Member Article

Go North East’s unsung bus drivers and support teams praised by fellow key workers

The North East’s largest bus company, Go North East, has been flooded with praise for its drivers and support teams who are helping keep the region moving, ensuring key workers, including NHS staff and essential shop workers, can get to their workplaces to provide vital services.

The bus operator is currently running all routes to emergency timetables, with extra early morning journeys for key workers which were added following customer feedback, and praise has been flooding in for the unsung bus drivers and support teams on Go North East’s social media pages ever since the coronavirus situation started.

Jill, a key worker commenting on the company’s Facebook page, said: “Thanks to the driver of the 6A to Newcastle – 6.25am bus from Stanley – that dropped us off at our stop for work and told us to have a nice day and clapped as we were getting off the bus, saying well done. We appreciate all our drivers getting us safely to and from work – stay safe!”

Whilst another key worker, Elaine, who is on the frontline for the NHS, added: “I would just like to say to all at Go North East…THANK YOU! Thank you for keeping the buses on as best as you can, thank you to your drivers for putting others first so that people like myself as an NHS worker can get to work. You guys are heroes and aren’t getting as much credit as other industries. You’re doing an amazing job! Stay safe and once again… thank you!”

Meanwhile, Gemma, a care assistant in the North East commented saying: “I would just like to say a massive thank you for trying to keep the buses running as best you can in these difficult times. Ensuring people can still travel for essential shopping when required and that essential key workers can still travel to work. And the drivers I see are still smiling and pleasant!”

Reflecting on the praise and current situation, Go North East’s managing director Martijn Gilbert, said: “It’s great to see key workers and Go North East colleagues come together in these unprecedented times and show their appreciation for one another.

“Nearly 500 of our 1,600 strong driving team are continuing to work around the clock to keep essential services running, supported by a skeleton team of engineering, supervisory, planning, customer service, communications, administration and management colleagues.

“All key workers who are providing vital services, including our unsung bus drivers and teams behind the scenes, are doing fantastic jobs to help keep the region moving for essential travel and access to key services such as food shopping and healthcare. I’d like to personally thank each and every one of you – you’re all doing an amazing job and I’m so proud to see both our team and the wider region pull together like this.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Go North East .