  I work and can be sent anywhere in my organization especially if the bloke who does what i do in Boro is off on long term sick!

But just to please you lets change the 25 and 28a to the 56. SEVEN canceled journeys today and 1 driver from DEPFord getting a tan down south

He’d have struggled to drive seven 56s, mind.


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(16 Jul 2022, 4:20 pm)Dan wrote He’d have struggled to drive seven 56s, mind.


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Really he could drive 4, maybe 6.

(16 Jul 2022, 2:20 pm)streetdeckfan wrote GNE customer service were great before COVID, then they seemed to sack everyone and change the opening hours so anyone travelling at the peak times or weekends (so most passengers) can't contact them.

Don't get me wrong though, every time I've used the live chat the two people that only ever seem to respond have been very helpful and polite.

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The public facing responses, which the vast majority of people will judge interactions on are horrendous. They are confused, there’s no one tone/voice and are conflicting as well as overly defensive. 

The opening hours thing leads to poor/incompetent leadership or a lack of understanding of customer needs, which is rife throughout the industry and not just GNE, though the others don’t have better than ever plastered on their socials.

(16 Jul 2022, 5:09 pm)Ambassador wrote The public facing responses, which the vast majority of people will judge interactions on are horrendous. They are confused, there’s no one tone/voice and are conflicting as well as overly defensive. 

The opening hours thing leads to poor/incompetent leadership or a lack of understanding of customer needs, which is rife throughout the industry and not just GNE, though the others don’t have better than ever plastered on their socials.

I can imagine its an awful environment to work in at the moment, especially when the majority of contacts are going to be negative experiences. Just to highlight this, two tweets from Friday in a row:



The way some customers speak to employees is a disgrace. I hope GNE and other companies report these tweets as being abusive.

In my own experience, I find the vast majority of responses to be fine, even if I fundamentally disagree with the content. I find you get a better response logging a ticket than using Social Media.

I do agree some of the responses can be overly robotic, but I think that's the same in quite a number of businesses, and its usually down to the management not trusting staff to issue their own responses. Even though customers prefer a personal response.

Other companies seem to do things a lot better. LNER, for example, come across much more personal in the way they communicate with customers. But they are not without fault.

On the opening hours; this has been brought up time and time again, and I agree with comments that the hours should betger reflect the hours of operation - and certainly 7 days a week.

Its a disgrace this hasn't been changed with the amount of disruption right now, especially when vulnerable customers are potentially being left abandoned.

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I honestly don’t think that second post in remotely offensive. They are stranding people and that’s mildly frustrated language by someone who can’t get home.

(16 Jul 2022, 4:22 pm)Unber43 wrote Really he could drive 4, maybe 6.

I bet it's far easier to get the X11 covered than standard service work.

(16 Jul 2022, 6:04 pm)Ambassador wrote I honestly don’t think that second post in remotely offensive. They are stranding people and that’s mildly frustrated language  by someone who can’t get home.

Yeah, I thought the same to be honest.

(16 Jul 2022, 6:04 pm)Ambassador wrote I honestly don’t think that second post in remotely offensive. They are stranding people and that’s mildly frustrated language  by someone who can’t get home.

I'd absolutely agree, especially at the moment. 

Swearing directly at a member of the staff where it comes off as a personal attack (i.e how the first tweet could be taken) I don't agree with, but mild non-personal swearing in a generic tweet complaining about an issue that's been ongoing for literally months is more than understandable. To be honest, I've seen multiple counts of people jokingly saying that the current situation is "taking the p***" to members of bus company staff who have been in agreement with the complainant and had a laugh about it. 

That said, and while personally I disagree with staff being on the receiving end of abusive tirades, you wonder how much these companies actually care? Yes they'll occasionally put out "don't abuse our staff" tweets, but there's never any action to address why their staff may be on the receiving end of so much abuse - if anything the lack of action from management is more offensive.

(16 Jul 2022, 6:21 pm)mb134 wrote That said, and while personally I disagree with staff being on the receiving end of abusive tirades, you wonder how much these companies actually care? Yes they'll occasionally put out "don't abuse our staff" tweets, but there's never any action to address why their staff may be on the receiving end of so much abuse - if anything the lack of action from management is more offensive.

I remember years ago there were stories of customer services staff at Northern Rail being sent home early, literally in floods of tears because of the abuse.

The second tweeter is completely justified to say that IMO, particularly given the situation, and the 'taking the piss' comment is far from personal - it's clearly directed at the company. Presumably the service is every 20-30 minutes, so they've likely been waiting there at least an hour, probably getting on for two. They have every right to be very angry.

Tbh, I don't even think the second tweet is too bad, it's aimed at the company not a person, who are indeed useless by definition
"not fulfilling or not expected to achieve the intended purpose or desired outcome."

Whether or not you agree with the last word is down to you!

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i mean when you have to wait 2 hours 30 mins for a 26, or 4 hours for a 71 you have the right to be pissed, however its not the social medias team fault it managements.

GNE at the moment are taking the piss tbh. When people may hundreds/ thousands for bus passes, or just single/return tickets and the buses are meant to be every 12 mins, and like the X1, there wasn't one for 1 hour, or the 21/X21, where their was a 45 minute gap on a service which was running at every 7 mins and every 15 in peak

(16 Jul 2022, 6:01 pm)Adrian wrote I can imagine its an awful environment to work in at the moment, especially when the majority of contacts are going to be negative experiences. 

I appreciate at the moment it'll be worse than usual, but if we're honest if you're going into customer services you know it's going to be mainly negative experiences going in. 

If I've just bought a bottle of Fanta and I enjoy drinking it, I'll go on with my day as normal. If I buy a bottle of Fanta and it looks/smells/tastes funny or if I was overcharged and didn't realise, or if the bottle had already been opened/tampered with - I'm going to complain. It's extremely rare that people would contact customer services to say that a drink they like tastes nice - the same applies to bus services.

I expect my bus in the morning to turn up, and to turn up close to time. I can understand it being a bit late, and to be honest even if it didn't turn up one day having always turned up otherwise I'd probably give them the benefit of the doubt. The issue comes when it's constantly 10+ late, or if it doesn't rock up at all 2 days a week - and then I'd complain. But unless I get on and there's £1m waiting for me I'm not taking time out of my day to thank them for turning up, my thanks for that is the money I give them.

Wonder what people would be thinking that they managed to provide extra buses on the number 1 today (service looked to be running with a few extras thrown in).

However it isn't always a simple case of saying Bob from Percy Main depot going to Chester Le Street to drive a service out of that depot. Bob for example may have no idea where certain routes from a depot go, and before you say put them on the easiest route for example the 21, it turn out that he hasn't been trained on Wright Streetdecks. Then someone else says, give them an Omnidekka, they have them at PM, they know how to drive them. Then you have some frother popping up saying why is there a Scania Omnidekka on the Angel on a Saturday. No matter what they can do they cannot win. Worst case scenario is say Clive from Deptford is sent to Riverside to cover a service, gets allocated a double decker and in a lapse of concentration drives it under a low bridge because he didn't know the route too well resulting bad press, one less bus driver and an expensive repair job.

(16 Jul 2022, 6:04 pm)Ambassador wrote I honestly don’t think that second post in remotely offensive. They are stranding people and that’s mildly frustrated language  by someone who can’t get home.

In the context of the perception that responses are overly negative, then I think it's worth looking at how customer services staff are spoken to on a regular basis. 

I get the customer frustration, and I've been there myself, but there's better ways and means to challenge poor performance by a service provider.

(16 Jul 2022, 6:46 pm)mb134 wrote I appreciate at the moment it'll be worse than usual, but if we're honest if you're going into customer services you know it's going to be mainly negative experiences going in. 

If I've just bought a bottle of Fanta and I enjoy drinking it, I'll go on with my day as normal. If I buy a bottle of Fanta and it looks/smells/tastes funny or if I was overcharged and didn't realise, or if the bottle had already been opened/tampered with - I'm going to complain. It's extremely rare that people would contact customer services to say that a drink they like tastes nice - the same applies to bus services.

I expect my bus in the morning to turn up, and to turn up close to time. I can understand it being a bit late, and to be honest even if it didn't turn up one day having always turned up otherwise I'd probably give them the benefit of the doubt. The issue comes when it's constantly 10+ late, or if it doesn't rock up at all 2 days a week - and then I'd complain. But unless I get on and there's £1m waiting for me I'm not taking time out of my day to thank them for turning up, my thanks for that is the money I give them.

It shouldn't have to be mainly negative. Complaint handling is a small percentage of what customer service staff should generally be delivering. I'd say on the most part when I contact a variety of businesses, it's for information rather than to complain. But the situation some bus operators are in at present, I'd agree complaints are going to be the vast majority of contacts. 

I expect my bus to turn up too, but I wouldn't have a go at the next driver that turns up for the previous two not running. I don't see that doing so has any benefit, even if I am frustrated about the experience, because the driver has no influence over anything other than the bus they're driving. 

I'd still make a complaint when I got home or whatever, but I wouldn't speak to the staff like shit in doing so. The tone doesn't change the facts of the complaint, and again, the person handling the complaint hasn't got any influence over the faceless executives that are running the operation into the ground.

Ah well The X11 got full at the Galleries and no way for people to get to Scarborough. Why can't gne plan things ahead. U would at least think another coach or bus would be on standby

(16 Jul 2022, 8:32 pm)Aaron21 wrote Ah well The X11 got full at the Galleries and no way for people to get to Scarborough. Why can't gne plan things ahead. U would at least think another coach or bus would be on standby

I wonder what happens if anyone makes a one-way trip on the return leg. Does that potentially displace people, leaving them stuck in Scarborough?

(16 Jul 2022, 8:33 pm)Adrian wrote I wonder what happens if anyone makes a one-way trip on the return leg. Does that potentially displace people, leaving them stuck in Scarborough?

I've always thought that. Tbh gne should plan ahead. Especially since the weather is warm tomorrow. Have a spare bus or coach waiting at the Galleries. Say the coach is full at Heworth. Bang bus waiting at the Galleries to help with passages. This was a problem last year and never got solved with the X11 duplicate always being anywhere between 30 minutes to 1hour 45minutes behind

(16 Jul 2022, 8:39 pm)Aaron21 wrote I've always thought that. Tbh gne should plan ahead. Especially since the weather is warm tomorrow. Have a spare bus or coach waiting at the Galleries. Say the coach is full at Heworth. Bang bus waiting at the Galleries to help with passages. This was a problem last year and never got solved with the X11 duplicate always being anywhere between 30 minutes to 1hour 45minutes behind

Where you going to get this spare driver from? I'm sure people in Sunderland will appreciate having more cancelled boards because there might be more than a bus load on the X11.

There's already the 16:53, 17:55 and 17:05 buses cancelled on the 35A towards Low Moorsley giving a nice 4 hour gap. There's also 3 hour gaps on both the 2 and 2A towards Washington, once at 8am in the morning and the other at 2pm.

The X11 should be bottom priority as I said earlier, those punters in Low Moorsley or travelling from Sunderland to the Washington estates have no alternative unless they go on a tour attempting to connect with other services for what some people going on a day trip to Whitby.

Definitely should have had dupes on the X11 today. Poor planning from a commercial team more interested in titivating.

(16 Jul 2022, 9:57 pm)MurdnunoC wrote Definitely should have had dupes on the X11 today. Poor planning from a commercial team more interested in titivating.

Isn't lack of drivers or dupes an operational matter?

(16 Jul 2022, 9:59 pm)DeltaMan wrote Isn't lack of drivers or dupes an operational matter?

I would blame the commerical team.

Cos really if I was planning on X11, a day in Whitby or Scarbrough, and it didn't turn up/was full it would put me off, and the fact that a decker was allocated when it was known that the weather was going to be nice, its poor planning.

THis is gonna to happen again, especially with schools possibly being on Monday and Tuesday

(16 Jul 2022, 10:02 pm)Unber43 wrote I would blame the commerical team. 

Cos really if I was planning on X11, a day in Whitby or Scarbrough, and it didn't turn up/was full it would put me off, and the fact that a decker was allocated when it was known that the weather was going to be nice, its poor planning.

THis is gonna to happen again, especially with schools possibly being on Monday and Tuesday

But......those are operational issues

(16 Jul 2022, 10:02 pm)Unber43 wrote I would blame the commerical team.

Cos really if I was planning on X11, a day in Whitby or Scarbrough, and it didn't turn up/was full it would put me off, and the fact that a decker was allocated when it was known that the weather was going to be nice, its poor planning.

THis is gonna to happen again, especially with schools possibly being on Monday and Tuesday

Personally I'd be more pissed off if a double decker turned up when it was advertised as a coach.

Buses are not the same standard as a coach and I don't care what anyone says on here, most people in the real world would agree.

(16 Jul 2022, 10:34 pm)Storx wrote Personally I'd be more pissed off if a double decker turned up when it was advertised as a coach.

Buses are not the same standard as a coach and I don't care what anyone says on here, most people in the real world would agree.

I just think coaches are awful, no openable windows, poor AC.

(16 Jul 2022, 10:46 pm)Unber43 wrote I just think coaches are awful, no openable windows, poor AC.

I haven't been on the GNE coaches so can't comment directly but it's more about the seats and suspension. When your on for hours buses are awful. The Civic 3's just aren't great for longer journeys and buses nowadays have a harder suspension in general. Can't comment on the air con either depends on the coach that really. Coaches are generally quieter aswell especially if you have to have windows open on fast roads. 

Now if it was a Volvo Olympian with coach seats like the Northumbria batch that used to do the Seahouses runs it's a different question.

(16 Jul 2022, 8:19 pm)Rapidsnap wrote Wonder what people would be thinking that they managed to provide extra buses on the number 1 today (service looked to be running with a few extras thrown in).

However it isn't always a simple case of saying Bob from Percy Main depot going to Chester Le Street to drive a service out of that depot. Bob for example may have no idea where certain routes from a depot go, and before you say put them on the easiest route for example the 21, it turn out that he hasn't been trained on Wright Streetdecks. Then someone else says, give them an Omnidekka, they have them at PM, they know how to drive them. Then you have some frother popping up saying why is there a Scania Omnidekka on the Angel on a Saturday. No matter what they can do they cannot win. Worst case scenario is say Clive from Deptford is sent to Riverside to cover a service, gets allocated a double decker and in a lapse of concentration drives it under a low bridge because he didn't know the route too well resulting bad press, one less bus driver and an expensive repair job.

Hmmm yeah, it's a real puzzler with no possible solution isn't it.
Oh wait, someone from Management (let's call him Martijn from Bensham for now) could have had a bit of foresight what with "short notice cancellations" having been the norm for months now, and Percy Main rarely affected since the service cuts several months ago.  Perhaps they could have taken some initiative and at some point over the last several months route trained the drivers, or type trained on vehicles - though the suggestion that GNE would care less about having the "wrong" vehicle on a service is comical.  6175 seems to have been quite happy on the 21 today, along with 6178 for a while.  I suspect 99% of actual customers would rather an Omnidekka than no bus; though personally I would be deploying any 'spare' resource onto some of the other quoted examples of 4 hour gaps in provision ahead of beefing up the 21 allocation.  Anyone can peddle out excuses and reasons not to try; and of course it is easier not to - after all those customers with no option will continue to use the bus and anyone with the option and a brain cell willl already be in their cars.

As for poor Clive, it sounds to me like he shouldn't be behind the wheel of a bus in the first place if he's that clumsy.

(16 Jul 2022, 11:00 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote Hmmm yeah, it's a real puzzler with no possible solution isn't it.
Oh wait, someone from Management (let's call him Martijn from Bensham for now) could have had a bit of foresight what with "short notice cancellations" having been the norm for months now, and Percy Main rarely affected since the service cuts several months ago.  Perhaps they could have taken some initiative and at some point over the last several months route trained the drivers, or type trained on vehicles - though the suggestion that GNE would care less about having the "wrong" vehicle on a service is comical.  6175 seems to have been quite happy on the 21 today, along with 6178 for a while.  I suspect 99% of actual customers would rather an Omnidekka than no bus; though personally I would be deploying any 'spare' resource onto some of the other quoted examples of 4 hour gaps in provision ahead of beefing up the 21 allocation.  Anyone can peddle out excuses and reasons not to try; and of course it is easier not to - after all those customers with no option will continue to use the bus and anyone with the option and a brain cell willl already be in their cars.

As for poor Clive, it sounds to me like he shouldn't be behind the wheel of a bus in the first place if he's that clumsy.

Pretty sure its nearly a year

(16 Jul 2022, 8:19 pm)Rapidsnap wrote Wonder what people would be thinking that they managed to provide extra buses on the number 1 today (service looked to be running with a few extras thrown in).

However it isn't always a simple case of saying Bob from Percy Main depot going to Chester Le Street to drive a service out of that depot. Bob for example may have no idea where certain routes from a depot go, and before you say put them on the easiest route for example the 21, it turn out that he hasn't been trained on Wright Streetdecks. Then someone else says, give them an Omnidekka, they have them at PM, they know how to drive them. Then you have some frother popping up saying why is there a Scania Omnidekka on the Angel on a Saturday. No matter what they can do they cannot win. Worst case scenario is say Clive from Deptford is sent to Riverside to cover a service, gets allocated a double decker and in a lapse of concentration drives it under a low bridge because he didn't know the route too well resulting bad press, one less bus driver and an expensive repair job.

Yet Stagecoach have no problem with sending drivers from one depot to cover another depot so it can be done.