Destigmatise

Better get used to the word “destigmatise” for we’re about to hear it more often. So far as buses are concerned, it’s going to become a maxim for the changes the industry needs to make to encourage car-owning middle classes aboard.

For, in spite of our recent post on Ethel Austin, it seems that the preconception that the bus is exclusively for those who are socially excluded or cannot afford a car is now wrong. Well, not wrong, but less accurate. Buses are becoming destigmatised.

In support of this, we have statistics from TAS. The consultancy concludes that the stereotypical view of the bus use needs to change. The scale of the London market may help. For in London buses are truly destigmatised, thanks principally to roadspace given over to the bus at the expense of the car.

A week ago, Stagecoach’s Brian Souter said, “We’ve destigmatised the buses and got the middle classes to us them—intelligently, along with their cars.” Indeed, outside London, Stagecoach has probably done more to destigmatise buses than any other. We’d content that in spite of Stagecoach growing its provincial market in the last five years by nearly nine times the 0.4 per cent average, this phenomenon is confined to certain routes or certain networks, such as Stagecoach Gold. Here, the Gold product continues to expand and see impressive results.

Others are using marketing flair, quality products and image to offer the sort of product that appeals to a broader socio-economic range. Relaunched, revamped, restocked and rebranded networks such as at Transdev Blazefield, Transdev Yellow Buses and Trent Barton help, as do routes such as Wilts & Dorset’s More Bus and First’s FTR.

In this destigmatisation, the industry’s had a few helping hands. Fuel increases from May 2008 drove considerable numbers of car users temporarily to the bus. Discretionary passengers chose a more sensible option for some of their journeys. Looking back over this short period, it really was an optimistic time.

Similarly, green issues have resulted in conscious decisions to travel by bus rather than by car if not for all journeys then at least for some.

Free travel has been a leveller that has been of as much benefit to the wealthier retired as it has others. Selective use of the bus rather than car has brought out the well heeled over 60s.

When Souter was speaking of destigmatisation, he did so in the Financial Times. Attitudinal changes are one thing but just don’t expect too many of the FT’s 76,000 readers to leave their BMWs and Mercedes behind. It’s one thing the middle classes trying the bus occasionally but quite another to expect the average FT reader to do so. One has to draw the line somewhere.