1. CIVITAS: The Brighton & Hove Experience
Giving Buses the Wow Factor
First Annual Sustainable Mobility Convention
21 September 2010
Park Plaza Hotel, London Victoria
Pat Stringer, Commercial Manager
Brighton & Hove Bus Company

2. Brighton & Hove – The City
Population of 250,000
Youthful demographics
2 universities and many colleges and language schools
Large tourism base – 8 million visitors per year
Hemmed in by South Downs and sea – only way is up!
Brighton & Hove – The Bus Company
275 vehicles, 1,100 employees
Up to 1 million passenger journeys per week
All vehicles low floor - £3.5million investment each year
Partnership with city council to proactively promote bus use

3. What is Marketing?
Encompasses everything – the bus, the driver, the timetable, bus stop, fares.
What else? Give the WOW FACTOR!
Branding – specific routes
Fares - make it simple!
Brand – the company!
Promotion – needs to be prominent
General promotion – spread the word
Bus Sides and rears

4. Further enhancements
Always on going – new brands launched – Coaster, Regency, Shuttle.
New marketing initiatives launched, price promotions on the internet.
Promotion of integrated tickets – PlusBus, First Capital Connect and Southern Saver.
Customer service – first impressions count together with how you react when things go wrong – need 100% commitment to it!
Company aspiration – essential travel for our city.
Professional image application
Attention to detail – constantly!
Next – Smartcards! Possibilities endless.

5. What do we do to influence their travel choice?
Campaign Targeting
Tourists
Children
Students
Motorists – biggest target!
What do we do to influence their travel choice?
Brand bus routes prominently
Highlight frequency
Leaflets and timetables available widely
Website –
Messages on buses
Offer discounted tickets to employers
Work with city council on bus priorities
Real-time information – another partnership

6. Key Barriers to Use
Lack of product/service knowledge – some people still buy 1 Day Savers every day!
In-car comfort – some people will never give up using their car
BUT
We will always do everything we can to persuade them to do so!

7. We’ve worked to dispel all these!
Myths about Bus Travel
Expensive
Unreliable
Infrequent
Old buses
Miserable drivers
Not for business people
We’ve worked to dispel all these!

8. Other Marketing Offers
Bus Times – 200k copies every year – the complete “how to use buses” guide, constantly being refreshed
Pocket Bus Times – same amount, more for tourists
Information at stops (comprehensive, printed and real-time) – should be a given!
Fares – keep it simple
Drivers – friendly!
Frequencies – every few minutes
AND the best web address –

9. Consumers Today
Very bargain orientated – but want high quality too. We provide this – high frequency of service, better than average new buses at a reasonable price.
Always want more – give a 6 minute service – they want a 5 minute service!
3. Give them the best information possible 24/7 – via web, buses, bus stops and customer service hotline – no excuses for not having any of these!

10. Internet Offers – Viral Marketing
Viral marketing really taken off – My Space, Facebook, Twitter etc. Although we are not on any of these, our special offers have appeared on sites such as these within minutes of the offers going out.
Kicked off with 24-hour offer November 2008 for a 7 Day ticket for £7 – 12,000 orders!
Followed up with further orders for 7 day tickets, one month tickets and 3 month tickets
Now have a huge database of customers that we can communicate with in an instant, and will continue to do so.

11. Market Research Feedback/complaints/compliments – all free!
On-bus surveys
Surveys undertaken by newspapers/magazines
Mystery Traveller reports
Bus Users UK – active supporter
Surveys to internet customers
Passenger Focus – 92% satisfaction!

12. So……. Why Market Buses? Why Not!!!!
Brighton & Hove CIVITAS
So……. Why Market Buses? Why Not!!!!
Need constant attention to detail and commitment from everyone across the business
Always looking to make sure everything is right, including:
Website
Real-time information
Timetable displays/information at stops
Branding complete on vehicles
Cleanliness
Use the service yourself!

13. Thank you! Pat Stringer, Commercial Manager
Brighton & Hove Bus Company