Bus industry professionals group the Ten Per Cent Club has published a YouTube video that it says showcases Britain’s buses at their best.
It is a 30-minute documentary produced and edited by well-known transport filmmaker Geoff Marshall. He was commissioned to take what is described as “an independent look at examples where Britain’s buses are known for being successful, as well as talking to those responsible to find out why they are bucking the trend and growing passenger numbers.”
Among operators included in the video are Brighton and Hove Buses, Centrebus, Go South Coast, and Transdev Blazefield. The video is aimed at everyone involved in the provision of bus services, including stakeholders, politicians and passenger groups as well as those with a more general interest in the sector.
Included are interviews with Tom Quay, CEO of Passenger, design guru Ray Stenning, and Go South Coast Managing Director Andrew Wickham.
Mr Quay speaks about the growing importance of technology when communicating with and selling to passengers, while Mr Stenning discusses the relevance of design, attention to detail, and being passionate about buses. Mr Wickham explains the success of Morebus routes m1 and m2, which provide 16 buses per hour between Bournemouth and Poole.
Ten Per Cent Club Secretary Roger Frech says that the organisation wanted to showcase the best bus provision in Britain using a contemporary media format. Key is demonstrating that it is “irrelevant whether a bus company is privately or publicly owned to successfully grow the market for travel,” he continues.
“Furthermore, whatever the regulatory environment, here are the ingredients to make buses attractive to passengers in ever increasing numbers.”
Many of the cases highlighted in the video show how close partnership working between local authorities and bus operators is delivering results. That includes in Brighton and in Leicester. Also highlighted is success with Bus Service Improvement Plan funding in Hertfordshire via the introduction of route 907 between Stevenage and Cheshunt.
Watch the video here.
