Bus staff say poor maintenance causing breakdowns

Bus drivers and engineers have said services are being cancelled because a fleet is "dropping to bits" due to a "lack of maintenance".

Go North East (GNE) has blamed extreme cold weather for the removal of a number of buses which left passengers unable to commute or make hospital appoints and businesses paying for taxis.

But staff told the BBC that defective vehicles are rushed back into service while some newer buses were being sent to sister firm Go North West.

The company said it was "conducting an in-depth review" with the aim it "never again falls short of keeping a full fleet on the road at all times".

Earlier this month the firm, which has depots in Consett, Gateshead, Sunderland, Washington, Hexham and North Shields, said: "The extreme temperatures have had a knock-on effect on vehicle systems, particularly batteries, engines and air systems, which can struggle in sub-zero conditions."

But drivers said the situation was "exacerbated" by existing problems.

"This has been an ongoing issue for a while," a member of GNE's engineering team said.

"Defects are reported and we are told to just clear fault codes and send them on their way. They'd rather hide the faults than fix them."

On one day last week, an allocation sheet seen by the BBC revealed several staff based at Consett were not provided with a bus to drive.

A driver said: "There is normally seven to eight drivers without a bus during the day due to them being off the road in one way or another."

Another worker claimed buses were driven with amber warning lights, as well as red lights indicating a more serious fault with the vehicle.

They said: "Most of the time they just tell us it's fine to continue, because they haven't got anything spare, however that bus then breaks down somewhere along the route.

"The driver on the service behind then gets all the hassle off the public because the previous bus hasn't turned up."

The concerns come as businesses and passengers have likened the disruption to a recent strike which saw GNE services unable to run for nearly three months.

Jay Lillistone, who runs a CCTV firm in Consett, is picking up his employees most days because of the disruption, then arranging taxis home.

He said: "There is cancellation after cancellation.

"It's absolutely annoying, we have a lot to do, our busiest time is on a morning so for staff to be running around trying to get people here is just ridiculous."

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said she had written to GNE management, adding the current situation is not "good enough".

Ben Maxfield, business director at GNE, maintained bus services had been impacted "due to the recent bad weather".

"We wholeheartedly apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers whose journeys have been affected," he said.

"We are working around the clock to restore normal service, while ensuring the highest levels of safety for passengers and drivers alike continue to be met."

He said it was "conducting an in-depth review of our winter maintenance preparedness for the coming year".

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