By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Accept
routeonerouteonerouteone
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Search
© 2024 routeone News. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Back-to-office mandates: A building opportunity for coach and bus?
Share
Font ResizerAa
routeonerouteone
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • News
    • Show all
    • Awards & Events
    • Deliveries
    • Environment
    • Exhibitor News
    • Euro Bus Expo 2024
    • Features
    • Legal
    • Minibus and minicoach
    • Operators
    • Opinion
    • People
    • Suppliers
    • Vehicles
  • Vehicles
    • Find a Vehicle
    • ZEV Comparison Tool
    • Sell a Vehicle
    • Vehicle Seller Dashboard
  • Insights
  • Careers
  • Events
    • British Tourism & Travel Show
    • Euro Bus Expo
    • Innovation Challenge
    • Livery Competition
    • routeone Awards
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • Share your news
    • Subscribe
    • Update Subscription Details
  • Latest Issue
  • SIGN UP
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd
- Advertisement -
-
routeone > Editor's Comment > Back-to-office mandates: A building opportunity for coach and bus?
Editor's Comment

Back-to-office mandates: A building opportunity for coach and bus?

Tim Deakin
Tim Deakin
Published: September 11, 2024
Share
Coach and bus opportunity comes with return to office mandates
SHARE

Grand talk of bus franchising and promise of wholesale reform risks overshadowing some parts of the coach and bus industry’s day-to-day work. Moving people from where they are to where they need or want to be will always be its core purpose, not serving as a political chess piece.

Scarcely a week passes without the mainstream media sharing news of a large business ordering office-based staff to spend more time in those offices, rather than working from home. That is not always well received by employees, but the corporate message needs no subtitle: Shape up or ship out, or at least have a good excuse to hand.

With such instruction often comes with more diplomatic cushioning of the blow via various perks. Not all offices are in town and city centres. Many are elsewhere. It is no secret that growth of shuttle provision to those has been a success story for the coach and bus sector. For centrally located workplaces, ‘travel club’ offers for bus services can already prove their worth if the timetable suits – not that it always does.

For corporate shuttles, some operators work directly for the contracting organisation, while others do so via third parties such as Zeelo. In the former case, at least one coach and bus business has carved out a highly worthwhile niche.

More staff back in the office means more call for travel to work, often to places that are tricky to reach by fixed-route bus services. The verdict from some operators of corporate shuttles is that they are ‘good’ work, albeit in need of close attention to detail. Little is the room for error, but the level of take-up in recent years illustrates that there is appetite on both sides for them.

Behavioural psychologist James Clear – who carries a New York Times Best Seller list credit to his name – says that creating a new habit has four stages: Cue, craving, response, reward.

If the coach and bus industry can leverage those parts of the new (or returning) habit of employees consistently travelling to a workplace in good numbers into a worthwhile organic stream of income, the benefits for all are clear. Large corporates have a close eye on their carbon footprints, and collective travel can help them.

There is a major opportunity for coach and bus in harnessing the building momentum of return-to-office mandates, be that via dedicated shuttles or through ‘travel club’ offers on established bus services. Doing so may enable the sector to share in the reward stage of the building of a new habit that James Clear speaks about.

Share This Article
Facebook LinkedIn Threads Email Copy Link
ByTim Deakin
Tim is Editor of routeone and has worked in both the coach and bus and haulage industries.
Previous Article Growth at Jason Edwards Travel sees managerial appointments Managerial appointments as Jason Edwards Travel sees growth
Next Article Coach Hire Comparison Co-founder Laura and James Stokes (middle and right) Coach Hire Comparison to switch to automatic pricing model
- Advertisement -

Latest News

Temsa HD12 and HD13 delivered to Cresta Coaches under Asset Alliance rental deal
Temsa pair join Cresta Coaches on Asset Alliance rental agreement
Deliveries
Go-Ahead London – Managing Director
Careers Jobs
andy burnham tfgm £15.6 billion (1) The funding announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves today (4 June) has been allocated to several combined mayoral authorities to use on rail, tram, road and bus infrastructure. Transport for Greater Manchester revealed today that part of the £2.5 billion it will receive will go towards making the Bee Network fully battery-electric by 2030. An as-yet undecided portion of that will support a planned investment in 1,000 new zero-emission buses over that period, the mayoral authority said. That is part of plans to build the UK's "first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system", with trams and trains also set to benefit. Liverpool City Region's already announced BRT system is among the projects to which its £1.6 billion will be allocated. Under those plans - due for realisation by 2028 - a high-speed network will be served by articulated buses which are modelled on the 'Glider' in Belfast. It is due to link Liverpool city centre with John Lennon Airport, and Liverpool FC and Everton FC's respective stadia along three routes. Although the model of bus has not been confirmed, a Van Hool Exqui.City on loan from Belfast was last year used as a demonstrator. That 18m vehicle can accommodate around 30% more passengers than a typical bus and has three sets of double doors. The funding will also go towards buses elsewhere in the city as the region heads towards franchising services by 2027. Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram with a 'Glider' which was on loan from Belfast last year - an example of the sort of bus which could serve the new BRT Bus services in the East Midlands region will be boosted by the funding, thanks to the £2 billion handed to it today by the government. Some of that allocation will be used for a rapid transit network on the Trent Arc between Nottingham and Derby. Between the two cities, the Freeport, Infinity Park Investment Zone and Ratcliffe-on-Soar will also benefit from the improved bus services. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority's newly announced commitment towards bus franchising has been boosted by £350 million in funding as part of that region's allocation. The funding for West Yorkshire will help build new bus stations in Bradford and Wakefield. Likewise, the Tees Valley Mayoral Authority will put its sum towards a new £15 million bus station in Middlesbrough. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says: "Today marks a watershed moment on our journey to improving transport across the North and Midlands – opening up access to jobs, growing the economy and driving up quality of life as we deliver our Plan for Change. "For too long, people in the North and Midlands have been locked out of the investment they deserve. With £15.6bn of government investment, we’re giving local leaders the means to drive cities, towns and communities forward, investing in Britain’s renewal so you and your family are better off."
TfGM’s all-electric bus plan boosted by new £15.6 billion package
News
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Local Transport Minister opens First Bus electric depot in Hengrove
Bus
- Advertisement -
-

routeone magazine is the indispensable resource for professional UK coach, bus and minibus operators. The home of vehicle sales and the latest bus and coach job vacancies, routeone connects professional PCV operators with complete and unrivalled news coverage.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Policy
  • Sustainability
  • Advertise
  • Latest Issue
  • Share Your News
routeonerouteone
Follow US
© 2024 routeone News | Powered by Diversified Business Communications UK Ltd