Go North East is the biggest bus operator in the North of England and one of the largest employers in the region.
The company employs more than 2000 staff and its 665 buses provide local services in and around Newcastle, Gateshead, Northumberland, Durham, Teesside, Sunderland and the surrounding areas.
Part of the Go Ahead Group, Go North East has local autonomy when it comes to many business decisions and has developed a distinct and well-respected reputation as the leading bus operator in the region.
With unique branded routes, many reflecting local points of interest in their design, Go North East has been able to build destination travel into its marketing plan while at the same time creating a an appealing service which engenders local pride and brand buy-in amongst regular passengers.
Some interesting information about Go North East
- we operate over 650 buses and coaches
- our buses operate more than 35 million miles each year
- more 71 million customers travel on our buses every year
- we have around 50 individual brands, bringing customers their own easy to recognise bus service
- we employ more than 2,000 staff
- we have 9 depots
- over 85% of our buses are low floor Easy Access vehicles, with space for unfolded buggies and wheelchairs - almost 100% of our branded services run by low floor vehicles
- we’re the major operator of buses to metrocentre, Britain’s Best shopping Centre
- our services cover County Durham, Tyne & Wear, Northumberland and Tees Valley
- all our buses are fitted with CCTV, to enhance your safety and security
Innovator and market leader
Go North East has been a pioneering market leader across many aspects of its day-to-day business and continues to actively seek out and implement ground breaking developments in the industry.
The bus company became the first in the region to develop a system of delivering bus tickets to passengers via their mobile phones with the introduction of txt2go. The trial proved popular with some passengers and, with the emergence of new technical capabilities in this area, the scheme is currently being revised and upgraded with parent company, Go Ahead.
The introduction of brand new, stylish Mercedes buses using Euro 5 engines – among the most efficient available on the market in terms of emissions control – became another first for Go North East. The company was also first across the finish line when it came to achieving 100% easy access on its mainline services and providing CCTV cameras on every bus.
Imaginative business partner
Go North East has a growing reputation of being a flexible and innovative partner – working both with the private and public sectors to provide bespoke and off-the-peg solutions to their staff transport needs.
UK’s first quality bus partnership
Together with Gateshead Council and Nexus, Go North East signed an agreement in 2008 to establish the East Gateshead Quality Bus Partnership, making it the first quality bus partnership of its kind in the country. Since then, the partners have worked closely together to further improve bus services, infrastructure and the quality of information at bus stops and interchanges as well as the cleanliness and maintenance of shelters and waiting areas. Customer surveys in the area have shown high satisfaction levels with bus services in the area with some aspects of the service achieving scores of 100%.
Travel solutions for the UK’s largest office park
Go North East has worked with Cobalt Park – the UK’s larges office park – since it was first established in North Tyneside. Over the years, Cobalt and Go North East have developed one of the most comprehensive business travel solutions in the country. From the instantly recognisable Cobalt Clipper bus which serves the business park and its catchment area to a travel office on site and discounted tickets for employees, the partnership has pushed the boundaries to develop a package of measures to encourage the use of sustainable travel. (Have there been any awards for this work?)
Improving public transport at Europe’s largest shopping centre
Go North East manages the Public Transport Interchange at Metrocentre on behalf of Capital Shopping Centres and has raised the bar in terms of the quality of both public transport information and the waiting environment.
The interchange has been redesigned to provide passengers with easily identifiable, colour-coded stands and waiting areas, turning the predominantly glass structure into a subtle rainbow of colour. This public transport hub, linked to the walkways of the shopping centre itself, also provides the ideal setting for a comprehensive travel service and Go North East has provided a purpose-built desk where new and existing passengers can find a range of information and advice. As well as ticket sales and timetables, the new Transport Information Desk offers an on-the-spot personal travel plan service as well as staff who are well-informed about the full range of facilities on offer at Metrocentre.
A bus company with a strong environmental agenda
From being the first bus company in the region to introduce some of the cleanest-engined buses, Go North East has worked consistently to build on its reputation as a company which is environmentally aware.
Continual investment in new vehicles has seen the average age of Go North East’s bus fleet continue to reduce to a point where they now have one of the newest bus fleets in the country. Not only does this do a lot to make bus travel attractive to new users and to retain existing passengers, but it helps keep the air cleaner – as newer bus fleets produce less pollution.
Added to the benefits brought about by the quality of the vehicles, intensive driver training further reduces exhaust emissions and conserves fuel resources, too.
Looking to the future
Commercial Director Martin Harris sees great opportunities for further innovation in customer service in the provision of bus services. “We are driving forward ideas to embrace newer communications methods and technology to improve service to our customers across a range of activities,” he said. “In turn, these methods are bringing improved opportunities for business clients and organisations that we work with in the public and voluntary sectors. Our development team is focused on finding new transport solutions to fit the needs of public and private sector clients and will work creatively and innovatively alongside partners old and new to develop solutions customised to their requirements. Even in these tough times, we have a number of new opportunities that we have been working on which will be coming to fruition in the coming months. We are stepping up our research and development activities to help us to continue to bring new and better ideas to the market.”
