(14 Dec 2024, 3:43 pm)R852 PRG wrote How did they do the job beforehand? With respect, while I know you do a hard job, what you're excusing is a skill issue.

Because the old machines had the fare stages on a single screen with a single button press for each stage, and everything was with cash. Now you have to individually select a fare stage and scroll down a big list of irrelevant fare stages on a different page to everything else. It is possible, it's just not worth the hassle or the time. Not to mention some of the less tech savvy people working as drivers struggle with the tech. You can call it a skill issue, but dismissing it as such doesn't save the time it takes for people to actually navigate the machines.

(16 Dec 2024, 1:56 pm)deanmachine wrote Because the old machines had the fare stages on a single screen with a single button press for each stage, and everything was with cash. Now you have to individually select a fare stage and scroll down a big list of irrelevant fare stages on a different page to everything else. It is possible, it's just not worth the hassle or the time. Not to mention some of the less tech savvy people working as drivers struggle with the tech. You can call it a skill issue, but dismissing it as such doesn't save the time it takes for people to actually navigate the machines.

Won't it have to go back to that though, if what Go North East are saying is that some fares will be lower than the £2.50 cap? Unless as I suspect, they'll actually be few and far between?

Has the need to scroll a big list changed between the older and new Ticketer machines? If so, I wonder if it's the way it's been configured, rather than the ETMs themselves? As a company producing hardware/software, it'd be quite regressive of them to slow down a pretty standard process for everyone using their machines. You'd think they'd have a queue of their customers, the operators, knocking on their door if that were the case.

(16 Dec 2024, 2:33 pm)Adrian wrote Won't it have to go back to that though, if what Go North East are saying is that some fares will be lower than the £2.50 cap? Unless as I suspect, they'll actually be few and far between?

Has the need to scroll a big list changed between the older and new Ticketer machines? If so, I wonder if it's the way it's been configured, rather than the ETMs themselves? As a company producing hardware/software, it'd be quite regressive of them to slow down a pretty standard process for everyone using their machines. You'd think they'd have a queue of their customers, the operators, knocking on their door if that were the case.

Yeah, a big complaint when we started using ticketer was that it slowed us down quite a bit. The new Samsung tablets controlling them might actually help as you'll be able to scroll between the stages quite quickly if you know when they change fare. It was only really a problem previously on long routes with a lot of stages with a change of price, but with a £2.50 cap it'll be quite quick to find them. Although you might notice that the stages might start saying the stage after it changes to £2.50 rather than where you want to go or the terminus.

Stagecoach fare announcements from 1st Jan:
North East CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...fare-north
Tees Valley CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...-fare-tvca

It's good to see there's an alternative to cranking everything up to £2.50/£3.00, as another operator has done. I like how they've also given examples for each area about what the fare cap increase will mean for them.

Shows what can be done, if you actually put a little time and effort into your presentation.

(18 Dec 2024, 1:47 pm)Adrian wrote Stagecoach fare announcements from 1st Jan:
North East CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...fare-north
Tees Valley CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...-fare-tvca

It's good to see there's an alternative to cranking everything up to £2.50/£3.00, as another operator has done. I like how they've also given examples for each area about what the fare cap increase will mean for them.

Shows what can be done, if you actually put a little time and effort into your presentation.

Most Stagecoach fares were under £2.50 before the cap came in two years ago, whereas most GNE fares were £2.30 before the cap came in. 

So there are going to be differences when the cap is increased.

Do we know what Arriva are doing yet? 

Minimum fare on Metro looks to be £2.80 unless you have a pop card PAYG card.

(18 Dec 2024, 6:31 pm)busmanT wrote Do we know what Arriva are doing yet? 

We do now: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/latest-news/...north-east

Summary:
From 1 January 2025 there will be price changes to some of our fares in the North East.

We’re simplifying our single bus fares, taking into account feedback from customers and stakeholders who previously expressed concerns over the complexity of our single fare structure. Our new single fare structure will instead only hold three price points, which we believe will be much simpler.

Most single fares in the region will therefore be priced at either £1.60 or £1.70 for short trips, £2.30 for slightly longer journeys and then anything beyond this will be capped at either £2.50 or £3.00 per journey (see full details below).

Return tickets will also be removed from sale, however all existing day, week and longer tickets will continue to be available with no change to price or zones.

• Essentially it's similar to Stagecoach, in that they aren't just hiking everything to the maximum they possibly can in the way that Go North East are. 
  

(14 Dec 2024, 5:11 pm)Shrek wrote I love tap on tap off, saved a decent amount using it on Arriva. It needs to be across the network so if you do decide to use a different company then you get capped at the £6 Transport North East ticket.

It’s definitely more useful for frequent travel but if I’ve walked into town, bought stuff (I appreciate that scenario is becoming increasingly unlikely in Durham) and can’t face lugging it the 2km back up the hill to get home and that’s it for  my bus travel for the day, it’s definitely a case of easier for them than me so I end up catching the 62 or a more expensive GNE bus just to avoid it on the 64.

(18 Dec 2024, 6:31 pm)busmanT wrote Most Stagecoach fares were under £2.50 before the cap came in two years ago, whereas most GNE fares were £2.30 before the cap came in. 

So there are going to be differences when the cap is increased.

Do we know what Arriva are doing yet? 

Minimum fare on Metro looks to be £2.80 unless you have a pop card PAYG card.

I don't think that is entirely correct to suggest most fares were £2.30. There were plenty of fares that were under. It actually wasn't so long ago that Go North East were banding around Summer saving fares too.

We now know that only one of the three major operators in the North East have gone for the instant cash grab option, which is a bit embarrassing for them really. I suspect the other two operators have a degree of understanding how significant fare hikes impact their customers, and have opted to take different approaches 

I don't think many will follow your interpretation of the fare increase being below inflation, just because some fares may have been £2.30 two years ago. If they've been £2 for the last two years, then the increase is 25%.

(20 Dec 2024, 9:46 pm)Adrian wrote I don't think that is entirely correct to suggest most fares were £2.30. There were plenty of fares that were under. It actually wasn't so long ago that Go North East were banding around Summer saving fares too.

We now know that only one of the three major operators in the North East have gone for the instant cash grab option, which is a bit embarrassing for them really. I suspect the other two operators have a degree of understanding how significant fare hikes impact their customers, and have opted to take different approaches 

I don't think many will follow your interpretation of the fare increase being below inflation, just because some fares may have been £2.30 two years ago. If they've been £2 for the last two years, then the increase is 25%.

Quite. The GNE journeys I make in town were around £1.70 before the first £2 cap was announced then they were increased to £1.90 and then £2 after the cap was introduced. The equivalent fared on arriva and GCT are still below the cap. If those £2 fares increase to £2.50 then I won't be using GNE for single journeys in town on my own, not because I can't afford it but because of their sheer brass neck.

Are people suggesting they will not be….getting their bums on board?

Cause…award winning y’know?

(20 Dec 2024, 11:16 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Quite. The GNE journeys I make in town were around £1.70 before the first £2 cap was announced then they were increased to £1.90 and then £2 after the cap was introduced. The equivalent fared on arriva and GCT are still below the cap. If those £2 fares increase to £2.50 then I won't be using GNE for single journeys in town on my own, not because I can't afford it but because of their sheer brass neck.

That's a whopping 47% increase over approx 4 years.

Of which a chunk is probably aligned to the introduction and subsequent increase of the cap.

(18 Dec 2024, 1:47 pm)Adrian wrote Stagecoach fare announcements from 1st Jan:
North East CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...fare-north
Tees Valley CA: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and...-fare-tvca

It's good to see there's an alternative to cranking everything up to £2.50/£3.00, as another operator has done. I like how they've also given examples for each area about what the fare cap increase will mean for them.

Shows what can be done, if you actually put a little time and effort into your presentation.

Had it confirmed internally now the exact structure for NECA.
Stage A (current 1.60) is raised to 1.90
Stage B (current 1.80) is raised to 1.90
Stage C (current 2.00, was 2.10 pre-cap) is raised to 2.30
Stage D (was 2.30 pre-cap) is raised to 2.50.

Also confirmation there will be no changes to period or multi-journey tickets.