(23 Mar 2023, 9:47 am)ne14ne1 wrote Really? What good is announcing the service number only when departing the very first stop.
Whole idea of announcing it when departing EVERY stop is to reassure any blind or partially sighted and unfamiliar passengers who’ve just boarded that they are on the right service and heading in the right direction.

I was on the 60 the other day and the driver was messing on with the display and we were going down the Avenue with 1 Gateshead on the side as it announced 'This is the 1 service to Gateshead.

(23 Mar 2023, 9:47 am)ne14ne1 wrote Really? What good is announcing the service number only when departing the very first stop.
Whole idea of announcing it when departing EVERY stop is to reassure any blind or partially sighted and unfamiliar passengers who’ve just boarded that they are on the right service and heading in the right direction.

It should be when departing key calling points surely? I can understand it’s repetitive and unnecessary if it’s on too much. It does seems the opposite if it only says the service number once per whole trip! Such as for the 60 announce the service at Sunderland, Grangetown, Ryhope, Mill Inn, Byron Place, Dawdon.

(23 Mar 2023, 11:28 pm)Drifter60 wrote It should be when departing key calling points surely? I can understand it’s repetitive and unnecessary if it’s on too much. 

No it should be when departing every stop to enable confident and independent travel for all.

It would sound a lot less “repetitive and unnecessary” if GNE cut out the unnecessary info, such as what coloured fruit the route has randomly been named, along with “This is the…”.

Essential info only would be easier to understand and tolerate, I.E “[Number], to [destination]”, but GNE seem to think iBus style announcements are abrupt or unfriendly for some reason, so like to add in the waffle. 


Mods - could last few NSA posts be moved to NSA thread please?

(24 Mar 2023, 9:41 am)ne14ne1 wrote No it should be when departing every stop to enable confident and independent travel for all.

It would sound a lot less “repetitive and unnecessary” if GNE cut out the unnecessary info, such as what coloured fruit the route has randomly been named, along with “This is the…”.

Essential info only would be easier to understand and tolerate, I.E “[Number], to [destination]”, but GNE seem to think iBus style announcements are abrupt or unfriendly for some reason, so like to add in the waffle. 


Mods - could last few NSA posts be moved to NSA thread please?

I agree sick and tired of NSA threads in other places. Some people have too much of obsession with them.

(24 Mar 2023, 9:41 am)ne14ne1 wrote No it should be when departing every stop to enable confident and independent travel for all.

It would sound a lot less “repetitive and unnecessary” if GNE cut out the unnecessary info, such as what coloured fruit the route has randomly been named, along with “This is the…”.

Essential info only would be easier to understand and tolerate, I.E “[Number], to [destination]”, but GNE seem to think iBus style announcements are abrupt or unfriendly for some reason, so like to add in the waffle. 


Mods - could last few NSA posts be moved to NSA thread please?

I’m happy to take on feedback regarding this if people have more compelling arguments on this but if I’m honest I don’t entirely understand your reasoning. Have the NSAs ever done it per every stop? Some stops wouldn’t have time to say “This is the Drifter 60 service to Parkside. The next stop is Byron Terrace” (even if you trimmed that down a bit) before you were actually at Byron Terrace, and surely it’s more important for say Derek or Mavis that they got off at Byron Terrace by hearing that announcement. The alternative is they miss the stop and have to get off at the next one, which could be worse from an equalities perspective. If they had got on a what they thought was a 60, but it’s actually a 61 then they’d already be left their initial stop anyway. Also the clue is in the title Next Stop Announcement - not ‘check I’m on the right bus’ announcement. Checking the later is easily done by going “is this the 60 to parkside” to the driver, they confirm it is, which takes about 10 seconds whilst said passenger is boarding and scanning a pass.

(25 Mar 2023, 2:01 am)Drifter60 wrote I’m happy to take on feedback regarding this if people have more compelling arguments on this but if I’m honest I don’t entirely understand your reasoning. Have the NSAs ever done it per every stop? Some stops wouldn’t have time to say “This is the Drifter 60 service to Parkside. The next stop is Byron Terrace” (even if you trimmed that down a bit) before you were actually at Byron Terrace, and surely it’s more important for say Derek or Mavis that they got off at Byron Terrace by hearing that announcement. The alternative is they miss the stop and have to get off at the next one, which could be worse from an equalities perspective. If they had got on a what they thought was a 60, but it’s actually a 61 then they’d already be left their initial stop anyway. Also the clue is in the title Next Stop Announcement - not ‘check I’m on the right bus’ announcement. Checking the later is easily done by going “is this the 60 to parkside” to the driver, they confirm it is, which takes about 10 seconds whilst said passenger is boarding and scanning a pass.

For years now, the announcement has been made when the doors of the bus are closed (ie from every stop after picking up passengers). The announcement isn’t made if the bus hasn’t stopped and opened/closed its doors.

Go North East moved to this approach following work with a steering group representing those with visual impairments, to help boost their confidence when travelling that they had boarded the correct bus (right service, right direction etc).

Some bus users don’t have the confidence to ask their driver questions. The announcement breaks down barriers, and presumably mustn’t be that intrusive, if you’ve not noticed it?


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If GNE do revise branding when things settle, I'd suggest something like the following, but blended into corporate livery and not route specific. Bit similar to the Go Xpress concept where that was blended into the 1998 corporate livery.

CityLink:
- Frequent urban services to Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham
- 20, 21, 56, 307, 309

Strapline: Frequent links to the heart of our bustling Towns and Cities

InterLink:
- Interurban services encompassing former X-Lines routes plus a few other additions
- 8, 10/10A/10B, 16/16A/16B, 47, 78, X1, X5/X15 X10, X21, X30, X31, X45, X71, X72

Strapline: From Coasts, Countrysides and Villages...to the heart of our bustling Towns and Cities

Any Office fans in the house?

https://twitter.com/aaronpa22/status/1674858008474443781?s=46&t=tPuGEygnn6BhKgNFiA4yAw

(01 Jul 2023, 8:17 am)ne14ne1 wrote Any Office fans in the house?

https://twitter.com/aaronpa22/status/1674858008474443781?s=46&t=tPuGEygnn6BhKgNFiA4yAw

Saw this post too https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-65489111 i didn't realise that GNE had a Durham Diamond on loan to Bath

Will the new 351/2/3/4/5 services have new branding or just the Go North East livery?


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(01 Aug 2023, 6:51 pm)j986986 wrote Will the new 351/2/3/4/5 services have new branding or just the Go North East livery?


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Why would it be branded?

(01 Aug 2023, 8:23 pm)V514DFT wrote Why would it be branded?

Because it's using the branded buses off the 51/52 Orbit in Gateshead?

"Flying Scotsman" perhaps?

(01 Aug 2023, 8:33 pm)busmanT wrote Because it's using the branded buses off the 51/52 Orbit in Gateshead?

"Flying Scotsman" perhaps?

First Streetlite to Percy Main has been debranded.
Hopefully they stay like that, i.E no silly route names reapplied, and then eventually are repainted into Corporate livery.

Coastline? Would that still mean anything to anyone in NT?

I would hope they wouldn't go down the old route of branding. The inhouse team branding was meh and tbh throwing more money at Best Templates...erm Impressions is a waste of money they don't have.

I'd just ditch the lot now - you look at the Angel of late, you've got Corporates, X21/45/46 XLines, Tyne Tees X Lines, Loops, Tyne Valley Ten's all running that route of late (for a variety of valid reasons - the Streetdecks seem to be reaching Hybrid levels of reliability) but it doesn't really build brand awareness and if you're dashing to a bus in Eldon Square or Gateshead - it's not a case of 'oh its green, it's mine' you have to really check now which doesn't build the brand at all

(01 Aug 2023, 8:23 pm)V514DFT wrote Why would it be branded?

This is the company that branded the 33 and 38, remember....

(02 Aug 2023, 5:24 pm)F114TML wrote This is the company that branded the 33 and 38, remember....

I think the 33 branding was a good idea as it is a very popular service, but the 38 is mind boggling, although seems as though the bus needed a repaint i dont see what the issue was, the main issue it is appearing on the 39/2/2A/60 constantly

the branding is north tyne rockets

(09 Aug 2023, 2:11 pm)Graphite39A/39B/39 wrote the branding is north tyne rockets

Have to wonder if this name is being slapped on purely to save them from painting the buses into Corporate livery, which would be much smarter and certainly more “easy to identify” [as Go North East] than the “distinctive purple colour”, which is what GNE are claiming.

Surely if these vehicles had already been in Corporate livery then GNE wouldn’t have bothered creating another unnecessary brand, as a I’d really hoped we’d passed that era.
Why keep flogging a dead horse, right?

Wonder if it’s included in the NSAs too, so the passengers have to keep hearing “This is the Rocket Three Five Four service to…”. 
Hopefully we’ve moved on from that now.

(09 Aug 2023, 3:02 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Have to wonder if this name is being slapped on purely to save them from painting the buses into Corporate livery, which would be much smarter and certainly more “easy to identify” [as Go North East] than the “distinctive purple colour”, which is what GNE are claiming.

Surely if these vehicles had already been in Corporate livery then GNE wouldn’t have bothered creating another unnecessary brand, as a I’d really hoped we’d passed that era.
Why keep flogging a dead horse, right?

Wonder if it’s included in the NSAs too, so the passengers have to keep hearing “This is the Rocket Three Five Four service to…”. 
Hopefully we’ve moved on from that now.

I'm sure that keeping costs down is in the minds of all the GNE Managers - a full repaint costs c£2k-£2.5k per bus, whereas removing and applying branding will only be a couple of hundred £ per bus. 

As GNE are taking these services (352-355) on largely at their own commercial risk - Arriva's reason for cancelling them quoted on their website "Regrettably, following a review of financial performance, Services 51, 52, 53, 54, 55" will be withdrawn" - then it's not unreasonable for them to keep costs down in the short term, until they can see how the services perform.

(09 Aug 2023, 6:46 pm)busmanT wrote I'm sure that keeping costs down is in the minds of all the GNE Managers - a full repaint costs c£2k-£2.5k per bus, whereas removing and applying branding will only be a couple of hundred £ per bus. 

As GNE are taking these services (352-355) on largely at their own commercial risk - Arriva's reason for cancelling them quoted on their website "Regrettably, following a review of financial performance, Services 51, 52, 53, 54, 55" will be withdrawn" - then it's not unreasonable for them to keep costs down in the short term, until they can see how the services perform.

Why not just leave them unbranded purple for the time being?

I assume the paint budget is currently being spent on making ex London 15 year old buses appear new

(09 Aug 2023, 8:16 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Why not just leave them unbranded purple for the time being?

I'd imagine most of the cost is associated with the labour of getting someone out and removing them, likely with a heat gun or whatever, to avoid damaging the paintwork (unlike whoever took the angle-grinder to the Washington Solos). The cost of printing new vinyls is likely minimal compared to that, especially if they're being designed in house. 

Plus, if they opted to leave them unbranded purple, someone would probably complain about it on here. 

(09 Aug 2023, 8:43 pm)Adrian wrote I'd imagine most of the cost is associated with the labour of getting someone out and removing them, likely with a heat gun or whatever, to avoid damaging the paintwork (unlike whoever took the angle-grinder to the Washington Solos). The cost of printing new vinyls is likely minimal compared to that, especially if they're being designed in house. 

Plus, if they opted to leave them unbranded purple, someone would probably complain about it on here. 

Wait is that why some of the Washington Solos look so bad. Like they have been dragged through a hedge with mixed matched coloured panels.

(09 Aug 2023, 8:16 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Why not just leave them unbranded purple for the time being?

That’s worse in my opinion. At least with branding them and having that brand associated back to GNE is much better than a random unbranded bus with zero vinyls. Obviously wether or not branding remains long term remains to be seen, but I’m not sure that matters here. Buses are still in main branded so it makes sense to continue as such.

(09 Aug 2023, 3:02 pm)ne14ne1 wrote Have to wonder if this name is being slapped on purely to save them from painting the buses into Corporate livery, which would be much smarter and certainly more “easy to identify” [as Go North East] than the “distinctive purple colour”, which is what GNE are claiming.

Surely if these vehicles had already been in Corporate livery then GNE wouldn’t have bothered creating another unnecessary brand, as a I’d really hoped we’d passed that era.
Why keep flogging a dead horse, right?

Wonder if it’s included in the NSAs too, so the passengers have to keep hearing “This is the Rocket Three Five Four service to…”. 
Hopefully we’ve moved on from that now.

While I think the current haphazard allocations on various branded routes with incorrect brands being more common than correct ones on some have firmly killed off the arguments in favour of brand recognition etc, I think GNE are being pretty sensible here in avoiding the need to repaint the batch and instead just applying new vinyls which must be a lot more economical than a full repaint, and will look a lot better than random debranded plain base colours dotting around.

(09 Aug 2023, 9:48 pm)stagecoachbusdepot wrote While I think the current haphazard allocations on various branded routes with incorrect brands being more common than correct ones on some have firmly killed off the arguments in favour of brand recognition etc, I think GNE are being pretty sensible here in avoiding the need to repaint the batch and instead just applying new vinyls which must be a lot more economical than a full repaint, and will look a lot better than random debranded plain base colours dotting around.

I imagine its alot cheaper for a tin of black paint to tidy up where the previous vinyls were

(09 Aug 2023, 9:25 pm)Drifter60 wrote That’s worse in my opinion. At least with branding them and having that brand associated back to GNE is much better than a random unbranded bus with zero vinyls.

It would still have Go North East vinyls.

To be honest, regardless of what they could do with them (keep the Orbit branding, leave them unbranded, apply new branding, etc), people would still complain on here about it. Most of the public care more about their bus actually turning up on time than what colour the bus is. A bus is a bus is a bus.

(10 Aug 2023, 7:37 pm)wibblejunior wrote To be honest, regardless of what they could do with them (keep the Orbit branding, leave them unbranded, apply new branding, etc), people would still complain on here about it. Most of the public care more about their bus actually turning up on time than what colour the bus is. A bus is a bus is a bus.

Indeed they do, and this was brought up by numerous people on here while MG was in the middle of his Best Impressions spending spree. 

If only he'd painted everything into corporate livery, and vehicles could be freely moved onto a new set of routes without being fully rebranded. Imagine the operational simplicity that could provide.