wrote:
On Fri, 9 Apr 2021 11:37:02 -0000 (UTC)
Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
It needs a handful of extra unbranded spare vehicles across a fleet, which
was obviously considered and costed when the first few companies began to
introduce it. It's obviously seen as a worthwhile expenditure for the
increased visual recognition of the buses and routes, not just among
passengers but among potential passengers, including those who don't
realise they're potential passengers yet.

I can't imagine too many people see a bus and think "Ooh, nice branding, I
must travel on it sometime!". Though I will grant you if its one of the ones
that has the route map down the side there may be some people who didn't
realise where it went and may use it in future.


I'm thinking of people who regularly drive a route and see lots of buses,
but without paying enough attention to the route/destination displayed on
them to realise that they're the same route; who may see the consistency of
route branding and suddenly realise that their journey is possible by bus
having never considered it before.

As a real-world example; despite having a higher than average interest in
buses, I didn't realise there was a bus 2 or 3 times an hour between
Bristol and Wells, until I started using a garage part way along the route;
the "Mendip Explorer" buses are very smart
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/mendip-bus-route-named-one-1624469
and I can imagine someone who drives that route regularly in a car, seeing
the consistently branded buses and making a connection; then on a day when
their car is unavailable (in for service, or perhaps their partner is using
it) and they still want to make the journey, suddenly the bus is in their
mind as an option, where without the branding it may not have been.


Anna Noyd-Dryver