Go Goodwins

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 11:11)ant17612 Wrote:  These look to now be on the road;
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bengleeson/50082683341

Very smart and also an insight into how GM Buses Little Gems might have looked if they were still in operation.

[Mayneway]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 11:46)knutstransport Wrote:  So what operator name do the tickets have on them? I notice the GGG (Part of Go Goodwins Group) on the side of the bus but it's not very prominent.

Also do we know what the capacity of these buses are? From a photo it's not very clear which length Enviro they've ordered.

They look to be the same size as the MCT trio.
Good question regarding the tickets but does it matter?
If they are the same size as MCT’s capacity will be 9.

[knutstransport]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 12:27)Mayneway Wrote:  They look to be the same size as the MCT trio.
Good question regarding the tickets but does it matter?
If they are the same size as MCT’s capacity will be 9.

If your ticket says Go Goodwins and the bus says Little Gem how do you know it's the same operator and your ticket is valid? If it had both names then it'll be clearer. Remember a lot of 391/392 passengers won't have heard of Little Gem or Go Goodwins previously.

[KXW212]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 12:57)knutstransport Wrote:  If your ticket says Go Goodwins and the bus says Little Gem how do you know it's the same operator and your ticket is valid? If it had both names then it'll be clearer. Remember a lot of 391/392 passengers won't have heard of Little Gem or Go Goodwins previously.

I think that the route number and destination might help.
Since the new contract started, there have been orange/red, orange/white (Little Gem) and blue liveried buses on the circuit.
I know the punters can be thick, but they seem to be managing OK.

[knutstransport]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 14:54)KXW212 Wrote:  I think that the route number and destination might help.
Since the new contract started, there have been orange/red, orange/white (Little Gem) and blue liveried buses on the circuit.
I know the punters can be thick, but they seem to be managing OK.

Yes because it's not like there's any routes where two operators run on the same route. I'm sure when GHA ran the duplicate 45 and 82 services their drivers were happy to accept WBT and Routemaster tickets because the route number and destination matched. I'm also sure Diamond drivers will be more than happy to accept Arriva and Stagecoach tickets on routes where they run evening contracted journeys won't they? After all in your words the passengers would be thick if they think there's two different operators on the same route just because the branding of the vehicles is different, so presumably you'll also brand the Diamond drivers as thick if they rejected tickets issued for a different operator on the same route?

BTW there's also two route numbers for the contract so unless the machines print 391/392 then the number a passenger catches on the outbound journey may not be the same as the one on the vehicle they need to catch for the return journey.

[Mayneway]

RE: Go Goodwins

(06/07/2020 12:57)knutstransport Wrote:  If your ticket says Go Goodwins and the bus says Little Gem how do you know it's the same operator and your ticket is valid? If it had both names then it'll be clearer. Remember a lot of 391/392 passengers won't have heard of Little Gem or Go Goodwins previously.

A pal of mine travelled on one of the 391/2’s today out of Stockport. Ticket said ‘little gem’ on it. There was a couple of internal signs about social distancing with Go Goodwins logos on and just to confuse the good people of Macclesfield a little bit more..... the driver was wearing a Rotala shirt and hi viz.

[ant17612]

RE: Go Goodwins

(07/07/2020 00:09)Mayneway Wrote:  A pal of mine travelled on one of the 391/2’s today out of Stockport. Ticket said ‘little gem’ on it. There was a couple of internal signs about social distancing with Go Goodwins logos on and just to confuse the good people of Macclesfield a little bit more..... the driver was wearing a Rotala shirt and hi viz.

They have a good bond with Rotala so probably helping out.

[knutstransport]

RE: Go Goodwins

(07/07/2020 00:09)Mayneway Wrote:  A pal of mine travelled on one of the 391/2’s today out of Stockport. Ticket said ‘little gem’ on it. There was a couple of internal signs about social distancing with Go Goodwins logos on and just to confuse the good people of Macclesfield a little bit more..... the driver was wearing a Rotala shirt and hi viz.

I think to be fair most people won't have heard of Rotala and won't decide whether it's their bus based on what uniform the driver is wearing. Although, if he wasn't on the bus in the driver's seat then some people may not realise he is the driver.

Some people thought Taith was a brand of ticket machine when GHA printed tickets which contained the Taith logo, which was more prominent on the ticket than the GHA/Vale Travel brand.

[KXW212]

RE: Go Goodwins

(07/07/2020 09:58)knutstransport Wrote:  I think to be fair most people won't have heard of Rotala and won't decide whether it's their bus based on what uniform the driver is wearing. Although, if he wasn't on the bus in the driver's seat then some people may not realise he is the driver.

Some people thought Taith was a brand of ticket machine when GHA printed tickets which contained the Taith logo, which was more prominent on the ticket than the GHA/Vale Travel brand.

The most important piece of info a bus can have is it's route number and destination. It's completely irrelevant to your average punter what colour it is, or what company name is on the drivers shirt and tie. In some cases a 'brand' can help. Transdev for example are all over this, with names such as Witchway, people rarely if ever refer to it as the X43. In the case of the 391/392 perhaps it will get referred to as the Little Gem, in time, although with CECs dire performance it will probably with another operator in 12 months, there is nothing in the area it can be confused with. There might be occasions a non branded bus is used, but so long as the number/destination is programmed correctly there is no problem. There are many instances, not sure why Rotala have been singled out, although it is currently on trend to knock them appearently. I'm not seeing any commects regarding services like the 197 for example. Stagecoach deckers in, well, take your pick, Corporate stripes, new corporate white/blue or green/yellow hybrid double decks and on Sunday a different operator (Diamond Bus NW) with blue midibuses and the common theme ?, a clear route number and destination at all times. That works OK and has done for some time. So why shouldn't it on the 391/2. There's new kit and a new brand and nothing to criticise about the operation or presentation.

[knutstransport]

RE: Go Goodwins

(07/07/2020 14:21)KXW212 Wrote:  The most important piece of info a bus can have is it's route number and destination. It's completely irrelevant to your average punter what colour it is, or what company name is on the drivers shirt and tie. In some cases a 'brand' can help. Transdev for example are all over this, with names such as Witchway, people rarely if ever refer to it as the X43. In the case of the 391/392 perhaps it will get referred to as the Little Gem, in time, although with CECs dire performance it will probably with another operator in 12 months, there is nothing in the area it can be confused with. There might be occasions a non branded bus is used, but so long as the number/destination is programmed correctly there is no problem. There are many instances, not sure why Rotala have been singled out, although it is currently on trend to knock them appearently. I'm not seeing any commects regarding services like the 197 for example. Stagecoach deckers in, well, take your pick, Corporate stripes, new corporate white/blue or green/yellow hybrid double decks and on Sunday a different operator (Diamond Bus NW) with blue midibuses and the common theme ?, a clear route number and destination at all times. That works OK and has done for some time. So why shouldn't it on the 391/2. There's new kit and a new brand and nothing to criticise about the operation or presentation.

I don't see any criticism of Rotala in this thread - someone commented a 391/392 driver was in a Rotala branded uniform and in response I said people probably won't notice the uniform if he's in the driver's seat but added if he's walking around in Rotala uniform then people may not realise he's the driver of the 391/392.

I agree that if the regular vehicles used are branded a certain way the regular passengers will refer to the brand on the bus - we used to have some passengers, especially the elderly ones, refer to Cheshire Connect being a bus operator, even though the buses actually said "Cheshire Connect operated by ...."

Say you were from Hazel Grove and you had a job interview in Poynton and you never normally go there. You board the 09:10 bus at Stockport - it's Little Gem branded and a 391 bus. Your get back to the bus stop at 10:45 expecting to get the 11:10 391 bus back to Hazel Grove. However, as soon as you get to the bus stop a big blue bus appears with 392 Stockport on the front. Without being a bus enthusiast, how do you know that's the same operator and it's actually the 10:10 running late due to a Little Gem vehicle breaking down, opposed to a different service you were unaware of? Do you wave it down and hope your Little Gem ticket is valid or just ignore it and wait for the 11:10 bus as you know that's the same operator and your ticket will be valid?

With branded routes when the 'wrong vehicles' are used they often put something on the destination display to indicate it's a branded route e.g. I once saw one of the small Warrington's Own Buses branded Enviros on the CAT6 route and it kept flashing up on the destination display "CHESHIRE CAT", so if anyone thought Cheshire CAT was an operator opposed to a brand used by Warrington's Own Buses it's cleared up.