Catch the Bus Week 2016 Information Pack May 2016
Contents 1. Catch the Bus Week 2016 2. Getting involved in Catch the Bus Week 2016 3. During Catch the Bus Week 2015 4. Inspiration for Catch the Bus Week 2016 5. Catch the Bus Week in numbers 6. Key messages 7. Supportive facts for Catch the Bus Week 2016 8. Tweet bank for Catch the Bus Week 2016 9. About Greener Journeys 10. Contact information 11. Posters
1. Catch the Bus Week 2016 What is it? Catch the Bus Week is an annual celebration of the bus organised by Greener Journeys, to recognise the importance of buses to the UK s transport mix. It aims to increase awareness of the benefits of bus travel and encourage people who don t usually think of catching the bus to leave their cars at home and give it a try. When is it? 4th to 10th July, 2016 Why is it important? Buses are Britain s most widely used mode of public transport, but despite being absolutely vital to our society and our economy, the media and the public rarely give them the recognition they deserve. Buses carry millions of people to work, places of education, town centres and to visit friends and family. It is important to remind people of how integral they are to our way of life and the positive impact they have on our communities, while boosting local shops and businesses and tackling the problems of road congestion and carbon emissions. During Catch the Bus Week, we aim to help people discover the benefits of taking the bus in a fun, accessible and often headline-grabbing way. We aim to show people that the bus is for everyone and challenge their perceptions about buses, with the ultimate aim of encouraging them to change their travel behaviour in the long term. What is the role of Greener Journeys in Catch the Bus Week 2016? The strength of Catch the Bus Week is in building relationships between operators and their local communities, so all national and local marketing activity must be the responsibility of individual operators, local authorities and supporters, who are best placed to understand what will capture the imagination of people in their local area. Greener Journeys supports this activity by providing a framework of collateral which can be used by all participants including messaging, logos, information and supporting materials about the campaign. Greener Journeys will also be coordinating a launch event and national PR and social media activity. The development of marketing such as promotional events and competitions and the development of other supporting materials is the responsibility of individual supporters but Greener Journeys asks partners to keep us informed of any local activity so that we can amplify its reach through our social media channels under the wider Catch the Bus Week umbrella. Is there a website? Yes, www.catchthebusweek.co.uk acts as a central source for key information about the week, on both a local and national level. Can I get involved? The more the merrier! The success of Catch the Bus Week relies upon the involvement of bus operators, councils, passenger transport executives and other interested parties in raising awareness about the campaign and the benefits of bus travel. With your help, we will ensure that we spread the word even further and louder than last year!
2. Getting involved in Catch the Bus Week 2016 There are lots of exciting ways you can get involved in Catch the Bus Week 2016 including: Run your own Catch the Bus Week promotion, event or competition Contact your local bus company or passenger transport executive to find out what activities or promotions will be taking place near you and how you can get involved Promote Catch the Bus Week 2016 in your local area through local media, online, through newsletters and in your offices Promote Catch the Bus Week 2016 via your own channels - through twitter, Facebook, blogs and newsletters - while always using the hashtag #CTBW so that we can collate and highlight the social media reach of the campaign Challenge people in your community to switch one car journey to a bus journey during the campaign Catch the bus during the campaign and tell us about it! Email, tweet or send us facebook photos of you travelling by bus - Email: greenerjourneys@mhpc.com - Twitter: @GreenerJourneys - Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenerjourneys If you have a great idea about how to promote Catch the Bus Week 2016 that we haven t mentioned here, please get in touch and tell us all about it on greenerjourneys@mhpc.com. We d love to support and promote your activity so let us know what you have planned, and please send us any pictures or information during the week so that we can spread the word! 3. A look back at Catch the Bus Week 2015 Last year s campaign was hugely successful, with a wide variety of activity across the country and a notable uplift in the number of people catching the bus all over the UK. Almost 250 bus operators, passenger bodies, local authorities and individuals participated in Catch the Bus Week last year and there was a whole range of fantastic activity during the week, including: 23 MPs taking part in bus surgeries, visiting bus depots and tweeting their support for the week Bus selfie competitions up and down the country Bus ticket giveaways and offers, with taster sessions designed to get people on the bus Competitions to design the perfect school bus, and operators teaching pupils the benefits of taking the bus A range of mascots celebrating the week from Rocky the Bus to Mr Smart Bus themed dance troupes Radio shows presented live on-board from buses
4. Inspiration for Catch the Bus Week 2016 For hands-on inspiration, we ve pulled together some practical tips for exciting and engaging ways to get involved. Perfect for schools and local authorities, these ideas are just some examples of activity that has worked in the past, are easy to implement, and will be successful in getting people involved in the week. Get in touch with your local MPs and Councillors and encourage them to hold surgeries on a bus Take a school trip by bus during Catch the Bus Week Run a social media campaign in your area encouraging people and students to take pictures, tweet about their favourite bus routes and shoot vines of the view from the top deck. Remember to use #CTBW Hold a local art competition to design a bus stop, with the winning entry recreated on a prominent bus stop in your area Partner with a local operator to run a competition for free bus tickets. Competitions could be for the best bus selfie, the most inventive way of celebrating #CTBW or correctly answering tricky bus trivia on Twitter Run a bus safety lesson at school, encouraging secondary school students to take the bus for a week, rather than getting a lift Partner with a local operator to organise a school or nursery visit to the local bus depot. Use the week to promote good bus safety and the advantages of taking the bus! Most importantly, whatever you plan to do, promote it! Let us know what you re doing to celebrate Catch the Bus Week via email or social media, and we can help amplify your efforts. - Email: greenerjourneys@mhpc.com - Twitter: @GreenerJourneys - Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenerjourneys If you have any questions or thoughts about ways in which you would like to get involved, please get in touch and we can talk you through your plans. Just email us on greenerjourneys@mhpc.com.
5. Catch the Bus Week in numbers Nearly 250 supporters last year #CTBW and #CTBW2015 achieved 4,222,920 impressions in 2015 37 Engaged with MPs and even more local politicians 3 Catch the Bus Weeks so far 1.5 million radio listeners encouraged to hop out the car and take the bus
6. Key messages Greener Journeys has developed a number of key messages which we can be used to talk about the campaign in the media or public materials. Ensuring consistency of messaging will help to maximise effectiveness of the week across all communication platforms.
Sources 1) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by Dr David Lewis of the University of Sussex, September 2010 2) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by Dr David Lewis of Mind Lab International, September 2011 3) Research commissioned by Institute of Advanced Motorists, December 2013 4) Greener Journeys, Cost and benefits of the Bus Service Operators Grant, 2014 5) Institute for Transport Studies, Buses and Economic Growth, 2012 6) Office of National Statistics, Driving licence holding and vehicle availability, 2012 7) Greener Journeys, A Roadmap to Growth, 2015 8) Research commissioned by Webuyanycar.com, November 2013 9) Greener Journeys, The Road to a Carbon Efficient Britain, 2009 10) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, February 2016 11) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by Mindlab International, June 2015
7. Supportive facts for Catch the Bus Week 2016 Bus and coach travel key facts Five billion bus journeys are made annually in Great Britain 1, with one billion to or from work 2 Bus passenger journeys make up over two thirds of all public transport usage 3 1,245 bus companies operate in England, Scotland and Wales 4 An average of 85% of bus passengers are satisfied overall with bus services in England 5 Switching just one car journey in 25, or once a month to bus or coach, can remove one billion car 6 journeys from our roads and result in a reduction of 2m tonnes of CO 2 The average number of people in a coach is 32 compared to 1.58 in a car 7 5% of CO 2 is produced by bus compared to 60% from passenger car trips of the UK road transport sector 8 Buses are vital to improving air quality. The latest models deliver a 95% reduction in NOx emissions compared with 2009 bus models. 15 Bus users and their economic contribution key facts The UK s 88,683 buses and coaches deliver 5.2 billion passenger journeys amounting to 18.1 billion miles each year. 15 A fifth of businesses considered the bus to be central to their business operations 2 With 1.4 billion shopping trips per year and an average spend of 29.66, this gives a total estimated retail spend by bus users in the UK of 21 billion 2 With 471 million leisure trips and an average spend of 26.26, the total estimated spend on leisure activities facilitated by bus is 6.2 billion 2 The combined retail and leisure spend of bus users is 27.2 billion of which 21.5 billion is spent in town or city centres 2 Centre for Cities research showed that smart investments such as improved access to city centres can add up to 25% more benefit to the local economy 9 Nearly a third of businesses would like to see better transport links with other cities and around a quarter would like to see improvements to public transport 10 Every 1 spent on free bus travel for older and disabled people generates over 2.87 of benefits for society and the wider economy 13 Free bus passes deliver considerably in excess of 1.7 billion in annual net benefits by enabling older people to lead more active lives that support families, communities and local services 13 If the free bus pass scheme was abolished, 152 million in tax revenues would be lost annually 13 In 2012/2013 more than 1.2 billion trips were taken by 12 million bus pass holders 13 Bus users make up 29% of all city centre spending 14 Bus priority measures generate up to 7 of net economic benefit for each 1 of costs incurred 17 Buses and their value to society key facts Buses are crucial to maintaining family life. 41% of surveyed passengers said they would spend less time with their family if they did not have access to bus and coach services. 16 Two thirds of regular passengers believe that the bus creates strong ties between communities. 81% of bus users see the bus as the fabric of UK society, connecting them with British institutions such as the pub, sporting events, as well as visiting the theatre and shops. 16 Nearly half (47%) of passengers would spend less time with friends if they did not have access to the bus. This rises to 53% among the under 25s. 16
Buses and jobseekers key facts Over two-thirds of Jobseekers Allowance claimants have no access to their own car or cannot drive More people commute by bus than all other forms of public transport combined, bus user generate 64 billion of benefits to the UK economy 2 Jobseekers are heavily dependent on buses, with 77% having no regular access to a car, van or motorcycle 14 Buses and commuters key facts 2.5 million people are bus commuters, and a further 1 million use the bus as a back-up, which is 12% of the working population 2 One fifth of the working population outside of London use the bus at least once a week 2 Around 20% of full time employed and 30% of part time employed are frequent bus users 2 1 in 10 employees would be forced to look for another job if they could no longer commute by bus 2 Bus commuters in the UK generate 64 billion of economic output 2 Over 50% of businesses surveyed by the Institute of Transport Studies considered that the bus had a role in recruitment and retention 2 Sources 1) Department for Transport, Bus Statistics, 17 December 2013 2) Institute for Transport Studies, Buses and Economic Growth, June 2012 3) Department for Transport, Bus Statistics, 24 September 2013 4) Competition Commission, Local bus services market investigation, December 2011 5) Passenger Focus, Bus Passenger Survey, March 2013 6) Greener Journeys, The Road to a Carbon Efficient Britain, 2009 7) Confederation of Passenger Transport UK, Delivering Prosperity to You, 26 October 2010 8) Department for Transport, UK transport greenhouse gas emissions factsheet, November 2010 9) Leeds City Region, Agglomeration and growth in the Leeds City Region, 2007 10) Cushman and Wakefield, Cities Monitor, 2008 11) Passenger Transport Executive Group, Total Transport, 2011 12) Greener Journeys, Cost and benefits of the Bus Service Operators Grant, 2014 13) Greener Journeys, Concessionary travel costs and benefits, 2014 14) Institute for Transport Studies, Buses and the Economy II, 2014 15) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, February 2016 16) Research commissioned by Greener Journeys, conducted by Mindlab International, June 2015 17) Greener Journeys, A Roadmap to Growth, 2015
8. Tweet bank for Catch The Bus Week 2016 In the run up to, and during, Catch the Bus Week, we will be looking to generate as much social media chatter as possible which, in turn, will promote activity and encourage people to get involved and talk about the power and benefits of using the bus. Listed below are some suggested tweets and tweet templates for the campaign. We will be using the hashtag #CTBW to generate coherent traffic. We have included links to the Catch the Bus Week website, but feel free to link to your own website too. Social case for the Bus Buses are a lifeline for millions of us! 41% of people would spend less time with their family if they didn t have access to a bus #CTBW Buses are vital to community life! 81% feel that the bus is a traditional part of British life #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Buses do more than take us from A to B 71% say that buses improve their quality of life #CTBW Environment The new generation of buses emit around 44 times less NOx than London s original Routemasters #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof A fully loaded double-decker bus can take 75 cars off the road, helping to cut pollution. #CTBW Switching one car journey a month to a bus or coach would mean a billion fewer car journeys and a saving of 2m tonnes of CO 2 a year #CTBW Health and wellbeing Travelling by bus is good for your health! It s a third less stressful than commuting by car #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Taking the bus frees your hands allowing you to catch up on life admin, read a book or play games on your phone. Get involved! #CTBW You can burn 22,630 calories a year by walking to and from the bus stop and your destination #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Community Jobseekers need buses more than 75% of them don t have access to a car, van or motorcycle. #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Young people love the bus - more than 50% of 16-19 year olds are regular bus users. Join them during Catch the Bus Week! #CTBW 11 % of people would need to find another job if they couldn t get the bus to work #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Economic Bus users generate 64 billion of benefits to the UK economy #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof Urban congestion costs the UK economy at least 11 billion a year. Take the bus! #CTBW Bus users make up 29% of city centre spending. High streets should see a boost during Catch the Bus Week! #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof
50 per cent of businesses are dependent upon bus services for recruitment and retention #CTBW Bus trivia What s the weirdest thing you ve ever found on a bus? @TfL found a stuffed puffer fish, breast implants and prosthetic limbs! #CTBW The first bus journey took place on Saturday 4 July 1829 going from Paddington to Bank #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof What do people do on the bus? A third of us listen to other people s conversations! #CTBW Schools During Catch the Bus Week 2016, why not try the bus rather than getting a lift to school? Healthier, greener and more fun! #CTBW What are you doing to celebrate Catch the Bus Week this year? Let @GreenerJourneys know and get involved from 4-10 July #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof To celebrate Catch the Bus Week this year, we are teaching pupils about the benefits of bus travel! More info here http://bit.ly/1jnieof Catch the Bus Week specific X days to go until Catch the Bus Week 2016, 4-10 July with @GreenerJourneys. Hop on a bus to get involved! #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof @GreenerJourneys Catch the Bus Week 2016 ends today/tomorrow #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof To celebrate @GreenerJourneys Catch the Bus Week this year, we are XXX. Get involved from 4-10 July! #CTBW http://bit.ly/1jnieof 9. About Greener Journeys Greener Journeys is the national campaign for modal shift from car to bus and coach. It is a coalition of the UK s leading public transport organisations, user groups and supporters. We promote the potential of bus and coach travel to: Help drive economic growth at national and local levels Boost access to job markets, high streets, local services and leisure Reduce congestion and carbon emissions and benefit health and wellbeing Our vision is to transform our communities into cleaner, greener, less congested and more prosperous places to live and work, where public transport is a convenient and desirable choice for everyone. Working with bus operators, local authorities and businesses, our mission is to make it easier and more convenient for people to switch more of their car journeys to bus and coach. 10. Contact information If you have any questions about Catch the Bus Week 2016 please do get in touch on greenerjourneys@mhpc.com or +44 (0)20 3128 8555.