If you put the right level of resource behind social media, it can be game-changing, but if you get it wrong it’s best not to bother
As part of my role, I do social media training for transport companies and detailed reviews of their approach and strategy
Public transport is in the entertainment industry, yes, it really is, and I say this not because I head up sales and marketing for Great Scenic Journeys, which was set up to promote and improve the experience on leisure transport routes, but because I see, day-in, day-out, the need for it to compete for attention online.
Sit on a bus, train, doctor’s waiting room, park bench and so on and everyone is scrolling through their phone addictively and they want to be entertained so the minutes and hours just pass-by. They don’t want some naff post from your local bus company telling you the way to get on-board and their attention span is so short, that if there’s the slightest hint they won’t be entertained, they’ll swipe down, like rejecting someone on Tinder. Why read that when they can rewatch videos of Crystal Palace lifting the FA Cup for the 100th time?
I’m unlike my father, Alex Warner, who normally writes on these pages, in that I’m not a bus or train spotter and until joining the industry full time in Spring 2023, I confess I’d not really got as remotely excited about public transport as he does. It’s hard for me to admit though that I’ve caught the bug and never did I think that I’d suggest that trains and buses are in the entertainment game. As part of my role, I do social media training for transport companies and detailed reviews of their approach and strategy, as well as promoting their scenic routes. I’m only 20 but this plays to my advantage with regards to social media as it is still very much a young person’s game.
I very occasionally listen to my father’s tips, derived from a 32-year career in transport. One area where I guide him is that the general public are not interested in social media posts from transport operators showing buses and trains. Unless they are weirdos like him, of course. They want to see videos of great places to visit, see or do. To prove a point, very early on when we set up Great Scenic Journeys, I did a TikTok of buses in Cornwall and then took the bus out the picture and showed the scenery on its own – guess what, the latter post got quadruple the level of engagement. And I have tried this time and time again to reinforce my point. He’s got the message now. At last.
Social media is full of tropes, especially in the transport industry. Often among the older generation it’s that “we need to post and go viral”, reiterating phrases that sound like they’ve been picked out of a late 2000s American film. It’s this idea that you can simply start posting without a plan or strategy and watch the views come in. This, unfortunately, isn’t the case. It’s competitive and it’s not new anymore. Transport companies are competing with millions of others posting content and it’s hamstrung by the fact that for 99% of folk, it is a ‘distressed purchase’. They’d rather be tuning into their favourite sporting team, designer brand or other pastime than ‘the local bus company’. That’s what the industry is up against.
Among the younger generation, a large majority of those who consume content seem to think it’s simply the luck of the draw in determining what posts do well. I had a frustrating conversation with a ‘know it all’ friend of mine, who held this ideology not too long ago. Motivated by the opportunity to prove him wrong, I set up a TikTok page that day. By the end of the week, it had over five million views across seven videos, but of course, the most satisfying part was the, albeit begrudging, admission of defeat by my friend.
But how did I do it? Well, it all comes down to algorithms. When you load up your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, as you may have noticed, or not, all of the content you are seeing is tailored to you. Passionately support a football team? You’ll see an abundance of football content. Love cooking? Cooking videos. Considered taking up chess recently? Suddenly, all you’re seeing is chess videos… creepy, right? Well, the good news is that there isn’t someone sitting behind your screen picking out what videos to show you; it’s a complicated algorithm, one that keeps us all hooked, scrolling. It’s here, by understanding what the algorithm prioritises when it recommends videos, that we can start pushing out our videos onto people’s feeds.
They want to see videos of great places to visit, see or do
So, what is the algorithm looking for? For starters, a strong average watch time and then a high video completion rate. Then, a high percentage of viewers ‘saving’ and ‘sharing’ videos is key. However, there are a whole host of factors that come into play but, for the sake of simplicity, these are the most important. It’s all about the app keeping you on it for as long as possible. The better those metrics, the more people in the content niche it’ll be pushed out to. The sudden abundance of chess videos you’re getting in your feed recently? You can bet you watched one (and continue to) for longer than you tend to watch videos.
So now we know what the algorithm is looking for; all that’s needed is to create an engaging video that encourages those three key metrics. This does take a great deal of practice, as well as sticking to a strategy but still being prepared for a lot of trial and error. Currently, though, most bus operators don’t use social media correctly; the few that do, you have to commend for trying, but the majority would be better off without it. Many transport companies don’t understand what goes into creating a well-performing post and don’t even try. Instead, they upload lazy graphics and low-resolution images, all topped off with an inconsistent posting schedule. It’s an advert on why not to travel on their service. If this is the quality of their social media, imagine what their services are like. If you’re not looking to reach the masses, get the simple things right. Make the page aesthetically pleasing, make sure there are no grammatical errors, make sure you reply to customer queries. It’s the simple stuff, yet I’m amazed by how many operators do the complete opposite, and they would be far better off not having a social media channel.
Those that do, though, I’m sure, feel their attempts are futile. You and I may be interested in buses and transport (as I mentioned, I’m a ‘convert’), but the majority of young people on social media aren’t. What good is creating an engaging post that’s going to reach a large portion of the niche it operates in, if that niche is almost non-existent to begin with? There is a solution to this issue, though, as mentioned earlier. What if the bus wasn’t the centrepiece of the content? Instead of posting content centred solely around public transport, what if the operators focused on the destinations they unlock? This would allow them to operate in a far larger, mass-appealing niche and then leverage the audience they are reaching to subtly promote their service.
I had the pleasure of undertaking a consultancy review for Sheffield Supertram on their Instagram, and this is something they execute brilliantly with posts such as “Things to do in Sheffield (via Sheffield Supertram)”. So too, recently I created and led a training course for Transdev Blazefield’s wonderful CitySightseeing York business and am helping them as part of our Great Scenic Journeys proposition. The improvement already has been incredible. Engaging with footage showing life in York, celebrating in the achievements of their historic city as well as making real characters out of their frontline team, who all help with the social media.
Beware those primadonna charlatan social media influencers
At Great Scenic Journeys, we built two Instagram accounts, one of which focuses on promoting scenic destinations to over 130,000 followers and now, with the audience we have built, use it to subtly promote getting there, predominantly by bus and enjoy the ride on the way. It’s about creating a reason to travel first and foremost and then telling them how they can make that happen conveniently and affordably. Collaboration is also really important and transport companies need to change the perception they have of them online. Collaborating with ‘trendy’ brands on their posts is a good way of doing this, whilst also raising viewing and engagement levels. While they’re provided free content, you’re put in front of an large audience, it’s a win-win.
Social media managers need to be allowed the creativity to do this, though. If you’re trying to compete for traction on social media, you’re in the entertainment industry, so whoever is in charge of the social media needs to be allowed the freedom to experiment, find what works and what doesn’t. Corporate posting never entertained anyone and nor can those responsible for social media have to have their content ground to a halt by seeking approval from a line manager or HQ department.
In trying to avoid ‘being corporate’ many companies engage social media influencers. From my experience, this can have the opposite effect and look too stage managed, lacking authenticity. Not to mention the ridiculous, over inflated price tag that comes with most. Beware those primadonna charlatan social media influencers who want to be paid just for the privilege of discussing the opportunity and scoping it out and then they want content rights. They act as though transport companies should feel privileged talking to them, rather than the other way round. Sometimes, my eyebrows are raised when I hear bus company marketeers tell me they have spent £5k on a two-minute social media influencer’s post. It hurts to imagine how much better that money could be spent. The reality is these influencers living the “dream life” will always be charging an absolute fortune, as monetising yourself on social media is so difficult and only possible through sponsorships rather than the platform itself. These influencers rely on taking advantage of inexperienced social media managers.
One benefit, though, of social media influencers is that it serves a benefit of increasing the range of collateral a marketing team has at its disposal. It often surprises me how often I get requests at Great Scenic Journeys for us to send our video team out or photographer to take footage of destinations, attractions and dare I say, buses, often putting our drones in the air to get unique vantage points. It’s cost effective stuff and although you would think a company would have this already, many just don’t have the time, headspace or resource to capture images of their own patch.
How companies deal with comments made on their social media account is still an Achillies heel for most at the moment. Frustrated customers who make a mockery of their marketing posts and complain about the service are often met with fake positivity and AI generated ‘I am sorry to hear this, how can we help you?’ bot response that just end up jarring and generating derision, so too those businesses who disable their comments section.
Finally, one area where transport companies can be in danger of spending time unnecessarily is in trying to predict the future of social media. It’s nearly impossible to do so. Social media is unpredictable, different channels and approaches can emerge quickly. Whilst, X is clearly in decline, viewed as overly political and in many respects so toxic that companies don’t want to be associated with it, Facebook is still popular, though slightly diminishing. Instagram remains in ascendency.Beyond that it’s difficult and futile angsting too much about what’s coming next.
There’s a lot to take in, so I appreciate if any of you are thinking, “Is social media even worth it in the end?”. And the answer is, well, it depends. If you’re willing to dedicate the time and put the right level of resource behind it (something many companies don’t do), then it can be game-changing, but if you get it wrong it’s best not to bother. You can damage your brand far more by standing in the corner with a token presence – this can undermine your image like grubby buses or trains and grumpy employees. It’s all or nothing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Warner is Head of Sales & Marketing for transport consultancy AJW Experience Group, which includes Great Scenic Journeys. He is also the Head of Sales for web design and marketing agency, Penn Studio. Previously, Noah undertook marketing and administration for Flash Forward Consulting.
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
Social media – it’s all or nothing
by Passenger Transport on Jul 10, 2025 • 2:17 pm No CommentsIf you put the right level of resource behind social media, it can be game-changing, but if you get it wrong it’s best not to bother
Public transport is in the entertainment industry, yes, it really is, and I say this not because I head up sales and marketing for Great Scenic Journeys, which was set up to promote and improve the experience on leisure transport routes, but because I see, day-in, day-out, the need for it to compete for attention online.
Sit on a bus, train, doctor’s waiting room, park bench and so on and everyone is scrolling through their phone addictively and they want to be entertained so the minutes and hours just pass-by. They don’t want some naff post from your local bus company telling you the way to get on-board and their attention span is so short, that if there’s the slightest hint they won’t be entertained, they’ll swipe down, like rejecting someone on Tinder. Why read that when they can rewatch videos of Crystal Palace lifting the FA Cup for the 100th time?
I’m unlike my father, Alex Warner, who normally writes on these pages, in that I’m not a bus or train spotter and until joining the industry full time in Spring 2023, I confess I’d not really got as remotely excited about public transport as he does. It’s hard for me to admit though that I’ve caught the bug and never did I think that I’d suggest that trains and buses are in the entertainment game. As part of my role, I do social media training for transport companies and detailed reviews of their approach and strategy, as well as promoting their scenic routes. I’m only 20 but this plays to my advantage with regards to social media as it is still very much a young person’s game.
I very occasionally listen to my father’s tips, derived from a 32-year career in transport. One area where I guide him is that the general public are not interested in social media posts from transport operators showing buses and trains. Unless they are weirdos like him, of course. They want to see videos of great places to visit, see or do. To prove a point, very early on when we set up Great Scenic Journeys, I did a TikTok of buses in Cornwall and then took the bus out the picture and showed the scenery on its own – guess what, the latter post got quadruple the level of engagement. And I have tried this time and time again to reinforce my point. He’s got the message now. At last.
Social media is full of tropes, especially in the transport industry. Often among the older generation it’s that “we need to post and go viral”, reiterating phrases that sound like they’ve been picked out of a late 2000s American film. It’s this idea that you can simply start posting without a plan or strategy and watch the views come in. This, unfortunately, isn’t the case. It’s competitive and it’s not new anymore. Transport companies are competing with millions of others posting content and it’s hamstrung by the fact that for 99% of folk, it is a ‘distressed purchase’. They’d rather be tuning into their favourite sporting team, designer brand or other pastime than ‘the local bus company’. That’s what the industry is up against.
Among the younger generation, a large majority of those who consume content seem to think it’s simply the luck of the draw in determining what posts do well. I had a frustrating conversation with a ‘know it all’ friend of mine, who held this ideology not too long ago. Motivated by the opportunity to prove him wrong, I set up a TikTok page that day. By the end of the week, it had over five million views across seven videos, but of course, the most satisfying part was the, albeit begrudging, admission of defeat by my friend.
But how did I do it? Well, it all comes down to algorithms. When you load up your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter, as you may have noticed, or not, all of the content you are seeing is tailored to you. Passionately support a football team? You’ll see an abundance of football content. Love cooking? Cooking videos. Considered taking up chess recently? Suddenly, all you’re seeing is chess videos… creepy, right? Well, the good news is that there isn’t someone sitting behind your screen picking out what videos to show you; it’s a complicated algorithm, one that keeps us all hooked, scrolling. It’s here, by understanding what the algorithm prioritises when it recommends videos, that we can start pushing out our videos onto people’s feeds.
So, what is the algorithm looking for? For starters, a strong average watch time and then a high video completion rate. Then, a high percentage of viewers ‘saving’ and ‘sharing’ videos is key. However, there are a whole host of factors that come into play but, for the sake of simplicity, these are the most important. It’s all about the app keeping you on it for as long as possible. The better those metrics, the more people in the content niche it’ll be pushed out to. The sudden abundance of chess videos you’re getting in your feed recently? You can bet you watched one (and continue to) for longer than you tend to watch videos.
So now we know what the algorithm is looking for; all that’s needed is to create an engaging video that encourages those three key metrics. This does take a great deal of practice, as well as sticking to a strategy but still being prepared for a lot of trial and error. Currently, though, most bus operators don’t use social media correctly; the few that do, you have to commend for trying, but the majority would be better off without it. Many transport companies don’t understand what goes into creating a well-performing post and don’t even try. Instead, they upload lazy graphics and low-resolution images, all topped off with an inconsistent posting schedule. It’s an advert on why not to travel on their service. If this is the quality of their social media, imagine what their services are like. If you’re not looking to reach the masses, get the simple things right. Make the page aesthetically pleasing, make sure there are no grammatical errors, make sure you reply to customer queries. It’s the simple stuff, yet I’m amazed by how many operators do the complete opposite, and they would be far better off not having a social media channel.
Those that do, though, I’m sure, feel their attempts are futile. You and I may be interested in buses and transport (as I mentioned, I’m a ‘convert’), but the majority of young people on social media aren’t. What good is creating an engaging post that’s going to reach a large portion of the niche it operates in, if that niche is almost non-existent to begin with? There is a solution to this issue, though, as mentioned earlier. What if the bus wasn’t the centrepiece of the content? Instead of posting content centred solely around public transport, what if the operators focused on the destinations they unlock? This would allow them to operate in a far larger, mass-appealing niche and then leverage the audience they are reaching to subtly promote their service.
I had the pleasure of undertaking a consultancy review for Sheffield Supertram on their Instagram, and this is something they execute brilliantly with posts such as “Things to do in Sheffield (via Sheffield Supertram)”. So too, recently I created and led a training course for Transdev Blazefield’s wonderful CitySightseeing York business and am helping them as part of our Great Scenic Journeys proposition. The improvement already has been incredible. Engaging with footage showing life in York, celebrating in the achievements of their historic city as well as making real characters out of their frontline team, who all help with the social media.
At Great Scenic Journeys, we built two Instagram accounts, one of which focuses on promoting scenic destinations to over 130,000 followers and now, with the audience we have built, use it to subtly promote getting there, predominantly by bus and enjoy the ride on the way. It’s about creating a reason to travel first and foremost and then telling them how they can make that happen conveniently and affordably. Collaboration is also really important and transport companies need to change the perception they have of them online. Collaborating with ‘trendy’ brands on their posts is a good way of doing this, whilst also raising viewing and engagement levels. While they’re provided free content, you’re put in front of an large audience, it’s a win-win.
Social media managers need to be allowed the creativity to do this, though. If you’re trying to compete for traction on social media, you’re in the entertainment industry, so whoever is in charge of the social media needs to be allowed the freedom to experiment, find what works and what doesn’t. Corporate posting never entertained anyone and nor can those responsible for social media have to have their content ground to a halt by seeking approval from a line manager or HQ department.
In trying to avoid ‘being corporate’ many companies engage social media influencers. From my experience, this can have the opposite effect and look too stage managed, lacking authenticity. Not to mention the ridiculous, over inflated price tag that comes with most. Beware those primadonna charlatan social media influencers who want to be paid just for the privilege of discussing the opportunity and scoping it out and then they want content rights. They act as though transport companies should feel privileged talking to them, rather than the other way round. Sometimes, my eyebrows are raised when I hear bus company marketeers tell me they have spent £5k on a two-minute social media influencer’s post. It hurts to imagine how much better that money could be spent. The reality is these influencers living the “dream life” will always be charging an absolute fortune, as monetising yourself on social media is so difficult and only possible through sponsorships rather than the platform itself. These influencers rely on taking advantage of inexperienced social media managers.
One benefit, though, of social media influencers is that it serves a benefit of increasing the range of collateral a marketing team has at its disposal. It often surprises me how often I get requests at Great Scenic Journeys for us to send our video team out or photographer to take footage of destinations, attractions and dare I say, buses, often putting our drones in the air to get unique vantage points. It’s cost effective stuff and although you would think a company would have this already, many just don’t have the time, headspace or resource to capture images of their own patch.
How companies deal with comments made on their social media account is still an Achillies heel for most at the moment. Frustrated customers who make a mockery of their marketing posts and complain about the service are often met with fake positivity and AI generated ‘I am sorry to hear this, how can we help you?’ bot response that just end up jarring and generating derision, so too those businesses who disable their comments section.
Finally, one area where transport companies can be in danger of spending time unnecessarily is in trying to predict the future of social media. It’s nearly impossible to do so. Social media is unpredictable, different channels and approaches can emerge quickly. Whilst, X is clearly in decline, viewed as overly political and in many respects so toxic that companies don’t want to be associated with it, Facebook is still popular, though slightly diminishing. Instagram remains in ascendency.Beyond that it’s difficult and futile angsting too much about what’s coming next.
There’s a lot to take in, so I appreciate if any of you are thinking, “Is social media even worth it in the end?”. And the answer is, well, it depends. If you’re willing to dedicate the time and put the right level of resource behind it (something many companies don’t do), then it can be game-changing, but if you get it wrong it’s best not to bother. You can damage your brand far more by standing in the corner with a token presence – this can undermine your image like grubby buses or trains and grumpy employees. It’s all or nothing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Noah Warner is Head of Sales & Marketing for transport consultancy AJW Experience Group, which includes Great Scenic Journeys. He is also the Head of Sales for web design and marketing agency, Penn Studio. Previously, Noah undertook marketing and administration for Flash Forward Consulting.
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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