If that is the case, then that is fair enough for the rebrand. For the record, I am generally indifferent on it, there are pros and cons. What I do find it amazing how they can't handle basic ticket acceptance between their own companies. And has been so slow at sorting out routes that they have spent months competing with..... themselves! First managed it with their purchases of Ensign and AirDecker very quickly and yet TMS, have done nothing but drag their heels on it.
As you said before but as I said, how much of an issue is this? The First/RATP issue was more clear cut as there was a single route (A4) that duplicated First's existing routes over a sizeable part of its length. Aside from some lightly loaded stuff between Braintree and Sudbury, is there much overlap?
In Norwich some of Konect's knackered double decker's seem to have been repalced by equally kanckered single decker's. New timetables with reduced service have also been introduced.
The name and reputation is so tarnished from the independent days a rebrand is probably needed along with new buses and more drivers and cleaners....
I don't commute regularly anymore luckily but First seem to be excellent when I have occasion to use them. Such a reversal of fortunes!
Absolutely this. Go Ahead had clearly lost any real direction on their East Anglian adventure. I've visited both Norfolk (Konect) and Essex/Suffolk (Hedingham/Chambers) over recent years and the operations were the poorest in the empire IME. In Norfolk, the workhorses were the 2015 e400s but everything else felt like a blast from the past. That was still better than the Essex ops where it was a mix of identities, and after getting a slew of ex London stuff that was pre-enjoyed, they'd moved onto some hammered ex Brighton Scanias still in Brighton colours. I think I'm right in that under Go Ahead, there hadn't been one new vehicle into the former Hedingham ops, and it showed!
In comparison, First look much better. In Norfolk, they have incrementally fought back to reduce the Konect business (with Anglian being closed down completely) and the fleet investment has been very impressive. That said, I do wonder if First are perhaps losing a bit of their local vigour with the recent Excel reductions? In Essex, First are also much better but it is a low bar TBH.
The problem for the new owners is that the former Go Ahead East Anglia operation loses money. Worse still, it drains cash. Until operations can be rationalised, or tenders re-bid at higher prices, they will have very little scope for spending money on anything substantial, and certainly not new buses. That is why Go Ahead sold, and fundamentally little has changed with the new owners. There will be a saving on Group Recharges, but that has probably been offset by increased insurance and other items. It will be interesting to see how TMS untangle this mess over the coming months.
You do wonder where the value is. They have the Clacton ops which are not a gold mine - running buses for pensioners in one of the more deprived parts of SE England isn't a moneyspinner; certainly, rationalising the various TMS operations there and reducing overheads will help and you do wonder if the apparent lack of change (to the outsider) is because they are sorting out all manner of issues in the background.
Good to see Arriva start to fight for their territory; it’s definitely a change of direction from them.
The 1X - 2X appear to be Southends version of Brighton & Hoves express routes. I did wonder how long it would be before other operators attempt to try similar ideas to speed up journey times at the busiest stops on core corridors.
It is a very interesting move and perhaps a miss-step from First. We shall watch with interest
