Ticket To Ride: Is The Price Right?

Start a discussion on the price of bus or train tickets and you’re guaranteed all sorts of opinions.

The popular press like to use strong, emotive phrases such as “eye-watering” to sell their papers, and there is a huge, underlying suspicion that those companies involved in running our buses and trains are profiteering, in much the way they suspect other public utilities are.

In Britain, much is made of the cost of peak-time walk up fares on the railway. It’s true to say that, particularly for those that don’t use the mode very often, the price is often astonishing. Yet, whilst the general impression is that we have “the most expensive train fares in Europe” (cue the usual list of media suspects, especially when the fares go up again soon) far less is made of the fact that we also have some of the cheapest fares in Europe. Yes, you have to be quite flexible in your travel arrangements and trawl around the internet a lot, but I often get a £6 single via Chiltern Railways from London Marylebone back to Stourbridge Junction. A two mile taxi ride from Stourbridge back home will cost me more than that! Yes, there’s a lot to be done to simplify the way we make online bookings to make the process easier, but the fact is that, whilst our eyeballs might bulge at some fares, we can barely believe the cheapness of others.

On buses, fare prices are always a talking point – but often for unfair reasons.

In the West Midlands, you’ll usually pay £1.90 if you hop on a bus for a single fare. More raised eyebrows, particularly amongst non-regular users. But actually, the West Midlands has, traditionally, some of the cheapest fares anywhere in the country. Maybe the bus industry should do more to directly compare the price of its fares to a similar journey, say, by car. £1.90 actually gets you a good distance – Birmingham to Wolverhampton, Dudley – Stourbridge, for example. How about comparing that to what a car journey might cost if you throw in everything involved such as fuel, tax, insurance, maintenance, etc? There is always a feeling that “once you’ve paid for it”, the car doesn’t cost anything more. And I often hear the argument that people prefer their own space. Common views, but as our roads get more and more congested, none of us are going anywhere fast – the bus is increasingly going to provide the answer to much of this, and the industry needs to increasingly spend time consistently maintaining and improving the “offer” – and this includes how much it costs to ride.

Far from the afore-mentioned feeling of profiteering on the part of the operators, running buses these days is an ever-increasing challenge for the bean counters. Costs are ever increasing and subsidies are ever reducing. If running buses was ever a cash cow, it certainly ain’t now!

A friend maintains that, if bus operators would only drop their prices, all of their problems would be solved. A simple solution, on the face of it. A bit of supermarket pricing policy in the bus world?

If Sainsburys offer tins of spaghetti at half price, is there a mad battle around the spaghetti stand? Half price bus journeys resulting in queues to get on? What about supply and demand? Bus operators have seen this effect before with the introduction of concessionary passes. Buses full, bums on seats, but swelling coffers? And what if there is a need to provide more buses to cope with demand? Is the resource there? Will the cost of operating the second bus make the whole process worthwhile? OK, maybe the concessionary pass example isn’t the best to use. Operators aren’t getting the full single ticket price as reimbursement for carrying the concessionary pass holder for a start, but in the world of bus operation – and particularly smaller operators – life is difficult at the moment, and every penny counts. One small operator in the West Midlands has told me that they are not yet willing to join the new “Swift” Smartcard system because of concerns about reimbursement. This has to be overcome – and I have no doubt it will be – but the point is made.

There is some interesting research by UITP – the International Association of Public Transport.

They reckon that an average reduction of 10% in fare levels brings a 3% increase in patronage. So any reduction in fares has to be got right. For many operators, such a move will be a huge gamble, but First appear to be trying some of this.

On some of their Manchester network, fares have been slashed by up to 25%. Is this, perhaps, an admission that they were seen as too high to start with? It will be interesting to see if this move bears fruit.

Back at UITP, they have just launched “2025 – PTx2”. The campaign has laudable aims – raising awareness of the need for more and better public transport. Its stated aim is to double the market share for public transport worldwide by 2025. Given the current state of world finances, this would seem but a pipe dream – not only does this appear to call for major investment, but also to change the mindset of politicians to believe in the potential of public transport more.

But – by golly! – this is EXACTLY the type of focus that is needed!

UITP Secretary General Alain Flausch says “with this campaign, we want to change the perception of public transport from a necessary evil to a preferred choice”.

Perhaps surprisingly, in stark contrast to First’s move, UITP is suggesting RAISING fares. It argues that “providing better quality through charging higher fares brings more customers, and more revenue, to public transport”.

But are people willing to pay more for a higher quality service?

On the railways, the vexed question of “First Class” amongst the “masses” always raises a viewpoint. There are those who would see First Class dropped and everyone travel as one. Yet Chiltern Railways reckon their “Business Zone” (wider seats, more legroom, etc) is going well. Maybe passengers ARE willing to shell out more for extra comfort on longer journeys, but the equivalent on buses?

UITP’s suggestion is to raise the fare little and often, to create financial stability. Would this work in Britain? The media are quick to latch on to fare increases, especially if they happen more than once per year. In the West Midlands, we see the bus fares go up, usually, once per year. It makes the front pages and sends out a negative image – often unnecessarily – of the local bus service. Improving quality is, without doubt, a vital goal, and whilst I see the logic, I’m not entirely convinced that such an idea will work.

I’m also intrigued to see whether First’s “opposite” approach of lowering fares is also a worthwhile model. Of course everyone wants things cheaper, but ultimately, will the figures stack up?

Will the way we actually physically pay for journeys have an effect as we move to cashless systems more and more? Handing over £1.90 to a bus driver in coins is a powerful thing. If you had to do that every time you got behind the wheel of a car, would motorists feel differently about things? What about, in the future, if we flipped the scenario on its head? Motorists paying to use roads in a very physical sense, and public transport users using smartcards that don’t require the jangling of coins, but a mere swipe of a card.

I feel free in London with my Oyster card. Much more than in most other parts of the country. Of course I am still paying for my journey in some form, but it feels different. Smartcards are really going to change attitudes about travelling using public transport. And if those journeys are cheaper than by physically paying cash (as they are in London), you feel like you’re getting a bargain too!

My view is that public transport needs a much more level playing field. Priority on the road wherever possible, easy to use, attractive, competitively priced, and, ultimately, a distinct advantage over the car.

The actual price of using public transport needs to be seen clearly in context to motoring. The quality aspect as mentioned by UITP is also fundamental. We’re seeing new buses aplenty in the West Midlands, for example, and these are very welcome, raising the image bar. But keeping them, and existing older vehicles presentable is something that needs continuous work. Pleasing as it is to see regular cleaning on some buses throughout the day in Wolverhampton whilst buses are actually in service, this needs a huge increase to drive home both the upgraded quality and the actual visibility of someone carrying out the work. It says that public transport really matters, and that the industry is pulling out all the stops to provide that.

There is much to be won – and the price of tickets is only a part of the story. 

Buses "Beating Stress"

Although I'm a car owner, I'm - of course - a huge advocate of public transport.
Myriad reasons for this, but I often refer to the added bonus of getting from A to B on a bus, train or tram. You'll often find me updating my Facebook or Twitter, replying to email, reading (the transport trade press usually!) or simply gazing out of the window at things I can appreciate rather than concentrating on the road ahead. There's also a lot to be said for the down-time of simply day-dreaming - possible on public transport, more difficult driving a car!
So this little piece that appeared on Bus Users UK's Facebook page really backs up my theory about bus passengers being the more relaxed and healthier of the travelling species!

Bus travel 'a third less stressful than driving the car'

New research shows that taking the bus (instead of the car) can reduce mental stress by a third.

The study by Dr David Lewis from The University of Sussex, who coined the term “road rage”, found that motorists face a hidden mental health impact from the stresses of driving, while bus travel can produce long-term health benefits.



Fo

r the experiment, the heart rate and EDR (Electro-Dermal Response) of 30 commuters was measured when taking similar journeys by car and bus. The findings reveal a vast difference in EDR, a form of biophysical measurement that Dr Lewis describes as an excellent indicator of mental stress.



When examining the EDR results, the experiment found that taking the car produced significantly greater amounts of stress than taking the bus, which was 33% less stressful.



“EDR can be a hidden stress – it’s not as visible as ‘white knuckle driving’ or audible as road rage. This type of stress can have long-term physiological and emotional implications. Boarding a bus can produce significant long-term health benefits,” said Dr Lewis.



Dr David Lewis says there are three key factors that reduce the attraction and increase the stresses of driving a car.



1. Driving in heavy traffic – especially against a deadline – requires a high level of vigilance, even for experienced motorists. This requires the brain to work especially hard processing a myriad of incoming information and making, often split-second, decisions.



2. Congestion and delays can raise blood pressure and physical tension which may manifest itself as ‘road rage’, a term coined by Dr Lewis in 1985 to describe the explosive outbursts of anger shown by some motorists. Increases in blood pressure can have serious long-term health consequences as well as causing drivers sometimes to take reckless and foolish decisions behind the wheel.



3. A sense of frustration of ‘wasting one’s life’ behind the wheel of the car, unable to do anything more productive than casual conversations or listening to the radio. On a bus it is possible to fill the time more profitably by doing some work or reading.



He also notes that trained, professional bus drivers are skilled in negotiating the challenges of the road, and the relief of trusting someone else to be in charge of the journey, is a key part of what makes taking the bus less stressful.



“This study shows that driving in congested traffic, now outweighs any previous benefits that driving in a private car once gave,” said Dr Lewis.

Lobbying My MP

It all came about as a result of a Facebook conversation.
My MP - Chris Kelly (Dudley South) - is a regular on the social media. And whilst he was bizarrely pictured in some long grass (not a metaphor for his chances of promotion - rather he wanted it cut), another update caught my eye. He wasn't a supporter of HS2.
Why not, queried I?
"Cost".
I felt a longer debate coming on, but he was keen to discuss it more in depth at one of his constituency surgeries, and I agreed. Sometimes, despite all of the advantages of social media, a more face-to-face discussion is more appropriate. Is "lobbying your MP" old hat? Or is it more important than ever?
I'm not a politician-basher. I'm probably in the minority in this country where I still believe MPs go into the job for the right reasons. I've interviewed enough of them on my radio show to get that impression.
So I believe it's important, if you believe passionately in something, to understand your MP's view on the topic.
It's probably fair to say that Chris Kelly MP knows my view on public transport already. His father, Chris Kelly Senior, owns a truck dealership and is all for roads. I've had a few "debates" with him over the years on the letters pages of local newspapers. But what of his son?
MPs are decision-makers. Or they're close to the ones that do. I don't subscribe to the view that politics and politicians aren't relevant in people's lives. Politics is in everything we do - and especially so in transport.
I was disappointed but not surprised to hear Chris's views.
On HS2 he thought it akin to Concorde - only to be used by those who could afford it. And the West Coast Main Line didn't seem to be an issue capacity-wise, in his opinion. He made the point that a family of 4 coming to visit him at Westminster faced a hefty bill for train fares - and for people who don't regularly travel by rail turning up for a walk-on fare via Virgin, it's a point that is well made and understood. For all of the cheap fares you can obtain by booking in advance, a walk-up fare for some journeys astonishes many people.
Would he "rebel" when it comes to the vote on HS2? In true politician-speak, he avoided that question, but it was clear that the people of Dudley South won't be having the support of their MP if they want HS2! To be fair, HS2 isn't a burning issue in these parts, unlike some of the constituencies where it will pass through. But nonetheless HS2 IS important to the Black Country - for reasons far more wide-ranging than simply getting people to London "a few minutes quicker" (which I corrected him on) - the whole issue of capacity on the existing network is vital to our long-term rail system in the West Midlands as well as new journey opportunities, and the chance to get more freight onto the tracks (might affect the long-term objectives of a certain truck retailer?)
Locally, what about buses?
The Black Country - like many other areas of the country - suffers from chronic traffic congestion at many times of the day. Chris even admitted he'd sat in nose to tail traffic to get to his surgery this evening.
I asked him how he could possibly be happy with that situation.
He made the point about "choice". It's all about giving people the choice about how they get from A to B. Reliability was an issue, but how could buses be more reliable if they were stuck in traffic?
The point was made by Chris that if buses were more reliable, more attractive and ticketing was simpler (the London Oyster was quoted - which we're getting a version of in Centro-land very soon) people would choose to use buses more. We're seeing large-scale investment in new vehicles by the Region's largest operator National Express West Midlands - all good, positive stuff - but it's still only one part of the overall jigsaw.
All very laudable (and an argument I've heard many times over the years), but, as in London, modal-shift has been in action due to a carrot and stick approach. Give the bus the advantage - via bus lanes, for example - and there can be no better advertisement for getting people out of their cars onto the bus.
I accept that, here in Dudley, it's different to London. We don't have lots of places where bus priority can be implemented, but then again, we don't appear to have the politicians - locally or nationally - who seriously want to see something done about the traffic congestion which blights our daily lives. The example Chris gave was an idea to implement a new traffic scheme in nearby Pensnett, which would give much freer access to the trading estate and allow freight to access the motorway network much easier (I wonder who else has been lobbying him!)
I don't accept Chris's analysis that "for most people, getting around by car is their only option". Yes, we have a huge challenge to "sell" public transport - as well as cycling and walking - as an alternative option, and of course people's journeys are often more complicated than we think, but the challenge is to create a situation where these alternative modes are seriously considered - and I admit we're not there by any stretch of the imagination yet. Centro is about to embark on a large-scale project - "Smart Network: Smarter Choices" which will attempt to address some of these issues. Whilst it's a challenge to change perceptions of public transport and other alternatives to the car, the will is there to try from Centro.
The other challenge - for everyone who is an advocate of public transport - is to challenge their MP to think about these issues. Public transport is about as exciting as utility bills for those who don't live and breathe it! Myself and other commentators on public transport talk about "making it sexy" - a talking point that gets it into people's thinking.
Whilst we must convince others that thinking about alternatives to the car isn't being "anti-car", we must always engage politicians - local and national - to think differently about public transport, and the difference it can make to congestion and getting around.
Chris talked about Centro lacking discussion about roads themselves. He may have a point, as he appears to see them as having a vested interest in promoting buses trains and trams (of course they do!) but the discussion has to embrace EVERYTHING about how we all move around from A to B (as well as C & D).
Was my 15 minutes with my MP successful? Who can tell? Getting better public transport is an ongoing process that never ends. The point is that we keep moving forward to achieve this, and part of the huge jigsaw that this involves is talking to people that matter. And whatever your views on politicians, they ultimately DO matter in the scheme of things. They are one of many people advocates of public transport need to talk to again and again and again to underline the importance of this industry and what it does for millions of people every day.
As for Chris Kelly MP, I'll keep talking to him, face-to-face, via social media or any via any other avenue. So long as he is my MP, he is one of many people who can make a difference. And as someone who wants the best public transport we can achieve he knows I will!

Taking The Bus Driver Challenge!

When National Express West Midlands asked if I'd like to try my hand at driving a bus, what was I to say? 

I write about them, monitor them, ride them endlessly, take pictures of them, read about them.....but DRIVE one? 

There were 4 brave souls from Bus Users UK who were up for the challenge. After a quick briefing at NXWM's training centre at Walsall Garage, we were taken out into the large training area, marked out with various cones and kerb-style mock ups. Just as well it was large - there were other trainees going through their paces, and whilst they were doing it for real, we all felt slightly apprehensive about getting behind the wheel! 

Our Instructor team split us into 2 pairs. We had a double decker Metrobus and an ex National Express Volvo coach as our vehicles. 

Me and my partner had the Metrobus first. I recognised this as the former "Timesaver" 2951 - a bus I'm sure I've ridden on in much younger days. 

"Who's going first?" shouted the Instructor. It appeared that I had no choice in the matter! 

I had the course explained to me - a bit like a bus version of an obstacle course - littered with cones in all sorts of pretty shapes and sizes. Foot on brake, select "drive", handbrake off, then, like my own automatic car, releasing the footbrake, the classic 80s decker rolled into action. 

I gently touched the accelerator and that familiar Metrobus roar appeared as I gingerly made my way towards the first "challenge" - the mock up kerb. 

"Don't forget the wheels are behind you", reminded the Instructor, as I edged towards my fictitious kerb, with possibly fictitious passengers. 

I didn't do too badly "for a first attempt", apparently, (although I think the Instructor was possibly being kind), as I headed towards challenge number 2 - the chicane. 

Weaving in and out of cones (without mangling them in the back wheels) was completed (without any mangling), and then a diagonal run (avoiding other trainees in their large white steeds) leading to a full left-hand lock, bringing me to challenge number 3 - lining up the back wheels in between two cones. 

"About 6 inches out" said the Instructor. Hey, what's 6 inches amongst friends?! 

The final challenge was the scariest! 2 lines of cones tapering in to 2 final large cones either side of the vehicle, which were positioned just about wide enough to get the bus through.  The secret was to watch the right -hand mirror, get the bus dead straight - and then don't move the steering wheel! Having been hugely tempted to pull the wheel all over the place, I listened intently to the Instructor's advice - and I managed to get through - without any injured cones! 

We swapped teams, Instructors and vehicles - now I was behind the wheel of the Volvo coach. The brakes certainly worked as I applied them for the first time! We repeated the assault course in our new vehicles and then the big test - our Instructor was going to mark us! Aaarrrggghhh!! No advice, no comments, nothing. 

Round the course one more time, trundling with the coach at no more than 10mph - the poor vehicle had once had the prestige of gliding down the motorway but now she had me - proving that the brakes very much worked every few moments! 

I managed to squeeze the coach through the tiny tapered cone arrangement one more time and spun her round, parking her next to the Metrobus which contained our other pairing. 

The moment of truth was very much like an X-Factor moment and in classic 3-2-1 countdown - I'd won with the scores on the doors, to raucous laughter and cheesy grins! We'd all had a lot of fun! 

Apart from a hugely enjoyable afternoon testing our skills behind the wheels of our mighty vehicles, what had we learnt? 

Well, in much the same way that I learnt to drive the Stourbridge Shuttle Class 139 Railcar, I can tell you that it is a lot more challenging than it looks! The real trainees face lots of theory tests and numerous practical ones before they can be let out onto the streets. It may look relatively easy but it requires huge amounts of concentration at all times - and it's very different to driving a car! 

Catching a bus is something most people don't really think about - and shouldn't have to. But driving such a large vehicle, in traffic, thinking not only about what you're doing, but the actions of others, whilst having up to 70+ people behind you is a huge, continuous responsibility. 

Apart from having a hugely enjoyable and fun afternoon, my "driver experience" has helped me to appreciate what skills bus drivers have and what an excellent job they do every day across the highways and byways of our country. 

Thanks to National Express West Midlands and the Training School at Walsall Garage for a fascinating afternoon. 

The Prince's Trust - Inspiring Young Lives In Transport

It's easy to get despondent. 

Only a few weeks ago, a friend remarked to me that he was glad he wasn't growing up these days - and I agreed with him. Young people face a lot of pressure in the World today, trying to make sense of it all, and the lack of jobs, or opportunities to gain experience must be a difficult dilemma to face. 

I was delighted, however, to attend an event at Centro House recently that was different to the usual transport gatherings I pop up at! 

The Prince's Trust "Get Into Transport" programme was, I confess, something I didn't know too much about, but I was very pleased that I attended. 

The scheme has been running for 3 years, and is managed by Centro, with it's partners Virgin Trains and - new for this year - National Express West Midlands. 

It was good to hear how, for the young people involved, the experience had been an overwhelmingly positive one, working, for example, on board Virgin's trains, and inside National Express West Midlands' bus garages, as well as some admin experience at Centro. Often, the people the Prince's Trust help have struggled to find employment, and it is all too apparent that lack of employment or hope after finishing school can often quickly turn to a downward spiral of hopelessness, knocking people's confidence and building on the fears of a "lost generation" of young people who are unemployed, and often unemployable. 

Seeing the 10 young people talking about their experiences was a joy. The World of public transport may not always immediately appear exciting (for me, a 5am start on the Stourbridge Shuttle is sometimes challenging!), but it is a great industry to work in, and so important to millions of people's lives every day. It was clear that their experiences had been very much positive ones - it had given them a sense of purpose, from which bigger and better things will grow. 

A few of them will go on to a longer-term placement with some of the partners to expand further their skills and progress in the world of transport

This scheme isn't going to change the World overnight, but it was so pleasing to see that the public transport industry is joining other industries in working with The Prince's Trust to offer what it can to tackle some of the real difficulties faced by our young people today. If some of them find work and a career in public transport, the partners can be very proud of their efforts. 

Nottingham's Competition for Passengers

I found myself in Nottingham for a few hours yesterday. It's always a pleasure to be here if you're an advocate of good public transport.
Riding the trams is a great reminder of how important and popular a good tram system is. My quick trip up to Hucknall was packed, even in the middle of the day, and the friendly staff looked happy enough in their work, offering passengers (including me) who asked, the choice of a tram day ticket or a "Kangaroo" (all buses, trams and trains in Greater Nottingham). The only slight downside was the dreaded contra-vision on the windows! I also think the conductors would look smarter if they wore a uniform instead of the more casual pullover as attire. The whole tram publicity appears to have had a subtle makeover to make it "softer" and more attractive, with the emphasis on "gliding" (instead of "riding") the system. (It looks very much like a Ray Stenning / Best Impressions production).
On the buses, the on-street competition fascinates me. The Competition Commission must be delighted with what goes on here. NCT and TrentBarton are the big players here, but there is also activity from Premiere and YourBus. What is also interesting is that the standard from all 4 is extremely high - no room for downmarket 20 year-old vehicles in this City! (Although the Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme - the first in the country - might well have something to do with that!)
The battle for "Brand Loyalty" is probably the most fierce as I've seen anywhere in the UK. Premiere takes on TrentBarton over several of their corridors and offers, on the face of it, cheaper fares. There is also a plethora of "deals" to wed passengers to the smaller operator. But TrentBarton have the extraordinary "Mango" smartcard product which offers very significant discounts compared to cash fares (and in turn, cheaper than Premiere on some examples), and is promoted very heavily. It's a very hard competitive battle in this City! I hardly noticed any advertising for the Kangaroo (all operator) ticket anywhere except on the tram (although I didn't have time to ride on any NCT buses to see their version of ticket promotions).
Whilst Premiere offer an undeniably good service (apart from one journey which failed to materialise), TrentBarton's offering is as good as it gets anywhere I've seen in the UK. I recommend anyone wishing to see an excellent model of how to run a bus service to visit "trentbartonland"  (as they call it!) to sample it for themselves.
There is a huge amount of branding going on across all of the operators and I never once saw the "wrong" bus on the "wrong route" - even though TrentBarton ran a couple of "standard" liveried buses on some routes, it was made very clear which services they were.
I shall return to the City for a more in-depth look as to why it is one of the UK's leading public transport cities in the near future, but it is certainly a scenario to discuss within the wider debate about whether areas need "Quality Contracts" or if deregulation of the buses actually worked or not (not a simple question to ever answer!). Here is a City with some of the best public transport in the UK - and all done in a deregulated environment.

Unintended Consequences?

Boarding a bus in Wolverhampton quite late the other night, I soon became aware of an all too familiar event.
The driver of the bus (not National Express West Midlands) was refusing to accept a day ticket issued by NXWM. The holders of these tickets were 2 young-ish looking girls.
In the end, although I couldn't quite see or hear the discussion in great detail, there appeared to be some resolution to the conflict and we departed, still with the 2 girls on board.
But my journey home was filled with contemplation about the unintended consequences of this not irregular scene.
From the driver's perspective, he's damned whatever he does.
Accept the rival operator's ticket and he's lost his own company some revenue. Kick off the girls and there's a moral issue. No one would wish there to be a repeat of what happened in Nottingham in recent times when a girl was refused a ride home because she couldn't pay the full fare, which resulted in dreadful circumstances. The driver in that instance was roundly condemned in the media, but we don't know the full story.
Moral dilemmas such as this are difficult for the driver. Of course there are people who will "try it on". I see evidence of this when I'm working on the railway. But what about people who have inadvertently purchased the wrong ticket?
Passenger Focus has raised a not dissimilar issue about tickets on the railway. Offers are plentiful and cheap deals to be had, if you can be flexible about your times and dates. But it makes a lot of people's heads spin! And many aren't convinced they've got the best ticket for their journey.
On the buses, there is much to be considered about the issue on the late night Wolverhampton service.
OK, the girls should have bought an n-bus, which allows all-operator travel. But that is an awfully easy thing for me to say, who eats and breathes public transport.
National Express West Midlands' DaySaver is a very successful commercial product. Effective, bold marketing - on bus, and even all over the side of some of their new buses - obviously helps the cause. A bargain £3.80, it is used by many passengers every day. And when you consider the main single fare is £1.90, you're effectively getting all day NX travel for the price of what would be a return ticket.
NXWM is by far the largest operator in the area - and that isn't always a bad thing for the consumer. We may talk about choice and competition - and that is another argument for another day - but the NXWM network is huge and comprehensive. Chances are, at least during the daytime, you'll get where you want to be by using their services.
Centro's all-operator offering - n-bus - is only 20p more expensive, but allows use on most other bus operators as well as NX. Although sales of this product are rising, I still encounter much unawareness of n-bus. It is advertised in Centro's "Network West Midlands" corporate style, but to my mind, it isn't as "in your face" as the NXWM promotion of DaySaver. I'm certainly no marketing expert, but Daysaver appears to be far more known as a product than the all-operator version.
The competition authorities are probably pleased such market-forces exist. A choice between 2 products to suit personal needs. And they do. I'm by no means knocking NXWM's DaySaver product - it's marketed well, is well-used, and is a great value ticket offering excellent value.
And yet I wonder about the impression that has been left on the girls the other night, and of countless others who have come across this situation. Public transport is a maze for many. Timetables, routes, tickets - none of it is easy for many. It's a bit like me being asked to change my broadband supplier - I know there's lots of choice and I'd probably get a better deal. But I never get around to it because, a) it doesn't really interest me and b) I prefer the easy life! Do some people see the "offer" and deposit their £3.80 for a bargain ticket because they see "unlimited bus journeys"? You bet they do! Are they aware that for 20p more they can have "unlimited bus journeys - but by any operator"? Maybe some are, but for many, they aren't. The inevitable problem with the driver of the non-NXWM driver will leave them with a negative image of bus travel - one we could do without.
So what's the answer? Do away with operator-specific tickets and just have all-operator ones? It works in London! But London has different rules. And let's not even start to discuss the merits (or otherwise) of how franchising (or "Quality Contracts") might address this!
No, the answer is....there isn't really an answer! NXWM aren't about to give up DaySaver - it's a commercial success for them - and a great value ticket for it's legion of happy users. Their income from participation in n-bus isn't as great. And I'm not suggesting that they're forced to ditch DaySaver. For those that only use that ticket, who am I to suggest that they pay more to accommodate journeys on other operators that they may never use?
Maybe more aggressive marketing of n-bus to raise awareness higher? (A suggestion I put to Centro today).
To many people a bus is a bus is a bus. If they buy a DaySaver during the day, go out and return to find another operator on their route on an evening, is it their fault for not researching that fact in advance - especially if they are not a regular user? What price do we put on a "bad experience" of a "humiliation" by the driver, in front of an audience of onlookers?
Buses should be easy to use and understand. That is the simple crux of the matter for all of us who advocate more use of the mode. Sometimes it isn't easy to articulate, and in the case of the "wrong ticket" it is an unintended consequence of what ought to be a decent example of consumer choice for the user. A bad experience on the bus shouldn't be part of the plan, but a solution that suits all parties may be more difficult to find.