There's actually been very little media coverage of the ongoing strikes by TfGM staff, but I spotted a very thorough piece on I heart Manchester which covers all sides of the argument, plus explains very well what the impact has been, and will continue to be, for bus users.
I saw the impact for myself on Thursday when I was meeting a friend in Stockport Town Centre. The information point at Stockport Interchange was shuttered and the usual Bee Network staff patrolling the interchange had been replaced by Stagecoach Bus Inspectors, representing a bit of a return to pre Bee Network conditions. I mean, they could have just been standing about waiting for something but, in the meantime, they were being mithered to death by people wanting to know which bus went from which stand etc and seemed happy enough to impart the information.
I felt a wave of nostalgia actually on seeing so many Stagecoach Bus Inspectors: It's rare to encounter them in the wild these days. Pre Bee Network they used to be a ubiquitous and reassuring presence at the busiest of the 192 stops. There to maintain order, keep track of things and, on particularly bleak days of disruption and mayhem, sense when the crowd of disgruntled passengers were getting ready to form an angry mob and react accordingly.
In other news, Metrolink drivers are now balloting for strike action as well.
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