Go North East MD’s imaginative take on the ‘bring a bottle’ party
Go North East Managing Director, Peter Huntley – one of The Journal’s top 500 most influential people in the region – is calling on bus operators around the country to join him in exploring ways to encourage more people to travel by bus.
The current fuel crisis is already showing signs of producing an upturn in passenger numbers for most operators around the country and Mr Huntley believes the time is right for people in the bus industry to grasp the opportunities this presents.
Based on the ‘bring a bottle’ party idea, Mr Huntley has written to 22 bus operators asking them to join him for the seminar in Birmingham later this year and to bring with them new and innovative ideas to help keep passenger numbers rising. Those who bring along workable ideas will be able to attend the seminar at the Ibis Hotel in Birmingham free of charge while any who arrive empty-handed will be invoiced for the full cost.
“Recently I have been discussing with colleagues around the country the opportunities and threats to our industry brought about by the current fuel crisis and I found that there was a great deal of enthusiasm to explore this further,” said Mr Huntley. “It struck me that there must be many good ideas out there and that by working together we could find a way to work these up to the benefit of us all.”
All contributions made will remain anonymous and be pooled for further discussion by everyone who attends.
The format of the seminar will be very informal and Mr Huntley is actively encouraging participation from staff at any level within the companies.
“I don’t believe that the only workable ideas come from top-level meetings - some of the best ideas put into practice at Go North East have come from our drivers who have the best insight into passenger behaviour and trends.”
One such idea was the introduction of ‘Bus Doctors’ which involved drivers and Service Delivery Managers taking to the streets with placards inviting people to talk to them about their bus services. It proved to be so popular that ‘Bus Doctor’ sessions are still held on a regular basis and are always well-attended.
The Birmingham seminar is searching for equally innovative ideas and takes place on September 4.