Hitting the road soon, the first of 3 retro Supershuttles for our extremely popular X66 service taking customers directly into
@_Metrocentre
from Gateshead
The start of a new adventure. Dan's empire has begun and it's fantastic to have been a part of it. The amount of positive feedback over the last 2 days has been phenomenal.
Starting the rollout of our fare vinyls in our refreshed style to help promote the great value discounted fares on offer in the North East
@gonortheast
Fantastic day helping out alongside Arriva, Go North East and Stagecoach for the annual Great North Run. I can't remember the last time I saw an independent operator running shuttle buses on such a prestigious contract, which in itself is extremely high praise for
@Dan3942
.
Continuing the refresh of the GNE logo this evening. I've even replaced some of our branded models with their relevant brands where possible. They really do look the part. Some welcome aboard cab vinyls will soon be appearing too; as a wise manager once told me "This is your shop
A trip out to Sunderland today in readiness for the reintroduction of the Xlines X20 tomorrow with a fleet of huge-looking B5TLs with help from
@ServicesScreen
to get the fleet looking smart.
Really proud moment today when my new GNE timetables turned up 😀. For although I've never actually had any marketing training, without the support and encouragement of the people I work with now, I don't think I'd be able to do anything like this 😀
So it's official, Monday 10th January I start the next chapter of my life with Go North East at Riverside. Not much of a change - one bus company to another - but something that had to be done 😀. Excited to see what the future holds now.
Loving life with my bit driving tonight, put my crayons down for a couple hours and thoroughly enjoyed meandering the streets of Gateshead in this fine fine machine.
Busy day today with the delivery of our latest timetables - shown off in one of our new timetable stands which will be appearing in Sunderland, Gateshead and Metrocentre very soon 😀
And then there were three...it was nice to get all three of our new liveries side by side tonight. Definitely a positive vibe that things could be improving.
Pleasure to have been involved with the Metrocentre bus rally today showing off our wares including the freshly painted Tynedale Links. Really proud with how far we've come over the past year and extremely grateful for the positive feedback that my colleagues and I received today
The March 2024 timetables have now been delivered and should be appearing on buses in the near future. These complete the set meaning every commercial service in the company now has a printed timetable - quite proud of that achievement!
It's taken a while but it's great to see our new logo spreading. The new cab doors are really the finishing touch that I'm glad we've done. The triangles do finish it off 😍 - a late night at Consett tonight sees 50% of the GNE fleet now with new logos fitted!
Almost there tidying up the Durham fleet. Fleet names being applied to buses that have never worn them and missing vinyls replaced (hopefully) - starting to look smarter
Putting up some emergency timetables to help the public today in Durham, quite pleased with how the design turned out, was worth staying up late and really grateful to our marketing team for getting them printed off so quickly.
Really excited to be joining the commercial team at GNE, finally feels like the hard work is paying off. So so appreciative of all the help and support I've had from so many people over the years 😀
Delighted to have worked with
@Dan3942
to create some stylish printed publicity for the new
@NorthEast_CA
service 599, available on board buses from day 1.
To show what could be done at bus stops across the North East, I've been seeing if I can create something presentable that engages with the customer. Bus stops are one of the most essential selling points to the customer, yet we don't take full advantage of them.
A fantastic trip down to South Wales and into Swansea where
@FirstCymru
are yet another division to be transforming their fleet. Just shows age isn't everything with these 21 year old beauties.
New bee-ginnings - huge effort from everyone across the Go-Ahead Group to mobilise the start of the Bee Network. Proud to have played a part in getting the buses where they needed to be.
What an experience! Hats off to
@SouthernVectis
for showing everyone how it's done. The organisation has been phenomenal so far, the customer experience is fantastic - a model bus operator if ever I saw one!
Before and after one of our stops along Hadrian's Wall after having a bit of glitter added. Absolutely gorgeous route the AD122, well worth a try this summer...and all for just £2 single, or £5 day ticket!
A little trip down Bradford to move vehicles about ready for schools going back. Using all available resources and working well together as a group
#OneArriva
Looking ahead to the 17 May, getting that little bit closer to normality and I'm sure all companies are thinking the same thing - to all those who have already come back on board, and to those who haven't tried it yet...welcome back
A nice evening out on one of the finest buses I've driven in a long time. The layover time at Rockwood Hill was well utilised by fitting a cab door vinyl too 😅
Some tidying up in North Yorkshire today with our temporary times, replacing some extremely out of date posters. It's not perfect but hopefully will help some customers.
By far the busiest weekend I've had or seen with Arriva. Metro replacements and rail replacements using every resource possible. Thankfully 1509 and 1510 made it back home just in time for Monday 😁
Blackburn...where to start, well...I don't think I've ever seen colours matched so beautifully. That's without mentioning how incredibly well-turned out the fleet looks (and sounds) - the buses certainly hide their age well!
One thing I'd certainly recommend doing if you have any spare time...the Moorsbus. One of the most scenic routes operated by
@arrivanortheast
. Maybe some over to the Lakes might be a good idea too?
Fantastic day at
#Hexham
today creating promotional content for our
#Tynedalelinks
services! With a refreshed look, improved services, and next stop announcements coming to all routes, it’s now time to show off how amazing
#Northumberland
really is by bus! 🚌🤩
Got bored at the weekend and put into action something I've been wanting to do for a while - it's just a random thought in my head, nothing official but I thought I'd put it on here simply because I like the idea behind it 😅
First day of the new X Lines brand for services X6 and X7. Safe to say they didn't disappoint. Very smart livery from
@creatingdesire
and a credit to
@MartijnGNE
. Most of these looked very busy too.
It's amazing the difference a bit of colour and style make. Making use of a day off, sorting through my leaflets. Must say the
@creatingdesire
versions look so much more professional.
It was a very Optare day yesterday, after finding my way blindly around Sunderland, it'd be rude to turn down a little trip on the Q3 for Riverside. What a way to start my holidays 😀
Work with us to improve your printed (and digital) timetables to create stylish, easy to understand and informative literature for your customers.
Visit or email gary
@redesigntransport
.com for more details
Helping keep people moving in Darlington this evening. More productive than sitting leaving people without a last bus; proof that we can work as a team.
#OneArriva
The week's 'holiday' on the Isle of Wight is coming to an end and has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It's always good fun driving somewhere new, even though it's nerve-wracking at first. A fantastic week has been had, made even better by great company and colleagues.
Thoroughly enjoyed my trip up to Oban and some of the lochs along the way. Absolutely adore the
@westcoastbuses
travelshop with its abundance of printed publicity 😍
After several years, I've now created an updated version of my book with the recent brands, some which were missed from the original and also some advertising liveries which people might be interested in.
Check it out here -
I think operators need to start talking ALL aspects of PSVAR legislation seriously. I can't leave the house without seeing a bus that has a defective (or not working) destination screen or next stop kit. As an industry, we need to get our act together!
Quite glad I did certain things in 2021, like visiting new places and building my confidence again. This year, I want to get my weight sorted and keep improving my confidence in going out and about. Here goes nothing 😀
Never put so much thought into something so simple. Trying to find somewhere to catch the eye, yet not get cluttered or in the way. Quite happy with the finished product.