Presentation

One thing I look for when on my travels is the external presentation of buses. I’m very critical, especially of my own. Collectively, the industry spend thousands, millions perhaps, on designs and liveries and they need to be seen to best advantage by ensuring vehicles are kept clean. Invariably they are, though not in every case.

There have been many changes since the industry was deregulated and privatised in and around 1986. Appearances are important and one constant has tended to be smart, clean buses.

I nevertheless quickly weigh up those operators who get it right (almost) every time. For those areas I visit repeatedly, there’s usually a benchmark operator (and dare I say that this is likely to be my own?). If the benchmark vehicles are dirty through road grime then I can understand why others are in a similar state. If, however, the benchmark presentation is good and others less so, I give the others a mental black mark. If one operator can get its presentation right first time, why not every one?

With much salt on our main and distributor roads, slush, snow, melting ice and so on, it’s actually quite difficult at the moment to keep buses clean. Add frozen bus washes and water lines, in some parts. What starts as splatter behind each of the wheels soon spreads over the entire metalwork and, eventually, obscures passenger vision. Even benchmarked operators struggle at the moment.

What’s interesting is passenger reaction. Last week, I overheard three passengers bemoaning the state of their bus. They’re right to expect good presentation but I would bet that they only ever notice this sort of thing because it’s so rare. An analogy: in spite of performance related pay, appraisals and other incentives, there is still a temptation to treat colleagues & subordinates by what they don’t do rather than what they’ve achieved.

Indeed, I challenged the passengers (in the nicest sort of way, of course!). Yes, they were satisfied with the usual state of presentation. Yes, it was rare to find a mucky bus. Yes, they understood about the road conditions, so they said. Could not we clean the buses sometime during the day, though?

An interesting point. If a mucky bus draws attention to itself and its company in such a negative way, it just goes to show how essential presentation is.