Greener Journeys’ annual Catch the Bus Week launched last week, with operators far and wide launching initiatives to attract bus users
For some people, the bus is a vital form of public transport. It helps get people to and from hospital and doctor appointments, to help children get to and from school, and overall, helps people get out of the house and meet new people – the bus can even help fight loneliness. And yet, by some, it’s not seen as an important factor to the community.At the beginning of the year, the Department for Transport revealed that bus journeys taken in Great Britain had fallen by more than 90 million in one year.
With patronage declining and more than one in 10 Britons feeling lonely every day, there has never been a more pivotal time for the industry to come together to find new ways to encourage people to catch the bus, and Catch the Bus Week (which took place last week, 1-7 July) is the vital initiative to help to unite the sector to fight one common goal: Get people out of cars and onto the bus.
More than a bus
Non bus users are unaware of the service the bus provides. While its main mission is to transport passengers from A to B, it’s much more than that.
Bus users, while some may not realise it, are helping to reduce congestion and pollution; a double-decker bus can take up to 75 cars off the road and by one passenger simply listening to another, they’re helping combat loneliness.
Launched by Greener Journeys, Catch the Bus Week is an annual event which gives operators the chance to profile bus services all over the country. It’s a week dedicated to getting the positive message out there: That the bus shouldn’t be ruled out as way of travelling – it’s more important than that.
Over to the operators
Catch the Bus Week has built the platform, but during the week, it’s down to operators to drive the initiative and attract passengers. If a new bus user hops on and they enjoy it, they could become a passenger for life.
Reading Buses’ drive to encourage people to catch the bus saw five people win free bus travel. The firm hid a word of the week on the screens on its buses. Once customers knew it, they were invited to get in touch via social media (Twitter, Facebook or even Instagram).
Heathrow and Courtney Buses supported the initiative with a ‘buy one, get next one free’ offer. Passengers who purchased a Network Week Ticket on certain routes during the week received a voucher for a free ticket for the following week.
Traveline Cymru got involved by also running a competition for customers. It asked them to send in a ‘selfie’ of them on the bus via social media or email.
The selfie takers were then entered into a prize draw to win a hamper full of sustainable, zero-waste treats – paying homage to the eco benefits the bus provides.
Jo Foxall, Traveline Cymru Managing Director, says: “Catch the Bus Week is a great opportunity for people to swap their cars for their local bus, and really experience how enjoyable it can be.
“With economic and environmental benefits, there’s so many reasons to hop on the bus instead of using your car. With less stress and more affordability, using your local bus also helps nurture relationships with local communities and lets you experience new destinations.
Cardiff Bus gave away daily prizes via its Twitter and Facebook channels, including monthly bus tickets and prizes from some of Cardiff’s favourite businesses.
Transdev’s celebration of the bus saw free ticket giveaways, reductions on tickets bought through its app, and chances to feel like a VIP with ‘bus butlers’ serving free goodies to customers.
Side by side
A recent survey of 2,000 people commissioned by Greener Journeys found that 33% of people deliberately catch the bus to have some human contact.
While prizes and offers of free tickets and discounts are great ways to encourage a new generation onto the bus, Stagecoach used the week to promote the other vital use of the bus: Fighting loneliness – which was also the theme of this year’s Catch the Bus week.
Stagecoach East Midlands celebrated the work of Hattie the community bus, which helps to connect people within their local communities and combat loneliness and isolation.
Almost a fifth of people (19%) that Greener Journeys spoke to said they struck up a conversation with a stranger on a bus just to have some form of human interaction.
Further evidence of the crucial role that buses play in facilitating social interactions emerged from a trial conducted earlier this month by Greener Journeys in partnership with the charity Relate.
The trial saw designated listeners from the charity travel aboard a Go-Ahead bus in south London to encourage bus passengers to talk to each other.
Claire Haigh, Chief Executive of Greener Journeys, says: “Travel is the single most important activity that brings total strangers into close contact with each other.
“Public transport has a vital role to play in breaking down unhealthy social norms and providing opportunities for us to connect with each other. We need to get the bus and talk more.”
