4.1 Once the plan for your multi-operator ticketing scheme is in place, there are still a number of important activities involved in taking your scheme to market. The most important of these are:
creating awareness;
setting up retail arrangements; training staff; and
testing the service.
Creating awareness
4.2 As with any change to public transport services and ticketing, it is crucial that passengers and potential passengers understand what the new multi-operator ticketing scheme is and what the benefits of it will be. This will require a consistent marketing and information campaign, starting before the new scheme is launched and continuing for some time after launch.
4.3 The campaign will involve not only LTAs but also operators and other interested parties (local authorities, employers, schools and colleges, voluntary organisations, etc). It should look to use a broad range of marketing channels including on-vehicle/stop information, local press, radio, websites and social media to ensure all customer segments are reached, and that potential customers are reached, as well as those who already use your services. Opportunities to link to established tourism and public event marketing should also be explored.
4.4 At the heart of the campaign, there needs to be a simple and consistent explanation of the product(s) on offer, what they will cost, how they are used and where and how they can be purchased. It is also necessary to highlight any restrictions and qualifications of use before products are bought and used.
Creating awareness amongst existing passengers
4.5 For existing users, the campaign needs to both reassure them that their service won’t be affected, and present the benefits.
4.6 The obvious place to start is on buses and at bus stops, stations and ticket outlets. Activities would typically include advertising and
information leaflets, explaining how the system will work. Such materials can be produced under the scheme brand, or co-branded with operator’s own materials.
4.7 Online information will also be important – particularly for smart ticket systems, showing how tickets can be bought. You may also want to consider podcasts or YouTube videos to demonstrate how easy it is to obtain a smartcard, to top it up and to make more complex journeys easily by using it.
4.8 If operators have a database of existing customers, you may be able to use this to send a direct mailing – either printed or electronic. However, care should be taken to make sure commercially sensitive information is not exchanged between operators, as this could be in breach of
competition law. The best solution may be to agree content centrally and allow operators to send it to their own customer databases.
Creating awareness amongst those who don’t use buses
4.9 To attract interest from and create awareness amongst those who don’t use buses regularly, you need to promote the service more broadly. External bus advertising, commercial advertising and roadshows at popular shopping destinations have all proved effective, as well as working with local media and prospective partners (employers, colleges, etc).
4.10 Again, online information is important, particularly to provide the more in-
depth explanation of how the system will work. The role of branding
4.11 Most successful schemes have ensured that the multi-operator product
has a strong, identifiable brand identity that distinguishes it from individual operator tickets and can be used across awareness
campaigns. A recent trend has been towards names with a local flavour, such as Walrus in Liverpool, or AvonRider. The identity may be used to describe the platform on which the product sits (e.g. the smartcard) or the product(s).
Developing a marketing/awareness-raising strategy
4.12 To ensure clarity, alignment with the overall scheme aims and minimise
conflict between operators, it is best to develop an agreed marketing strategy that all participants in the scheme understand. Such a strategy would include:
developing the brand identity;
developing consistent, on-brand marketing;
raising awareness of ease of purchase and ease of use (for both existing users and non-users);
raising awareness of new opportunities for complete journeys (for both existing users and non-users);
using of digital channels (email and social media) to reach new customers; and
agreeing the role and responsibilities of resellers (sales outlets etc). Tip: Demonstrating the benefits
One of the biggest advantages of multi-operator tickets is the ability to make complex journeys using interchange points between services (and operators). For both existing users and non-users, consider developing marketing
material based around example journeys to show how much more convenient (and, where applicable, how much cheaper) the journey would be with a multi-operator ticket.
Retail channels
4.13 To maximise take-up of your scheme, you should offer a variety of retail
channels for passengers to buy and, where appropriate, top up their multi-operator tickets. In general, the more channels there are, the better the penetration of target markets will be achieved. Typical channels to consider are:
face-to-face – whether on board, at a dedicated outlet or through other retail outlets (such as local shops where payment can be made through PayPoint);
online – customers apply online, the smartcard is posted out to them, and then subsequent top-ups are paid for online and fulfilled by automatic process when the card is presented to an on-bus reader; on-street – via dedicated top-up units; and
on vehicles – using portable hand-held units.
4.14 An early decision needs to be made about the level of activity which will
take place on the bus. For urban services, with a high frequency, the strategy may be to minimise transactions: this would therefore suggest designing a smart ticketing system which requires no interaction from the driver. In other settings, passengers may prefer to buy and top up multi- operator tickets from their driver on the bus. The decision made about activity levels will then influence not only the technology required on the bus, but also the range of additional retail outlets required.
4.15 In its report, the Competition Commission recommended that multi-
operator tickets should generally be made available through the same sales channels as the single-operator multi-journey tickets. So multi- operator day tickets should generally be made available for purchase on- bus, and as a guiding principle, if an operator sells weekly or monthly tickets on-bus, it should also sell the equivalent multi-operator tickets on- bus.
4.16 Individual operators are also expected not to discriminate against multi- operator tickets in their marketing. That means that wherever they publish information on single-operator tickets, in print or on their websites, operators should also refer to multi-operator tickets.
4.17 In addition, it may be worth considering a separate budget for marketing
multi-operator tickets. The Competition Commission explains why a separate budget is often good practice in Appendix 15.2 of its report
(paragraphs 36 to 40). Reward and discount schemes
4.18 It is common for any smart-based multi-journey or period ticketing
product to offer a discount, compared to buying individual tickets, to encourage take-up. For example, you could offer 12 journeys for the price of 10.
Tip: Ensure discounts reward repeat travel
You may choose to launch a product at a promotional price to stimulate interest. However, you should also consider offers that encourage repeat use – i.e. discounts on larger number of journeys, or that become valid once passengers have completed a certain number of journeys.
4.19 In addition to individual product discounts, it is now relatively common
practice to offer reward or loyalty schemes for public transport users. These are easy to set up, at no cost to participating operators or local authorities: in their simplest form, for example, a cafe could offer a discount on a cup of coffee when a customer shows their multi-operator ticket. There could be no transaction at all between operator(s) and the commercial enterprise: alternatively, businesses could pay to advertise on the scheme website, at bus stops or in scheme literature.
4.20 The attraction for businesses is that they can win new custom and gain a
competitive advantage: for customers, meanwhile, it’s an additional benefit – added value – at no extra cost.
4.21 If you’re using a smart ticketing system, there are opportunities to gather
extra data about which offers customers take up, helping demonstrate return on investment in a reward scheme. However, data protection legislation must be taken into account. For the same reason, caution is advised with regard to allowing commercial partners access to
individual/personal data about multi-operator ticket holders.
Training staff
4.22 Multi-operator schemes must incorporate staff training. Anyone likely to
come into contact with passengers – drivers, contact centre staff, travel shops, retail outlets, revenue inspection staff – should receive training and have a detailed understanding of the scheme and its associated
products so that they can inform passengers about the scheme and help them make use of it. Such a programme can influence passenger
awareness and satisfaction.
4.23 This training needs to be ongoing to maintain the consistency of
message as both staff change and schemes evolve.
4.24 It is also important to consider aftercare, such as processes for handling
queries, complaints and refunds, so that the entire experience is more convenient for passengers.
Testing the service
4.25 Before you launch a multi-operator ticketing service, it is important to test
it fully. This includes:
testing any new technology, e.g. smartcard readers;
testing processes, such as the online ticket purchase process, data collection and reimbursement; and
testing the actual experience of using the product.
4.26 One practical way of doing this is starting with a trial scheme using a
simple, narrowly defined ticketing product such as a one-day single zone all-operator paper ticket, issued on-bus. This will test out many of the possible issues involved, including user experience and understanding of the system, data collection and reimbursement, efficacy of boarding, etc. The results of this trial can then provide a platform on which to develop other more sophisticated products (season tickets, carnets etc).
4.27 See the pre-launch checklist in Annex A for a full list of potential aspects
for testing.
Maintaining high levels of operator engagement
4.28 Throughout this setting-up period, any pilot schemes and in the first few
weeks after the scheme goes live, it is important to maintain high levels of engagement with all operators. This not only enables you to gather feedback and share learning/experiences, but it can also help identify any issues before they escalate. Some LTAs have adopted a policy of weekly conference calls with operators over this initial period.