The ALBUM conference theme ‘Driving the Customer Experience’ was the focus of the annual two-day conference and exhibition, hosted this year by Blackpool Transport, and staged at the town’s Hilton hotel.
ALBUM – the Association of Local Bus Managers – has its roots in the 1985 deregulation when it comprised of municipal bus company managers. As they gradually folded or sold, in recent years the organisation has expanded and now welcomes representatives of all non-group bus operators.
Membership remains as it was when created; on a personal individual, rather than company basis, and of the 300-plus supplier representatives and bus company delegates, 23 operators were represented
Blackpool turnaround
With the support of the local council, which is able to borrow money at less than commercial rates – Blackpool Transport is in the first stages of a total transformation, MD Jane Cole, told the audience.
Opening the event, she said that the council had realised that it must stop relying on central government funding – which will continue to be squeezed – and build its own economy.
In total, an £80m investment will ensure that by 2020 no bus in Blackpool’s fleet will be more than five years old, and that the revenue growth it delivers from increased patronage means that the maximum fleet age will never be more than five years.
She says that this can be achieves, while at the same time its profits deliver a ‘social dividend’ to the town.
Passenger challenge
Illustrating what needs to be done, a warts-and-all focus group with Blackpool Sixth Form students included sharp criticism of the town's buses. Presenting the results, Blackpool Transport Finance Director James Carney said it demonstrated how important it is to appeal to young people, as they are the future adult fare-paying passengers.
Blackpool hopes that its new Palladium-branded hi-spec ADL Enviro400 ‘deckers, of which a second batch is being delivered, will surpass passenger expectations and drive growth, while staff engagement will deliver with criticism of customer service.
Scathing criticsm of Blackpool’s signage at the town’s railway station came from Bus Users UK Claire Walters, who described her journey to the hotel, before she reeled off a list of things that operators should be doing
Who to target
Examining the question of what groups of passengers to target as new customers, Adrian Grant of the TAS Partnership observed that it’s easier to sell to existing customers.
He crunched through genuine statistics that showed the average passenger is a women, who is using the bus to go to work or to shop. Does that mean that the industry should have a marketing stand at supermarkets, he asked.
This was a rhetorical question, as he then examined passenger ‘churn’ – which is closely linked to population movement, and customer loyalty, at an average of five years.
“An average customer stays with you for five years, travels three-or more days a week and will spend £16 a week on fares, meaning that each one is worth £752 per year in revenue (allowing for holidays),” he says. Leaving an open question to delegates he asked: “But one-in-five have been using the bus for less than a year – so who’s place did they take?”
Young people
Former Youth Parliament member and the woman behind the Fairer Fares 4 Youth campaign, Ella Beevers, demonstrated presentation skills way beyond her age (16) as she argued for all children in school uniform to be automatically offered child fares.
While some operators at the conference already offer this ‘no quibble’ promise, she called for more information to be made available, and for it to be a universal offer by all operators, without needing passes.
So far, she has been unable to persuade West Yorkshire PTE of the merits, but undaunted remains a powerful advocate of the idea.
She was also critical of some young people and told operators about their buses “It’s not as bad as you think.”
Flash hearts
With a lively, dynamic and energetic presentation, Alex Warner of Flash Forward Consulting – and former British Airways and First Group employee – challenged operators about the reinvention of their brands and the need to champion the bus industry.
“Look around, there is no-one else there. No-one else is carrying the weight of the sector’s reputation.
“And it is you, the independent companies, that have that weight of experience, with the freedom and ability to innovate. That weight rests most strongly with you.”
Concluding an impassioned, lively and entertaining 20 minutes he said: “The time has come: The next two years will make or break the industry.”
Strong hearts
Making her final public speaking appearance as Senior Traffic Commissioner, Beverley Bell looked back on her 17 years as a TC and set out a challenge to operators. “What are the skills you are looking for in drivers,” be fore emphasising the importance of customer service.
She revealed that is will stay on as a Deputy TC, but is also working on setting up a project to raise the industry’s profile, especially as an engaging and rewarding sector to work in.
Service sandwich
If Mrs Bell was the filling, top and tailed by Alex Warner and Alex Hornby, it meant that the second morning’s session attracted much attention. As Transdev Blazefield CEO, Mr Hornby made it clear what the industry needs to do: “It’s our job to be passionate about buses; nobody else will be.
“Customer service isn’t just a department, it’s a way of life.
His staff understand that “We’re not there to drive a bus, but look after our customers.”
With the strong backing of Transdev which “let’s us get on with it” he is restoring Blazefield’s reputation for innovation – with the prime aim of growing revenue. He gave a number of examples where growth had flatlined, but Blazefield discovered that if it didn’t improve the route offering, the next stage would be decline.
“The route to amazing is having a team that’s happy to work for us, customers who are proud of us and creating a successful and innovative business.”
Nuts and bolts
Concluding the conference was an almost two-hour ‘on the sofa’ style session allowing vehicle manufacturers to explain where they see technology going and how their vehicles might develop, with the cases for gas, electricity and diesel being made.
The conference concluded with an enlightening presentation by civil servant Stephen Fidler from the Department for Transport (DfT) about the Bus Services Act. Sadly, reporting restrictions covered the presentation, but those who were there went away better informed.
