LIVE on Sunday morning
thereafter "streamed"
thereafter "streamed"
Selling A Bus Journey
Ray Stenning is busy creating desire for bus travel, the implication being that a well designed shiny bus will attract extra customers and thus extra profitability. Do posh buses bring extra revenue? What other means do bus companies have to improve their business performance?
If Bertie's Bus Company were, for example, to operate like Tesco, there would be a whole range of advertising to promote their business. Here is East Yorkshire from days gone by with a full house-side painted promo of its express services.
Publicity for rail trips and holidays ...
... seems to have been eclipsed by sales pitches aimed as "commuters" and shoppers. Nobody seems to want people who might just like to go for a "ride" round. Of course, everything is now "all on line" but surely that does NOT mean that bus companies couldn't make MORE money with a bit of good printed publicity.
When it does appear it can be surprisingly good. Like a rare painting or a fine piece of porcelain such quality publicity only occasionally finds its way into the hands of potential passengers.
We know that bus travel in Cornwall is in a bigger mess now as the result of strange political decisions. We have two distinct and uncoordinated networks, such that, for example, evening journeys on many routes operated by First Bus during the day are in the hands of the Council contructed Buses for Cornwall. Fares are not inter-available and timetables are not co-ordinated.
Potty!
Potty!
Despite this shambles, obviously exacerbated by the dreaded Virus, First has issued an excellent leaflet aimed at their tourist customers.
In previous years the full round trip has run hourly. Disappointingly for 2020 it is reduced to two hourly.
fbb does not know whether these reductions are Covid related but it seems that the plan for this year is too extend the summer services right through to the end of the October half term. A brave but positive decision, especially as many holidays have been postponed in anticipation of better times ahead.
Despite the difficulties, it is really good to see first class publicity readily available to tempt the visitor away from their cars or deckchairs and explore such a wonderful part of the country more widely.
fbb has two concerns, one commercial and one practical.
Does it really make sense to charge such a high price for a day ticket?
Of course none of these tickets is valid on Buses for Cornwall services, and that may be your evening trip back to Truro to Penzance..VERY POOR INDEED (as you will be when you find you have to pay again as your expensive "rover" fails to rove on the red buses!)
On a practical front, fbb does wonder whether the large folded leaflet is best for manipulating on-bus or, more of a challenge, in-gale! Booklet format would be easier to handle.
Nothing Ventured ...
The Venture bus company was a large independent operator running services centred on Consett, county Durham. Its livery was an unusual but strident mixture of maroon and yellow ...
Two From St Pancras
A couple of pictures have appeared via Twitter which, in different ways, encapsulates the mixed messages that todays "crisis" seems to be bringing to passenger travel.
This is all-too evident in this picture below which was entitled "St Pancras Thameslink platforms - evening peak hours."
Martijn Is Still Excited?
Mask-erade Mayhem
fbb notes that the holidaymakers from Netherlands now have to self isolate on return to the UK. The Netherlands has a very laid-back approach to the wearing of gangster attire, requiring masks only on Public Transport.
Is that why infections have increased?
fbb also notes that tourists from France are also now restricted for the same spikey reasons. "En France" masks have to be worn almost everywhere outside the home - even in some open spaces.
Is that why infections have increased?
Meanwhile, back in Seaton.
This is a small caff on the sea front whither the fbbs go to meet up with some chums.
Meanwhile at the "sit-in" chippy in Sidmouth, the only obvious changes are a few arrows on the floor and a plastic mini-screen at the "pay here" counter.
Stay Safe?
Next Passenger Travel blog : Monday 17th August
With the third rail in your St Pancras photograph, I would suggest that it's actually City Thameslink station, south of Farringdon.
ReplyDeleteBeing a follower of Ray Stenning "Creating Desire" on Twitter I was wondering only last week whether anyone outside "buses" (professional and enthusiast) actually has a greater desire to travel by bus after seeing a well designed livery, a promotional leaflet and/or a roadside billboard?
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, many of Ray's creations are stunning, but what do I know? I'not the intended market. And even if I travel especially to sample the latest gadgets and gizmos my one-off trip, probably on a day-ticket will hardly sustain the bus company. The bus company needs the brand to create repeat trade (with the notable exception of seasonal open-top operations and the like). Not only that, but the new super whizzy branded service needs to attract patronage beyond itself, to tempt people onto the bus for travel beyond the promoted route. "Bog standard bus" which takes you where you actually want to be having arrived in town by "super whizzy bus" also needs to perform.
Interestingly, GoAhead and First seem to think that multiple strong brands work best, whereas Stagecoach and Arriva believe a limited number of standard brands across the country work best. Who is correct?
Of course "brand" is so much more than a fancy paint job, or colourful leaflet. The service needs to be reliable, and timely, the drivers need to professional and friendly (and here the general atmosphere of the depot has far more effect than a week of customer care training can ever achieve).
Without doubt, now more than ever, the bus industry needs to create desire for its services, but is that best done through selected, individual routes, or through a coordinated national campaign?
Branding is not a simply or single answer and in many ways it depends on what the operator is prepared to commit. Some routes, particularly high-profile cross country links, favor stand-alone brands universally if the operator is prepared to commit the necessary focus. Elsewhere it depends on the network, the area, the operator philosophy as to whether none, low-key and corporate style or higher profile and distinctive style branding is suitable for an operator. With localised branding the most important aspect is the commitment of senior management to carry it through and support staff to do so, where branding of whichever style fails it is generally because staff do not see it as important to maintain as the company fail to emphasis it. Many of the most successful businesses favor heavily branded concepts but whether that is because of the branding or because those businesses are also the ones that push their quality standards.
DeleteWhether you decide to route/network brand or not it is also important that the wider corporate image is consistent and supported by the business style. If you want to go for a high quality image to attract those discretionary car users then the vehicles you operate need to be top end quality with top notch presentation, the marketing professional and staff well trained & motivated. This is often the failing of the big groups that they portray a top line business but the delivery falls short of that promised quality.
I'm not sure £15 is excessive for a network day ticket, it is at the top end but not outrageously so and Cornwall has always had fares at the top end. In some ways the pricing of your network day ticket is dictated by the expected use of the ticket and corresponding normal fares - with the Cornish network and the tourist nature means there will be a significant longer distance travel between neighbouring towns. The longer period tickets are remarkable bargains at only 2 times the day price for a week - normally the weekly price would be 3 or 4 times the daily price. £28 for a week for the whole of the Cornish network is quite cheap when you compare to a single medium-sized city network which would be around £14 (off a £4.50 day ticket compared to First Kernows £15). First's pricing strategy actually allows them to catch both the one-off longer distance & high value tourist market (& with 2 or 3 day options you incentivise repeated use by tourists during their stay) without overcharging the local commuters who generally make shorter journeys but buy longer period tickets.
ReplyDelete