When it Comes Naturally

There are those operators who seem to struggle with the press. Wilts & Dorset’s a prime example. And there are those who’ve tended to master it. Spotlight on Transdev Yellow Buses. Why should one operator get a poorer deal when its neighbour does much better? Perception, a strong network of services and hard work.

A valued comment on yesterday's post by W&D PR man Chris Harris (hiya Chris) pointed out that W&D had actually consulted via Facebook on child fares changes and was in the process of launching a new initiative before it was hijacked by the Echo. therefore only *appeared* that W&D was on the back foot. And this illustrate the point: the public at large saw this as a negative, defensive rear guard reaction by W&D rather than the initiative it was. A good piece of PR was sabotaged by the very press that these days thrives on press releases. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory is very galling. It’s happened to me, more than once.

This happens to a lesser extent with TYB. Is this because the press prefers TYB or because TYB puts more effort into getting its press image right? Of course, TYB will be acutely aware that one slip, just one, can jeopardise a string of past press successes. It doesn’t take much for the press to turn. They will always sense a story where there’s a human interest attached. Woe betide an operator whose driver fails to pick up a pregnant woman off the street and give her a quick ride.

To TYB’s credit, till the recession, it’s seen phenomenal growth. The percentage of satisfied customers therefore well outstrips complainants. TYB sob stories are few and far between, these days. The W&D network is less robust, overall. So, here lies one significant difference with W&D: the perception from Poole is one of either a static or even a declining operation when compared to TYB’s forward business model. Rightly or wrongly, TYB’s seen as being ahead of its game where the press is concerned. Whatever is actually happening, the perception is that the press is anti-W&D, something born out by a further comment to yesterday's post. And, locals will remember the winter head wear issue hitting the headlines.

Much of TYB’s success is its relationship with the press itself and the effort TYB puts in. Its decision to increase the 24 Alum Chine-Westcliff-Bournemouth-Castlepoint from every hour to half hourly, even at peak—in spite of marginal passenger numbers, it has to be said—is an obvious candidate for a good news story in itself. TYB’s agents then went the extra mile by corralling over 35 regulars to attend the press launch. That’s almost a midibus-full of passengers. It would be nice to see this many on the 24 at any one time, though.

TYB’s also been busy sticking people on the sides of its buses, in its own “I’m on the Bus”-style campaign entitled “My Bus. My Town. My Choice”. Nothing especially remarkable except that it managed to trump neighbour W&D, whose Go Ahead sister operation thought of the idea. Even here, it’s managed to harness the power of the local media, this time running the campaign in conjunction with the radio station we will always know as 2CR.

Where Best Impressions and TYB diverge is in the application of the images on the Versas and Tempos. TYB’s seem to have a ghostly white halo. Most people probably don’t notice it but for those more used to Stenning, it does rather grate as if someone hasn’t quite cut them out properly.