Bus industry’s biggest-ever mailing campaign

Arriva has launched what is thought to be the biggest-evermailing campaign seen in the bus industry, as it targets nearly 2.6million households in the UK.

In this, the third year of its award-winning 'Going your way'campaign, the emphasis has been placed on over 70 of its busiestcorridors and networks. It is targeting people living within tenminutes walk time of the key routes, and providing them with thebasic information needed to get the most benefit from their localservices.

The mailers have been tailored to local needs, providing simpleroute maps with journey times, times of first and last busesbetween key points, daytime frequencies, specimen fares and detailsof money-saving multi-journey tickets. Details of Arriva's website,which carries timetables for all services, and of traveline, aregiven for those who want to find out more, and each mailer includesa voucher giving a travel discount.

In dense urban areas and some market towns, handy pocket-sizednetwork guides have been distributed.

Distribution is largely through Royal Mail, with some areascovered instead by newshare or solus distributors, and takes placein three batches during March, April and early May.

As Arriva's UK Bus division's marketing and customer servicesdirector, Catherine Mason, explains:

The mass mailout is part of Arriva's ongoing 'Goingyour way' campaign which shows our commitment to ensuring thatcustomers are given enough information about journeys that can bemade by bus. We are encouraging them to think about transportchoices for each individual journey they make and to recognise thatsometimes the bus is the best choice.

The campaign has been supported internally by an extensive staffbriefing campaign. Externally, awareness has been built by a PRcampaign targeting key decision makers and influencers and a widedistribution of news items to local and national media. A customerattitude survey amongst bus users provided some lighter-heartedhooks to gain local media coverage in the targeted areas.

Ends