Beyond Buses - Creating a better Public Transport System through Marketing, Communication & Information
1. Beyond Buses: Creating a better Public
Transport System through Marketing,
Communications & Information
Ashwin Prabhu
Principal Associate
EMBARQ India
ConnectKaro 2014
Bangalore – March 10
3. Why is Marketing & Communications important?
1. Public Transport operates in a Competitive Marketplace
Marketing, Communications & Public Transport
4. Why is Marketing & Communications important?
2. A system that communicates & markets itself well and
appears (and is!) reliable, simple and accessible is
more likely to:
- Attract new users
- Retain existing users
- Secure political and financial support
Marketing, Communications & Public Transport
5. Why is Marketing & Communications important?
3. Good Marketing & Communications can simplify the
public transport experience
Marketing, Communications & Public Transport
7. Why is Marketing & Communications important?
4. Marketing & Communications is especially important in
the Indian context
Marketing, Communications & Public Transport
8. Marketing & Communications is essential for Public
Transport. It should be a core activity - it is not a luxury, it is
not a marginal activity
Marketing & Communications is a effective tool for
promoting public transport – both ridership and resources
Marketing & Communications is especially essential for new
services/systems
Marketing & Communications must be comprehensive, yet
cohesive
Conclusions
20. As fiscal capacities are generally constrained, fleet size
cannot keep up with the exponential increase in number of
routes
Eventually, this system ends up with a large number of
routes with only 1 or 2 buses
If these routes are long – as routes serving the city
periphery tend to be – this results in long wait times on
individual routes
Issue 2: Low Frequencies on Individual Routes
22. Large number of routes increases system complexity and
acts as a barrier to entry for new users
System complexity means developing user information
systems, like maps at bus stops, becomes very difficult
Issue 3: Excessive Complexity for Users
26. Principle #1:
Individual Routes along Major Roads are rationalised into a
small number of Very High Frequency Routes
The Frequent Bus Network
27. Principle #2:
Travel Patterns that require moving beyond the major road are
served by routes connecting to the Frequent Bus Network at
interchange points
The Frequent Bus Network
28. Principle #3:
Specific Travel Patterns are served not by direct routes, but by
a collection of „direction-oriented‟ services connected by
transfers
The Frequent Bus Network
29. Improves:
System Simplicity
fewer routes, easier to navigate
Quality of Service
more buses per route, higher frequency
System Capacity
higher frequency on specific ‘links’
Flexibility
easier to match supply to demand
Benefits of The Frequent Bus Network
31. BMTC is implementing Two Major Route & Network
Structure Reforms:
1. The BIG Bus Network
2. Feeder Services for Peripheral Destinations
The Frequent Bus Network in Bangalore
32. The BIG Bus Network is a Connective Grid of
High Frequency, Direction-Oriented services along Main
Roads
BIG = Bangalore Intra-city Grid
1. BIG Bus Network
38. Peripheral Destinations - which lie beyond ORR and off
arterial roads - will be served with high frequency feeder
services connecting them to the main road
2. Feeder Services for Peripheral Destinations
44. An integrated fare system will ensure transfers are convenient
and cheap
BMTC is procuring Electronic Ticketing Machines and a
Smartcard Fare System for this purpose
Integrated Fare System
46. High quality yet small footprint transfer facilities at
interchange junctions will facilitate convenient and
comfortable transfers
Transfer Facilities
47. Developing a strategy for
1. User Education
2. Marketing
3. User Information
for the roll out of the BIG Bus Network
THE TASK:
48. Groups of 5-6 people
Pick one representative
Each group picks one of the 3 topics:
User Education
Marketing
User Information
40 minutes of deliberation
Present strategy/ideas (5 minutes for each group)
Format
49. “When we surveyed potential riders of the new Orange line
they weren‟t quite sure what it was. A Train? A Bus with
Stations? A new fare structure?”
- Michael Lejuene, Creative Director, Los Angeles Metro
Task 1: User Education
50. How do you tell people about the new system?
How do you communicate the benefits of the new system?
How to establish public support for the reforms?
What channels/mediums do you use spread the word?
Task 1: User Education
51. “Traveller's perception of Public Transport systems must be
thoroughly comprehended by marketing so that a public
transport system can be successful”
- C.H. Wei & C.Y. Kao, Measuring Traveller Involvement in
Urban Public Transport Systems
Task 2: Marketing
52. How to continuously promote Public Transport?
What lessons/strategies can be adopted from private
sector?
What should be the messaging for promoting Public
Transport?
How to target different socio-economic groups effectively?
Task 2: Marketing
53. “Public Transport can add real value to the city by being better
integrated within its wider context”
- Transport for London, Best Practice Guides
Task 3: User Information
54. What information systems should be put in place?
What information should be available at Bus Stops and
Stations?
What about „remote‟ information systems?
How can we leverage technology to provide information?
What about different socio-economic groups?
Task 3: User Information
Bus services in Bangalore, like in most Indian cities, are based on the ‘Direct Services’ modelThis means that each given locality (neighbourhood, township etc) is directly connected to destinations in the city centre with a dedicated routeWhile such a system works well for smaller cities, it leads to significant inefficiency in large metropolitan cities
The first problem is one of complexity and route redundancy. As city expands and number of destinations increases, the number of routes increases exponentially. This results in a large degree of route redundancy, and becomes an increasing complex system to navigate for users
The first problem is one of complexity and route redundancy. As city expands and number of destinations increases, the number of routes increases exponentially. This results in a large degree of route redundancy, and becomes an increasing complex system to navigate for users
The first problem is one of complexity and route redundancy. As city expands and number of destinations increases, the number of routes increases exponentially. This results in a large degree of route redundancy, and becomes an increasing complex system to navigate for users
Employing the Direct Services Model (in which each significant destination receives its own route) results situations like the following
Although all these destinations are directly on the same road….
You need multiple routes to service them
Here 4 routes are needed, when 1 route with sufficient capacity would suffice
The Direct Services model also has an impact on quality
Each route has to go to the city centre and back. If routes are long and the number of buses limited, this results in very long wait times on individual routes
The Direct Services model also has an impact on quality
The overall vision is to move from the Direct Services model to the Integrated services modelIn the integrated services model, the bus route network is based on connections between high frequency servicesInstead of connecting a destination directly to the city centre, it is connected only to the nearest arterial roadThe arterial road itself is then connected to the city centre by a series of high frequency trunk routes
The overall vision is to move from the Direct Services model to the Integrated services modelIn the integrated services model, the bus route network is based on connections between high frequency servicesInstead of connecting a destination directly to the city centre, it is connected only to the nearest arterial roadThe arterial road itself is then connected to the city centre by a series of high frequency trunk routes
The overall vision is to move from the Direct Services model to the Integrated services modelIn the integrated services model, the bus route network is based on connections between high frequency servicesInstead of connecting a destination directly to the city centre, it is connected only to the nearest arterial roadThe arterial road itself is then connected to the city centre by a series of high frequency trunk routes
The overall vision is to move from the Direct Services model to the Integrated services modelIn the integrated services model, the bus route network is based on connections between high frequency servicesInstead of connecting a destination directly to the city centre, it is connected only to the nearest arterial roadThe arterial road itself is then connected to the city centre by a series of high frequency trunk routes
The BIG Bus Network builds on the work of the ABIDe committee which, in 2009, introduced direction oriented services such as the Big10 service. Our plan is to expand this idea and scale it up to make a truly city-wide direction oriented and integrated network.
BigTrunk provides high frequency services along all the 12 major arterial roads in Bangalore that connect the city centre to the suburbsThis is an expansion of the existing Big10 service – adding more trunk routes and buses
BigCircle provides high frequency circular services along the Outer Ring Road
BigCity is a network of high demand routes withing the Outer Ring Road
BigConnect provides connectivity between arterial roads beyond the Outer Ring Road
Altogether, the BIG Bus Network will provide high frequency connections along all major roads in Bangalore. The combination of these 4 services will induce a ‘network effect’, allowing commuters to make the most rational trip pattern as per their needs, as well as opening up the possibility of new trip patterns that are not possible in the existing system.
In the current system, there is a high degree of route redundancy, resulting in many routes that travel the same path for 80-90% of their route length. This also leads to a very large number of routes on the main road
Transitioning to a ‘trunk-and-feeder’ style system allows for a reduction in the number of routes, and rationalising routes by their purpose i.e. trunk road travel vs. connections to villages, destinations.
Here is an example of how the two planned reforms will work together to improve services along major arterial roads.First, there is the Big Trunk that provides high frequency service along the main road itself
The BigConnect services will provide cross-connectivity across this arterial to adjacent arterials
Finally, the Feeder service will provide connectivity to destinations and villages that lie between these arterials, connecting commuters to the transfer facilities on the main road
BMTC is also in the advanced stages of procuring ETMs for all it’s buses, as well as implementing a Smart-card based ticketing system. This will enable the establishment of integrated fares without any ‘transfer penalty’. So any fare – related inconvenience of this new system will be temporary only.
One of the keys to this system is also developing a unified branding structure for these services. This is to ensure that users perceive these different services as part of one larger network. This also improves the usability and simplicity of the system