I, like many others, caught the bus with a friend over the weekend - and we both benefitted from the government-funded £2 single fare scheme.
Undoubtedly financially attractive for a 30-minute journey.
And if the mhd Twitter timeline is anything to go by, we have not been alone in using the bus more since the scheme was introduced. Many bus companies and those associated with the industry have been more than happy to share the increase of bums on seats.
Undoubtedly financially attractive for a 30-minute journey.
And if the mhd Twitter timeline is anything to go by, we have not been alone in using the bus more since the scheme was introduced. Many bus companies and those associated with the industry have been more than happy to share the increase of bums on seats.
So, the short-term ('three months oh it's working, let's extend it to six') ticket sale is obviously working, but that's hardly surprising.
We've got a client selling a particular single for £2 that this time last year was generating £17 in revenue. That's about as enticing as you can make bus travel without giving away the damn product for free.
But what's the long-term plan? What happens when the money runs out?
Chucking a load of cash at bus travel to make it cheaper for a while with the hope that when that £2 fare goes back up to £17, customers a) won't notice, or b) think the journey is worth £17 after all just seems a bit far-fetched.
If hit and hope is the best we can do, we're in big trouble.
Would the money not have been spent better helping the struggling bus companies rebuild the reliability and frequency of their networks? Pretty sure this would benefit them more in the long run.
Sporadic short-term sales have their place in the world of retail, but six months is anything but short-term. Whilst it's enough time to alter a travel habit, it's also enough time to get really used to paying £2 for the privilege.
We've got a client selling a particular single for £2 that this time last year was generating £17 in revenue. That's about as enticing as you can make bus travel without giving away the damn product for free.
But what's the long-term plan? What happens when the money runs out?
Chucking a load of cash at bus travel to make it cheaper for a while with the hope that when that £2 fare goes back up to £17, customers a) won't notice, or b) think the journey is worth £17 after all just seems a bit far-fetched.
If hit and hope is the best we can do, we're in big trouble.
Would the money not have been spent better helping the struggling bus companies rebuild the reliability and frequency of their networks? Pretty sure this would benefit them more in the long run.
Sporadic short-term sales have their place in the world of retail, but six months is anything but short-term. Whilst it's enough time to alter a travel habit, it's also enough time to get really used to paying £2 for the privilege.
Watch this space.
Comments
Post a Comment