Do you run bus services that cater for the seasonal leisure travel? Have a short break, take stock and start your planning early
As summer comes to an end, it’s time for transport operators to assess their leisure service performance
Well, that went quickly. Summer is over, the schools are back, nights are drawing in, and the leaves are dropping, with the conker fight season on the horizon. I always get pretty reflective at this time of year, and sometimes it’s more than a little depressing as well – another year gone and back to the grindstone, made worse by the imminent dark nights.
As summer comes to an end, it’s time for transport operators to assess their performance in leisure services over the past few months. After all, apart from around Christmas, it is the spring and summer months when leisure travel is most buoyant, be it a staycation, a day out or even a half-day trip being made for fun. At our Great Scenic Journeys business, like the operators, we are under the cosh from April until the end of August, but once September arrives, it’s the chance to dispassionately look at where the industry – and ourselves – could have done better and redouble our efforts for next spring onwards.
My first plea to the industry is not to rest on its laurels. Every year, there’s a feeling that comes with September, as though it’s the time to relax and talk about ‘next year,’ as though there are countless weeks and months of downtime to pontificate and plan. Yet, each year, there is a sudden, frenzied energy in February from operators, and then by June, they realise their plans are a little half-baked. Soon you’ll hear “this is just a bit of a trial this year, next year we’ll do it properly”. And then, we have this cycle, where each year passes and there’s never a full plan of action pursued. It’s made worse, naturally, by managers coming and going, each bringing in their own ideas but never fully implementing them. Unfortunately, the transport industry lacks complete finishers.
So, my biggest advice for marketeers and operational colleagues is to breathe a sigh of relief when August is over, but commit to having no more than a fortnight break from thinking about next year’s leisure proposition. Not for the first time (and apologies for this), I liken the situation to football. The successful teams are those who finish the previous season strongly, break for a minimal time and have a full pre-season training from the start of July.
The time for planning for next spring is no later than mid-September. Firstly, revenue trends for the previous summer need to be analysed and also discussions around the network, pricing, branding and partnerships. A proper timeline should be in place, and someone should be project managing the whole process towards the start of the spring season. It always baffles me how the industry loves to use boring programme management protocols and techniques for projects but never considers them for ultra-important activities such as the’ business as usual’ leisure season.
There should be momentum and intensity during the autumn and winter around planning, but this vigour should also be replicated, more so than ever, during the busy spring and summer seasons – techniques that can be lacking among operators. Many bus routes that either exist solely during this period or at the very least have a chance only between April and August to be profitable need intensity of focus on a day-by-day basis during this time. If they don’t, then their very existence is in jeopardy. It does depress me when I hear bus industry bigwigs lament that they are having to decide to discontinue a service for next season, as though it was someone else’s fault people didn’t travel – I’m always too polite to say, “Yeah, but what care and attention did you give it?”.
Intensity is so vital. At Great Scenic Journeys, with one operator, we independently chair a weekly meeting during the summer to review the revenue figures for the week, examine the weather forecast for the upcoming week, plan social media outputs, and determine where hosts can be positioned to attract passengers. Intensity is everything. It’s so easy not to have a weekly or daily focus and then before you know it, the summer holidays are over.
It’s too early to properly evaluate patronage levels across the industry on leisure routes during the summer, though anecdotally, I’m hearing a mixed story, with success on some routes and less so on others. It will be interesting to see Visit Britain statistics around visitor numbers to the UK, but indications suggest that these are down, so too domestic spend on leisure experiences. Considerations for planning next year and from a long-term perspective, should include how the leisure proposition is packaged more generally. When examining leisure brands, bus and rail operators seldom look beyond aesthetics or pontificate about what it really takes to resonate with future customers. All too often, a one-dimensional approach is taken, thinking that just by letting customers know they can use the bus to go to the shops, pub or the match, then that will suffice. Far deeper thinking is required. How often do bus companies, for instance, try to get inside the heads of young people with comprehensive research?
The time for planning for next spring is no later than mid-September
It’s all very well employing glamorous social media influencers to get on board a bus and make it look cool, but that won’t alone switch a light on with a market that needs convincing. However, the power of Tik Tok and influencers cannot be underestimated. When studying at college in Surrey, my youngest daughter took to revising at the British Library because she saw social media influencers doing so, and it was cool – even though it would not have had any genuine incremental impact that sitting at home with her textbook wouldn’t have done. So too, both my daughters last weekend went for afternoon tea at a posh restaurant in Soho, solely because a social media influencer went there and they wanted to do selfies. Public transport has the potential to be trendy in this way, but it’s complex, and it will take time and deep thought.
When considering how current and future markets might resonate with the product, the industry needs to move beyond its piecemeal approach to the brand. Across some of our most scenic bus routes, I see bus stops where the remnants of a previous brand or a nervous attempt at a new one are visible, and buses that have no internal branding or destination marketing whatsoever. It’s the same across bus and rail – an end-to-end journey proposition that is at best 50% branded, almost as if it got distracted halfway through, or the money ran out. Not even the world-famous social media influencers could get a tune out of a product presented in this way.
It also needs collaboration between operators and local attractions. Once again, autumn is the time to do this. There also needs to be an analysis of each route and stimulating the market. This should involve literally listing the potential destinations and attractions at each step, evaluating which ones may be of interest for customers and then crafting a proposition and itineraries to appeal to different types of customers accordingly. This may sound like stating the obvious, but apart from a few isolated areas, it doesn’t really happen currently. Also, don’t forget to look at things to do in all weather. With the vagaries of our climate, trying to make a route less reliant on it being a sunny day is one of the most crucial of challenges. A lazy marketeer will perennially shrug their shoulders and claim patronage declines were down to cloud and rain.
In North Yorkshire, at Great Scenic Journeys, we’ve crafted on behalf of the bus companies and local authority a Scenic Explorer rover product which is selling well and is gradually involving destinations and attractions signing off to help. This takes a lot of planning and time to come to fruition and blossom, maybe two or three years, but the work needs to start soonest and we’d be delighted to develop this for other parts of the UK. A similar product ‘Days Out by Bus’ has been developed by North East Combined Authority with our help.
The’ Days Out by Bus’ campaign has been championed by a very enthusiastic chap called Geoff Wade, the community engagement lead for buses at North East Combined Authority. The campaign, which we are part of, also provides discounts at attractions for bus customers. I mention Geoff because he is one of the ingredients that is needed to make transport companies unlock the potential of their leisure markets. Last week, Geoff (who goes as @MultiModalGeoff on X), took a day’s leave to make an epic scenic tour on the network where he works. He wanted to prove that it was possible to get from the Scottish border (the most northerly English bus stop) travelling on all roads closest to the north east coast that have a scheduled bus service to travel to the most southerly coastal bus stop in the North East Combined Authority area, at Crimdon Dene in County Dene in County Durham, in a day using the Transport North East Day Saver ticket. Starting in Whitley Bay and getting an early train to Berwick for a 150-mile trip, he took in the unique Holy Island 477 bus service which crosses the sea when the tide is out, followed by buses through Bamburgh, Beadnell, Blyth, South Shields, Sunderland and Seaham, then the last bus to arrive back home in the small hours. All times of day, weekends and evenings, our Geoff’s back and forth on WhatsApp with me, pontificating new ideas and approaches.
There are others, like Geoff in the industry, unsung heroes within local authorities, in particular, who have been living in the shadows of the high-profile leaders at bus operators, for too long, who are coming more to the fore in these times where public sector influence is bigger than ever before. At Great Scenic Journeys, just before the transfer window shut, I signed up former transport journalist and Campaign for Better Transport team member, Meera Rambissoon, to be part of our eclectic gang and an ambassador for the leisure transport routes in our collection.
Meera has spent the past fortnight travelling around on buses, helping us identify and write up engaging content for our communication channels and clients. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get so excited as Meera eulogising with heartfelt, uncontainable passion the sheer joy she has found on the 88 from Lancaster to Knott End via Garstang. “WOOF! This is a belter of a route – and a long journey filled with so much to stop off and do” was the title of the first email she sent me after her introductory trip. Then she took to social media, and it was clear she was genuinely having such unbridled fun that it surpassed any holiday of a lifetime she might have had in a previous life, judging by the enthusiasm with which she shared snaps and commentary of her scenic sojourn. When I asked her if she could go on the 75 from Fleetwood to Preston with Archway Travel, it felt like her Christmases and birthdays were coming at once, such was her almost tearful delight. Every route needs a Meera, and she’s coming to yours very soon! Watch this space!
As summer comes to an end, it’s essential that pre-season training begins as soon as possible. Next year could be the biggest ever for leisure travel, or time could slip away, and before we know it, we’ll be in August, and it will be too late to do anything about it. These dark, dull winter months ahead are the time to make it happen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector. He is co-founder of transport technology business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration.
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
Summer is over – plan for the next one!
by Passenger Transport on Sep 5, 2025 • 1:01 pm No CommentsDo you run bus services that cater for the seasonal leisure travel? Have a short break, take stock and start your planning early
Well, that went quickly. Summer is over, the schools are back, nights are drawing in, and the leaves are dropping, with the conker fight season on the horizon. I always get pretty reflective at this time of year, and sometimes it’s more than a little depressing as well – another year gone and back to the grindstone, made worse by the imminent dark nights.
As summer comes to an end, it’s time for transport operators to assess their performance in leisure services over the past few months. After all, apart from around Christmas, it is the spring and summer months when leisure travel is most buoyant, be it a staycation, a day out or even a half-day trip being made for fun. At our Great Scenic Journeys business, like the operators, we are under the cosh from April until the end of August, but once September arrives, it’s the chance to dispassionately look at where the industry – and ourselves – could have done better and redouble our efforts for next spring onwards.
My first plea to the industry is not to rest on its laurels. Every year, there’s a feeling that comes with September, as though it’s the time to relax and talk about ‘next year,’ as though there are countless weeks and months of downtime to pontificate and plan. Yet, each year, there is a sudden, frenzied energy in February from operators, and then by June, they realise their plans are a little half-baked. Soon you’ll hear “this is just a bit of a trial this year, next year we’ll do it properly”. And then, we have this cycle, where each year passes and there’s never a full plan of action pursued. It’s made worse, naturally, by managers coming and going, each bringing in their own ideas but never fully implementing them. Unfortunately, the transport industry lacks complete finishers.
So, my biggest advice for marketeers and operational colleagues is to breathe a sigh of relief when August is over, but commit to having no more than a fortnight break from thinking about next year’s leisure proposition. Not for the first time (and apologies for this), I liken the situation to football. The successful teams are those who finish the previous season strongly, break for a minimal time and have a full pre-season training from the start of July.
The time for planning for next spring is no later than mid-September. Firstly, revenue trends for the previous summer need to be analysed and also discussions around the network, pricing, branding and partnerships. A proper timeline should be in place, and someone should be project managing the whole process towards the start of the spring season. It always baffles me how the industry loves to use boring programme management protocols and techniques for projects but never considers them for ultra-important activities such as the’ business as usual’ leisure season.
There should be momentum and intensity during the autumn and winter around planning, but this vigour should also be replicated, more so than ever, during the busy spring and summer seasons – techniques that can be lacking among operators. Many bus routes that either exist solely during this period or at the very least have a chance only between April and August to be profitable need intensity of focus on a day-by-day basis during this time. If they don’t, then their very existence is in jeopardy. It does depress me when I hear bus industry bigwigs lament that they are having to decide to discontinue a service for next season, as though it was someone else’s fault people didn’t travel – I’m always too polite to say, “Yeah, but what care and attention did you give it?”.
Intensity is so vital. At Great Scenic Journeys, with one operator, we independently chair a weekly meeting during the summer to review the revenue figures for the week, examine the weather forecast for the upcoming week, plan social media outputs, and determine where hosts can be positioned to attract passengers. Intensity is everything. It’s so easy not to have a weekly or daily focus and then before you know it, the summer holidays are over.
It’s too early to properly evaluate patronage levels across the industry on leisure routes during the summer, though anecdotally, I’m hearing a mixed story, with success on some routes and less so on others. It will be interesting to see Visit Britain statistics around visitor numbers to the UK, but indications suggest that these are down, so too domestic spend on leisure experiences. Considerations for planning next year and from a long-term perspective, should include how the leisure proposition is packaged more generally. When examining leisure brands, bus and rail operators seldom look beyond aesthetics or pontificate about what it really takes to resonate with future customers. All too often, a one-dimensional approach is taken, thinking that just by letting customers know they can use the bus to go to the shops, pub or the match, then that will suffice. Far deeper thinking is required. How often do bus companies, for instance, try to get inside the heads of young people with comprehensive research?
It’s all very well employing glamorous social media influencers to get on board a bus and make it look cool, but that won’t alone switch a light on with a market that needs convincing. However, the power of Tik Tok and influencers cannot be underestimated. When studying at college in Surrey, my youngest daughter took to revising at the British Library because she saw social media influencers doing so, and it was cool – even though it would not have had any genuine incremental impact that sitting at home with her textbook wouldn’t have done. So too, both my daughters last weekend went for afternoon tea at a posh restaurant in Soho, solely because a social media influencer went there and they wanted to do selfies. Public transport has the potential to be trendy in this way, but it’s complex, and it will take time and deep thought.
When considering how current and future markets might resonate with the product, the industry needs to move beyond its piecemeal approach to the brand. Across some of our most scenic bus routes, I see bus stops where the remnants of a previous brand or a nervous attempt at a new one are visible, and buses that have no internal branding or destination marketing whatsoever. It’s the same across bus and rail – an end-to-end journey proposition that is at best 50% branded, almost as if it got distracted halfway through, or the money ran out. Not even the world-famous social media influencers could get a tune out of a product presented in this way.
It also needs collaboration between operators and local attractions. Once again, autumn is the time to do this. There also needs to be an analysis of each route and stimulating the market. This should involve literally listing the potential destinations and attractions at each step, evaluating which ones may be of interest for customers and then crafting a proposition and itineraries to appeal to different types of customers accordingly. This may sound like stating the obvious, but apart from a few isolated areas, it doesn’t really happen currently. Also, don’t forget to look at things to do in all weather. With the vagaries of our climate, trying to make a route less reliant on it being a sunny day is one of the most crucial of challenges. A lazy marketeer will perennially shrug their shoulders and claim patronage declines were down to cloud and rain.
In North Yorkshire, at Great Scenic Journeys, we’ve crafted on behalf of the bus companies and local authority a Scenic Explorer rover product which is selling well and is gradually involving destinations and attractions signing off to help. This takes a lot of planning and time to come to fruition and blossom, maybe two or three years, but the work needs to start soonest and we’d be delighted to develop this for other parts of the UK. A similar product ‘Days Out by Bus’ has been developed by North East Combined Authority with our help.
The’ Days Out by Bus’ campaign has been championed by a very enthusiastic chap called Geoff Wade, the community engagement lead for buses at North East Combined Authority. The campaign, which we are part of, also provides discounts at attractions for bus customers. I mention Geoff because he is one of the ingredients that is needed to make transport companies unlock the potential of their leisure markets. Last week, Geoff (who goes as @MultiModalGeoff on X), took a day’s leave to make an epic scenic tour on the network where he works. He wanted to prove that it was possible to get from the Scottish border (the most northerly English bus stop) travelling on all roads closest to the north east coast that have a scheduled bus service to travel to the most southerly coastal bus stop in the North East Combined Authority area, at Crimdon Dene in County Dene in County Durham, in a day using the Transport North East Day Saver ticket. Starting in Whitley Bay and getting an early train to Berwick for a 150-mile trip, he took in the unique Holy Island 477 bus service which crosses the sea when the tide is out, followed by buses through Bamburgh, Beadnell, Blyth, South Shields, Sunderland and Seaham, then the last bus to arrive back home in the small hours. All times of day, weekends and evenings, our Geoff’s back and forth on WhatsApp with me, pontificating new ideas and approaches.
There are others, like Geoff in the industry, unsung heroes within local authorities, in particular, who have been living in the shadows of the high-profile leaders at bus operators, for too long, who are coming more to the fore in these times where public sector influence is bigger than ever before. At Great Scenic Journeys, just before the transfer window shut, I signed up former transport journalist and Campaign for Better Transport team member, Meera Rambissoon, to be part of our eclectic gang and an ambassador for the leisure transport routes in our collection.
Meera has spent the past fortnight travelling around on buses, helping us identify and write up engaging content for our communication channels and clients. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get so excited as Meera eulogising with heartfelt, uncontainable passion the sheer joy she has found on the 88 from Lancaster to Knott End via Garstang. “WOOF! This is a belter of a route – and a long journey filled with so much to stop off and do” was the title of the first email she sent me after her introductory trip. Then she took to social media, and it was clear she was genuinely having such unbridled fun that it surpassed any holiday of a lifetime she might have had in a previous life, judging by the enthusiasm with which she shared snaps and commentary of her scenic sojourn. When I asked her if she could go on the 75 from Fleetwood to Preston with Archway Travel, it felt like her Christmases and birthdays were coming at once, such was her almost tearful delight. Every route needs a Meera, and she’s coming to yours very soon! Watch this space!
As summer comes to an end, it’s essential that pre-season training begins as soon as possible. Next year could be the biggest ever for leisure travel, or time could slip away, and before we know it, we’ll be in August, and it will be too late to do anything about it. These dark, dull winter months ahead are the time to make it happen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector. He is co-founder of transport technology business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration.
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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