Wikipedia

Go North East

Go North East operates both local and regional bus services in County Durham, Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear, England. It was previously known as the Northern General Transport Company and Go-Ahead Northern. The company was the foundation of today's Go-Ahead Group, which now operates bus and rail services across the United Kingdom, as well as Germany, Ireland, Norway and Singapore.

Go North East
ParentGo-Ahead Group
FoundedFebruary 1987; 37 years ago (1987-02)
HeadquartersGateshead, Tyne and Wear
England
Service area
Service typeBus and coach
Depots7
Fleet599 (at 28 May 2023)
Managing DirectorNigel Featham
Websitewww.gonortheast.co.uk

History edit

1980s: Post-deregulation edit

In October 1986, at the time of bus deregulation in Great Britain, the company operated from fourteen depots: Chester-le-Street, Consett, Gateshead, High Spen, Houghton-le-Spring, Jarrow, Murton, Percy Main, South Shields, Stanley, Sunderland, Wallsend, Washington and Winlaton.

In February 1987, as part of the privatisation of the National Bus Company, a management buyout led by Chris Moyes and Martin Ballinger saw the purchase of the Northern General Transport Company.[1]

1990s: Early expansion edit

Early expansion saw the acquisition of a number of smaller competing bus operators in the region, including Langley Park-based Gypsy Queen in January 1990.[2]

In February 1990, the company's Murton depot was closed, with the loss of 20 jobs. The remaining 109 staff were redeployed to other nearby depots in Houghton-le-Spring and Sunderland.[3] In September 1990, the loss-making depot at Jarrow, and High Spen, which was making a marginal profit, were closed. Following the closures, a total of 20 jobs were lost, with a further 150 staff redeployed.[4][5][6]

By January 1991, the parent company was split in to five separate subsidiary companies: Coastline, Go-Ahead Gateshead, Go-Ahead Northern, VFM and Wear Buses.[7]

 
 
 
 
Operations in the 1990s

In March 1995, the Go-Ahead Group acquired Bishop Auckland-based OK Motor Services for £5.4 million.[8][9][10][11] Following the acquisition, many of OK's staff, including the general manager, Charles Marshall, became employees of Go-Ahead. OK initially became one of Go-Ahead's locally managed subsidiaries, with Marshall remaining in charge. Go-Ahead later took steps to streamline the business, with several of the group's earlier acquisitions transferred to OK.[12] However, the local identities were soon abandoned, and the OK name disappeared. In January 2012, the OK Motor Services branding was briefly revived to celebrate the company's centenary year.

In August 1998, a new depot was opened on Deptford Terrace, Sunderland. This saw the closure of the nearby Park Lane depot, which was demolished to allow the development of the current Park Lane Interchange, which opened in May 1999, ahead of the introduction of Tyne and Wear Metro services between Pelaw and South Hylton via Sunderland. Additionally, the company's depot at Philadelphia Lane, Houghton-le-Spring, was also closed at this time. The depot remained in situ until the early 2020s, until it was demolished to allow for redevelopment of the area.[13]

2000s edit

In 2005, the company's depot in the seaside town of South Shields was closed, with operations moved to Deptford depot.

In March 2006, the company's depot in Bishop Auckland was transferred to Arriva North East.[14]

2010s edit

Four years later, in March 2010, Go North East's Ashington depot was exchanged with Arriva North East's Hexham depot.[15]

In June 2010, the company was awarded a five-year contract to operate the QuayLink network of services. Award of the contract saw the introduction of a fleet of nine Euro 5 diesel-powered Optare Versa single-deck vehicles.[16][17]

In February 2014, former depots at Sunderland Road, Gateshead and Winlaton were replaced by an £8.5 million "super depot", known as Riverside. The 5.75-acre (23,300 m2) site, located in Dunston has capacity for over 160 vehicles and 500 staff.[18][19][20]

In June 2018, Hull-based East Yorkshire Motor Services was acquired by Go-Ahead, bringing an end to 30 years of family ownership. Following acquisition, the company was rebranded East Yorkshire, and will continue to run as a standalone company within Go North East.[21][22][23][24]

In March 2019, the Stanley depot was closed, after almost 100 years in service. Operations were subsequently moved to a new 2.23-acre (9,000 m2) depot at Hownsgill Industrial Estate, Consett, which is located on the site of the former Consett Steelworks. The £3.5 million depot has the capacity for 63 vehicles and 180 staff.[25][26][27]

2020 – the present day edit

In July 2020, a fully-electric zero-emission vehicle trial took place, with a single-deck Optare Metrocity serving a series of routes in Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside.[28] Following this, in November 2020, the first of a fleet of nine zero-emission single-deck Yutong E10 were introduced on routes 53 and 54, as part of a jointly-funded project between Go North East and the Government's Ultra-Low Emission Bus Fund – at a cost of £3.7 million.[29][30][31][32]

In February 2022, a zero-emission vehicle trial took place, when a zero-emission Wright StreetDeck Electroliner fully-electric double-deck bus was evaluated on route 21.[33][34]

In March 2022, the company's Peterlee outstation was closed, with operations transferred to Chester-le-Street and Deptford depots.[35]

In June 2022, it was announced that East Yorkshire would be split from Go North East, becoming a separate company within the Go-Ahead Group. In the same month, it was announced that the company intended to close Chester-le-Street depot.[36]

Following the departure of Martijn Gilbert in August 2022, the former Go North West Managing Director, Nigel Featham, assumed Gilbert's role at Go North East. At East Yorkshire, former Area Manager, Ben Gilligan, was promoted to Managing Director.[37]

In September 2023, following the closure of Arriva North East's Jesmond depot, Go North East took over operation of a number of the company's routes in Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside, which were subsequently rebranded as North Tyne Rockets. The routes are operated by a fleet of single-deck Wright StreetLite buses, branded in a purple livery.[38]

Industrial action edit

In late 2023, operations suffered serious disruption, due to strike action by employees. Organised by Unite the Union, the first strikes each took place for a period of one week, beginning 30 September 2023 and 14 October 2023 respectively.

Following this, union members began an indefinite strike on 28 October 2023 – during which no services across the region, with the exception of some school and works services, operated. A limited intra-peak hour service was introduced on certain routes from 14 November 2023.[39][40]

The strike was brought to an end on 1 December 2023, when union members voted in favour of an improved pay offer, with normal service resuming the following day.[41][42] Following the strike, a special promotion was introduced whereby customers were able to travel on the network free-of-charge between 2–8 December 2023.[43]

Fleet and operations edit

Depots edit

As of January 2024, the company operates from seven bus depots across the region: Consett (Hownsgill), Gateshead (Riverside & Saltmeadows Road), Hexham, Percy Main, Sunderland (Deptford) and Washington.

Vehicles edit

As of May 2023, the fleet consists of 599 buses and coaches.[44] The fleet consists mainly of diesel-powered single and double-deck buses manufactured by Alexander Dennis, Optare, Volvo and Wrightbus.

The company also operate a fleet of eighteen fully-electric single-deck vehicles: nine Yutong E10, introduced in November 2020,[29][30][31][32] and a further nine Yutong E12, introduced in September 2022.

Branding edit

In 2006, Go North East introduced route branding. The practice aimed to give each service, or group of services, a recognisable identity, colour scheme and logo. Route branding has led to the company adopting a multi-coloured fleet.[45]

 
 
 
 
 
 
Route branding: past and present

From the late 1990s, the standard fleet livery consisted of vehicles branded in a red, blue and yellow colour scheme. In 2013, an updated standard fleet livery was introduced, which saw vehicles without route branding painted in an all-over red colour scheme.

In 2016, the standard fleet livery was further updated, with vehicles painted red at the front, and blue at the back, separated by a white strip, with a tagline and website featuring above the windows on single-deck buses, or below the windows on double-deck buses.

This proved to be short-lived, and in 2019, the latest-style standard livery was introduced. This features a lighter shade of blue at the rear, with the curved white separation strip being replaced with a double white and yellow line.

Coach services operating under contract to National Express are painted in an all-over white livery, featuring the client's blue and red logo.[46] In 2020, a fleet of coaches were repainted into a range of retro-inspired heritage liveries,[47] with a number of single and double-deck buses following later.[48][49]

References edit

  1. ^ "NBC sale at halfway stage". Commercial Motor. 16 May 1987. p. 21.
  2. ^ "Gypsy taken over". Commercial Motor. 11 January 1990. p. 29.
  3. ^ "Go-Ahead to rationalise". Commercial Motor. 16 November 1989.
  4. ^ "Sparring partners?". Commercial Motor. 15 November 1990. p. 44.
  5. ^ "TGWU warns of depot tender trap". Commercial Motor. 20 September 1990. p. 20.
  6. ^ "…Go-Ahead jobs go". Commercial Motor. 13 September 1990. p. 18.
  7. ^ "Staff get ahead to head Go-Ahead five". Commercial Motor. 8 November 1990. p. 20.
  8. ^ "Annual report for the year ending June 1995" (PDF). Go-Ahead Group. 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  9. ^ Amos, Mike (24 January 2012). "Omnibus edition". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  10. ^ Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1996). The Go-Ahead Group plc and OK Motor Services Limited: a report on the merger situation. Department of Trade and Industry. London: H.M.S.O. ISBN 0-10-131502-3. OCLC 34627271.
  11. ^ Holding, David (2007). A History of OK Motor Services. Newbridge, Midlothian: Bus Enthusiast Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-946265-39-8. OCLC 912905469.
  12. ^ Brown, Stewart J. (1996). Buses in Britain. Harrow Weald, Middlesex [England]: Capital Transport. ISBN 1-85414-181-3. OCLC 36802507.
  13. ^ "End of an era as ex-workers gather before former bus depot is demolished". Sunderland Echo. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Transport improves for Valley residents". The Northern Echo. 9 June 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Anticipated acquisition by Go North East Limited of the bus operations of Arriva Northumbria Limited in Hexham, Northumberland" (PDF). Office of Fair Trading. Competition and Markets Authority. 26 May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  16. ^ "New diesel QuayLink buses still eco-friendly". Evening Chronicle. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Brand new QuayLink fleet takes to the road". Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. 9 August 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Gateshead Riverside - Go-Ahead North East's new £8.5m depot open". Bus & Coach Buyer. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Go North East opens new 'super depot'". Coach & Bus Week. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  20. ^ "New super depot tops off £30m investment at Go North East". Intelligent Transport. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Go-Ahead Welcomes East Yorkshire Motor Services into Go North East". Go North East. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  22. ^ Ford, Coreena (18 June 2018). "Newcastle transport giant Go North East snaps up East Yorkshire bus company". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ^ Campbell, James (18 June 2018). "Hull bus company EYMS has been sold". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  24. ^ Forster, Andrew (22 June 2018). "Shipp sells EYMS to Go-Ahead as operator falls into the red". TransportXtra. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Go North East unveils new £3.5m Consett base". Go North East. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  26. ^ Havery, Gavin (19 March 2019). "Bus depot opens on former steelworks site". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  27. ^ Dunn, Madaline (19 March 2019). "Go North East unveils new £3.5m Consett base". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Go North East commits to improving air quality with further electric bus trials ahead of investment". Go North East. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  29. ^ a b "Go North East launches game-changing electric buses in Newcastle and Gateshead". Go North East. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Voltra: Go North East launches zero-emission fleet with Yutong". Routeone. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  31. ^ a b "The region's first electric buses are launched in Newcastle and Gateshead". Tyne and Wear PTE. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  32. ^ a b "New bus fleet will "reduce Gateshead's reliance" on fossil fuels". Gateshead Council. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  33. ^ "Go North East trials electric double-decker bus on popular Angel 21 route". Go North East. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  34. ^ Jackson, Peter (8 March 2022). "Go North East trials electric double-decker". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  35. ^ Scott, Jim (28 March 2022). "Bus company makes 'difficult' decision and permanently shuts County Durham depot". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  36. ^ Scott, Jim (8 June 2022). "Go North East to close major depot in County Durham affecting hundreds of staff". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  37. ^ "Martijn Gilbert to leave The Go-Ahead Group". Routeone. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  38. ^ "New services in North Tyneside from Sunday 3 September". Go North East. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  39. ^ "Bus strike: Go North East to restore skeleton service from tomorrow". ITV News. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Go North East bus strike skeleton service launched". BBC News. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Update on Industrial Action" (Press release). Go North East. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  42. ^ Holland, Daniel (1 December 2023). "Go North East bus strike to end as workers vote to accept new pay offer after weeks of travel chaos". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  43. ^ "Welcome back: free travel on Go North East buses for seven days". Go North East. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  44. ^ "Weekly Disposition - 28 May 2023" (PDF). Go North East. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  45. ^ "Go North East adopts new route branding". Bus & Coach Professional. 15 August 2006. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  46. ^ "New Identity for National Express Group". National Express. 15 November 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  47. ^ Dougall, Emily (18 February 2020). "Go North East brings back retro brands for coach unit". Coach & Bus Week. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  48. ^ "Go North East unveils multi-coloured bus to celebrate the work of its team in bringing communities together". Go North East. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
  49. ^ "Go North East celebrates heritage with Tynemouth repaint". Routeone. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2022.

External links edit

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