Monday 16 November was Transport Planning Day and Go North East (GNE) got into the spirit by celebrating the hard work that goes on behind the scenes from its network planning and scheduling team.
GNE’s four schedulers, led by Network Design Manager Graham Hill, are responsible for creating timetables for customers and duties for colleagues and have had to be more flexible this year than ever before due to the coronavirus crisis with schedules constantly changing throughout the pandemic, sometimes daily, to react to changing circumstances and customer demand.
Schedulers have also had to adapt to home working as a result of Covid-19, but keep in touch with the live operation through videoconferencing and the roll-out of new IT systems to help support the critical link between the plan and what is happening out on the road.
GNE said its network planning and scheduling team also plays an important role in tackling climate change and creating a sustainable, healthy future, by making sure schedules not only meet the needs of customers but also ensuring that they are as efficient as possible.
Martijn Gilbert, GNE Managing Director said: “It’s only right that we praise the hard work of our scheduling team on Transport Planning Day. They’re the ones behind the scenes that have enabled our frontline colleagues to transport people across the region throughout the pandemic, from key workers to those making essential shopping trips.
“I’m sure they’ll struggle to remember a time as demanding as this, but they’ve adapted and delivered on every aspect – I can’t thank them enough for their efforts.”
