Contact: Jon Foley, ext 7559 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report summarises the intensive marketing programme that will commence shortly on a number of the best performing bus routes in the county. This project, entitled `InfoMotion', is being introduced to help support the achievement of the target to increase bus patronage by 4% by April 2005 from a 1999/2000 base, which has been agreed with Central Government as part of a Public Service Agreement (PSA). The national target without a PSA is a 10% increase by 2010, with an interim target of 2½% increase in 2004/05.

2. Background

2.1 In 2002 the County Council made a PSA with Central Government covering several aspects of its activity. Thirteen performance targets have been established. Target 10 covers bus passenger numbers. The target is to increase bus patronage in 2004/05 by 4% over 1999/2000 levels, with an interim increase of 2½% by March 2004.

2.2 Through the Local Transport Plan, the County Council is making improvements to bus route infrastructure and provision of real-time passenger information (RTPI) systems. The pump-priming grant available from Central Government as part of the PSA will therefore be used to implement an innovative marketing exercise to complement these infrastructure improvements on the busiest bus routes across the county.

2.3 The target bus routes were identified as part of an earlier piece of research undertaken by the County Council.

3. The Marketing Programme

3.1 The County Council has appointed a company, Socialdata Limited, to carry out the marketing element of this work, with a budget of £300,000. The project has been given the title `InfoMotion'.

3.2 Socialdata Limited is the subsidiary of a Munich based company specialising in marketing sustainable transport, with an excellent success record across Europe, Australia and North America.

3.3 Socialdata's methodology follows a well practiced formula of contacting every household in a particular area, researching their travel patterns and offering tailored information on public transport alternatives, where possible, together with other incentives.

3.4 The objective of the exercise is to provide individuals with the information they require to make their journey by bus instead of private car.

3.5 The areas where this marketing exercise will be undertaken have been split into four waves and activity will be spread over the period to autumn 2004. The programme of work is summarised below:

3.6 All households within walking distance of these bus routes (defined as 400 metres) will be invited to participate in this project. This is estimated at a total of 120,000 households.

3.7 The choice of route and the timing of each wave take into consideration the potential for the greatest growth in passenger numbers, and for capitalising on existing and future Quality Bus Partnerships with the route's commercial operator.

3.8 The initiative has understandably met with support from the bus operators, as it clearly benefits their own commercial interests. Consequently, the operators are being forthcoming with the provision of practical support in the form of printed material, free trial tickets, office accommodation and some personnel time.

4. Monitoring

4.1 The impact of the `InfoMotion' project will be monitored in two ways. Firstly, using information provided by the relevant operator, bus passenger numbers on the routes being targeted will be monitored before, during and after the marketing intervention. Secondly, some of the participants will be invited to complete a market research survey to determine, on the one hand, their overall impression of the initiative and, on the other, the extent to which it influenced their choice of travel.

4.2 While achievement of the PSA target on bus patronage is key, it will also be important to collect information on the project in such a way as to consider its usefulness in the future.

4.3 Local County Councillors will be kept informed of progress as the initiative is introduced within each area.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

8355/JF