Direct marketing to court new passengers
Car users in West Durham could be on to a winner with Go North East as the bus company begins contacting local people as part of a campaign to tempt them out of their cars and onto the bus.
The direct marketing campaign is targeting 4000 households in West Durham in areas where residents have good access to Go North East bus services and are likely to make financial savings and help to improve the environment by switching from car to bus.
Gateshead-based telemarketing company, Meridian is helping Go North East deliver the campaign, contacting each individual household by telephone over the next month to invite them to try the bus for a week for just £10 in return for providing feedback on their experiences.
Go North East has made sampling bus travel as easy as possible with anyone agreeing to take part in the survey being sent a welcome pack direct to their home containing all the timetable information they need and a travel voucher they can take on the bus to get their £10 weekly ticket.
Commercial Director with Go North East, Martin Harris said, “Some people may have very outdated views of bus travel and getting people to sample our services is the best way to give them a taste of modern bus travel. With the price of fuel remaining high we recognise that many people may also be considering using buses for the first time; with a trial offer ready to drop on their doormat, we’ve made it as easy and convenient as possible for them to give it a try. In return, we will gain a valuable insight into finding out how our services measure up against the expectations of potential new passengers.”
The offer applies to travel on Go North East’s Red Kite, West Durham Swift, Diamond, Venture or Lime services which are all due to offer improved levels of service from the end of July.
The results of the research will be published in September and will help Go North East identify any further improvements which could be made to boost the number of car users opting to travel by bus.