Go North East

[TheGrandWazoo]

I could sum up the entire era of the current MD as ‘getting carried away’

Route branding for example is good, but needlessly rebranding practically every service and pretty much giving Best Impressions free reign is not. Unique names that had existed for 10 years have been replaced by Stenning by numbers brand names. There is no way anyone in Sunderland is going to feel a connection with “Sunderland District Blonde” it’s far too fussy and not in touch with the down to earth area. Buses were also repainted and rebranded for services that were axed a few months later (such as the X22)

Bringing back Paper timetables was a positive step, but they went too far with ridiculously lavish versions - big thick area books that were reissued multiple times, ‘phone directory’ sized timetables issued in the first lockdown that I imagine only enthusiasts breaking lockdown rules ever got hold of, the glossy ‘Fit for the future’ service change guide etc.

All this whilst the actual service delivery was crumbling away

I get the feeling head office have come down hard on GNE and a ‘managed decline’ type of manager is what they want now.

I agree with much of that though I don't think the last line is quite right. Go Ahead, like any firm, have corporate targets. They want to grow their business (see Brighton, or Oxford) but the North East is a tougher area. Not a Go NE town, but I was in an NE town not far from where I originally hailed, and where I used to work. I walked along what had been arguably the second/third busiest shopping street that, 30 years ago, would have been busy with shoppers etc. The place was dead at 1100 on a Monday morning, and I venture you could probably draw parallels with any number of similar towns in the North East.

Thing is that Stagecoach can widen headways in towns with 10 mins becoming 12, or 15 mins becoming 20 but with Go North East, there's a much greater step-down.

However, I agree with your points about the route branding and yes, those glossy booklets are probably stashed in back bedrooms of enthusiasts across the region. Expenses and time being used when perhaps more prosaic and important work needed doing.

 

[Andyh82]

I agree with much of that though I don't think the last line is quite right.

I just think it was a bit of a coincidence that across the first part of the year despite service delivery being pretty poor, GNE were still carrying on with the positive spin, rebrands, repaints, and all the bells and whistles even when they had to axe the X9 & X85

But then suddenly in early summer you had the news of the July service consultation with massive cuts and many services threatened to be abandoned until subsidised, all the positive media stopped, as did the rebranding, there was a fare increase, it was announced Chester le Street depot was closing, and the MD announced he was leaving. It all strikes me like Go Ahead Group looked at the accounts and said ‘enough is enough’ we need some drastic action. I’m not sure the MD is comfortable in that world which is why he jumped.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I just think it was a bit of a coincidence that across the first part of the year despite service delivery being pretty poor, GNE were still carrying on with the positive spin, rebrands, repaints, and all the bells and whistles even when they had to axe the X9 & X85

But then suddenly in early summer you had the news of the July service consultation with massive cuts and many services threatened to be abandoned until subsidised, all the positive media stopped, as did the rebranding, there was a fare increase, it was announced Chester le Street depot was closing, and the MD announced he was leaving. It all strikes me like Go Ahead Group looked at the accounts and said ‘enough is enough’ we need some drastic action. I’m not sure the MD is comfortable in that world which is why he jumped.

Sometimes you just know when to go!

The surprise isn't so much that Go Ahead are making cuts; it's that Arriva aren't!

 

[jkkne]

Just looking at the GNE news page, this will be their 6th set of changes in under 12 months.

That’s astonishing.

 

[317 forever]

I notice how the list of changed refers often to routes "revised" which tends to mean reduced.

 

[Megafuss]

I notice how the list of changed refers often to routes "revised" which tends to mean reduced.

The word "temporary" doing heavy lifting in that news article

 

[RM-Taylor]

8 vehicles transferred from East Yorkshire to GNE. All have been renumbered 9039 through to 9046

 

[Eyersey468]

8 vehicles transferred from East Yorkshire to GNE. All have been renumbered 9039 through to 9046

They are only on loan while buses from London are prepared

 

[jkkne]

Bit of a kick in the teeth for passengers who’ve been suffering for months and months of never ending short notice cancellations that GNE are able to support the full metro blockade. Abandoning your current and potential customers in favour of a bit of nexus cash doesn’t seem the most sensible business plan…then again GNE seem to have the worst management and commercial team in the industry

 

[Eyersey468]

This came up on my Facebook feed earlier, it appears GNE also have some new electric buses coming as well

 

[kez19]

This came up on my Facebook feed earlier, it appears GNE also have some new electric buses coming as well

I see on that bus its now back to Q3 as I previously read QA/QB (that was short!).

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

then again GNE seem to have the worst management and commercial team in the industry

Not even close - there's much worse elsewhere!

 

[Andyh82]

GNE seem to have the worst management and commercial team in the industry

I hardly think that is true. There are many operators that I’m not even sure have a commercial team, or you wouldn’t know it!

 

[Tetchytyke]

GNE are able to support the full metro blockade. Abandoning your current and potential customers in favour of a bit of nexus cash doesn’t seem the most sensible business plan

It's the summer holidays, they have more drivers spare. GNE haven't been able to do any Metro replacement work for ages, and there's been a few engineering blocks on Metro recently, e.g. St James-Tynemouth last month, where no RRBs have run at all.

 

[jkkne]

It's the summer holidays, they have more drivers spare. GNE haven't been able to do any Metro replacement work for ages, and there's been a few engineering blocks on Metro recently, e.g. St James-Tynemouth last month, where no RRBs have run at all.

It's not the Summer holidays.

 

[RM-Taylor]

They are only on loan while buses from London are prepared

696 is permanent I believe

 

[Eyersey468]

696 is permanent I believe

As far as I am aware the only permanent transfers are 786-9, I've heard nothing about any of the B7s being permanent

 

[Simon75]

Unless I missed it didn't realise their Peterlee outstation had closed.

Bus company makes 'difficult' decision and permanently shuts County Durham depot

A COUNTY Durham bus depot has closed for good after bosses were forced to make a "difficult decision" to leave the site after a number of…

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

A COUNTY Durham bus depot has closed for good after bosses were forced to make a "difficult decision" to leave the site after a number of years.

The Go North East "outstation depot" in Peterlee officially closed on Saturday (March 26) just over two weeks after staff across the company were first told.

In an internal memo to drivers, the company said consultations with Unite the Union had begun as it said staff and services had been transferred to neighbouring depots.

 

[DanNCL]

Surprised it hasn’t already been mentioned here: the new batch of Yutongs for the Q3 have entered service. These are longer than the Yutongs on the 53/54 (12m vs 10m) and also have different seats, this batch seems to have something similar to (but not quite the same as) the ADL Smart Seat.

 

[kez19]

Surprised it hasn’t already been mentioned here: the new batch of Yutongs for the Q3 have entered service. These are longer than the Yutongs on the 53/54 (12m vs 10m) and also have different seats, this batch seems to have something similar to (but not quite the same as) the ADL Smart Seat.

I was on one of those for Saltwell Park yesterday on the Q3, comfy seats but not keen on the bell to stop lol.

Regarding the Yutongs the LED lights around the roof do the indicate if battery goes down or do the lights change all the time? Reason I ask I caught one of the Q3 ones with the light at the back red (left) and on the right green?

 

[DanNCL]

I was on one of those for Saltwell Park yesterday on the Q3, comfy seats but not keen on the bell to stop lol.

Regarding the Yutongs the LED lights around the roof do the indicate if battery goes down or do the lights change all the time? Reason I ask I caught one of the Q3 ones with the light at the back red (left) and on the right green?

I believe the roof LEDs are supposed to change colour varying by route, for example Green on the 53/54, Yellow on the Q3, Red if for whatever reason running another route, but I’m not 100% sure I could be mistaken.

The Q3s I saw today all had yellow on the roof LEDs.

 

[kez19]

I believe the roof LEDs are supposed to change colour varying by route, for example Green on the 53/54, Yellow on the Q3, Red if for whatever reason running another route, but I’m not 100% sure I could be mistaken.

The Q3s I saw today all had yellow on the roof LEDs.

Don’t get me wrong I could understand if that’s the reason, just thought it was odd seeing red on the back (before anyone thinks it came on when driver was braking it was on prior), I know the LED strips on the Streetdecks but they seem to be the one colour?

Just to add I’m guessing Go North East are now mixing the Saltwell Park/Quaycity buses?

 

[DanNCL]

Don’t get me wrong I could understand if that’s the reason, just thought it was odd seeing red on the back (before anyone thinks it came on when driver was braking it was on prior), I know the LED strips on the Streetdecks but they seem to be the one colour?

Just to add I’m guessing Go North East are now mixing the Saltwell Park/Quaycity buses?

I don't know exactly how they're programmed but it'll be the same colour on the roof LEDs the entire length of the bus. The Streetdecks have side LED strips that are red, as do some of the ADLs.

Some of the Saltwell Park Yutongs have been making appearances on the Q3 as the Versas used previously have already been cascaded to other routes and not all of the new batch of Yutongs are ready, but once all of the new batch are in service the two batches will be separately allocated - the original batch staying on the 53/54 and the new batch staying on the Q3. The exception is 8809 from the original batch, which has a generic red version of the Voltra livery and is a spare for both the 53/54 and the Q3. 12m vehicles are generally kept off the 53/54 where possible because of some of the tight streets those routes use.

 

[kez19]

I don't know exactly how they're programmed but it'll be the same colour on the roof LEDs the entire length of the bus. The Streetdecks have side LED strips that are red, as do some of the ADLs.

Some of the Saltwell Park Yutongs have been making appearances on the Q3 as the Versas used previously have already been cascaded to other routes and not all of the new batch of Yutongs are ready, but once all of the new batch are in service the two batches will be separately allocated - the original batch staying on the 53/54 and the new batch staying on the Q3. The exception is 8809 from the original batch, which has a generic red version of the Voltra livery and is a spare for both the 53/54 and the Q3. 12m vehicles are generally kept off the 53/54 where possible because of some of the tight streets those routes use.

I did notice on my visit this week that some of the Quaycity versas you speak of on other routes, could say they are still advertising the route whilst off course!

I’m surprised as to couple years back it was the streetlites on 53/54 to now the Yutongs (saying this as a visitor to the area), but seeing how buses have changed under Go North East.

 

[NorthOxonian]

I don't know exactly how they're programmed but it'll be the same colour on the roof LEDs the entire length of the bus. The Streetdecks have side LED strips that are red, as do some of the ADLs.

Some of the Saltwell Park Yutongs have been making appearances on the Q3 as the Versas used previously have already been cascaded to other routes and not all of the new batch of Yutongs are ready, but once all of the new batch are in service the two batches will be separately allocated - the original batch staying on the 53/54 and the new batch staying on the Q3. The exception is 8809 from the original batch, which has a generic red version of the Voltra livery and is a spare for both the 53/54 and the Q3. 12m vehicles are generally kept off the 53/54 where possible because of some of the tight streets those routes use.

As someone who lives on that route, I'm not surprised - the corner at Saltwell Park is a particular black spot and it's a fairly common occurrence for drivers to have to tightly maneuver the bus around a dodgily parked car or two! The only issue with the short buses is capacity - particularly since the frequency was decreased, the buses can get very busy with passengers standing even outside peak times.

 

[kez19]

As someone who lives on that route, I'm not surprised - the corner at Saltwell Park is a particular black spot and it's a fairly common occurrence for drivers to have to tightly maneuver the bus around a dodgily parked car or two! The only issue with the short buses is capacity - particularly since the frequency was decreased, the buses can get very busy with passengers standing even outside peak times.

When I was on that bus yesterday I did wonder if it had space for people to stand (must be tight!)

Edit: just seen the 53 come into Newcastle bus packed on the Yutoung! (bus was about 0835 coming into city centre)

 

[LAIRA]

Rumour here in Plymouth is that Plymouth City Bus is to receive 10 Solo SR's form Go North East.
Any news from the North East that this true or what buses may be sent?

 

[Eyersey468]

Rumour here in Plymouth is that Plymouth City Bus is to receive 10 Solo SR's form Go North East.
Any news from the North East that this true or what buses may be sent?

I have heard there are major changes coming to the network at GNE though I don't know what they are, so it's possible that some may be sent to Plymouth

 

[LAIRA]

I have heard there are major changes coming to the network at GNE though I don't know what they are, so it's possible that some may be sent to Plymouth

642/652 715/716 have arrived in Plymouth this week so now makes 8 Solos here.

 

[Murray J]

I have heard there are major changes coming to the network at GNE though I don't know what they are, so it's possible that some may be sent to Plymouth

already come and gone haven't they? a lot of Solo SRs have been withdrawn due to timetable changes, mostly tender losses if I remember correctly.