Bus Adverts (Read 38,802 times)

[s10driver]

I have been thinking recently about this, the situation with First & Tm Travel is a great example, First have mega side ads, mega rear ads, rear ads, interior ads and side ads on their buses, but Tm Travel have no ads what so ever. Do you prefer the look of Tm Travel buses (no ads) compared to the look of First buses (ads)?

Me personally I prefer buses with ads on as it gives more character to the vehicle, and stops it looking dull over time, but I realise that some people may prefer buses when they have no ads on, just like when they are brand new for example.

[ryansf]

For me it depends on the type and livery of the bus - for example, deckers would look better with adverts on First/Stagecoach for example, because it would just be empty space otherwise. Others like fully branded buses, or Wilfreda Beehive for example, have bits in place already so adverts would be difficult to place. That said, singles look better without I think - and First's livery looked better before they squashed it!

[stephenr]

I'm with Trent and the old Blazefield companies view. The bus is your advertisement and as such should be kept imaculate as it is self advertiseing.

I'd like to see First/Stagecoach take a leaf out of Trent and promote their own services on the side of their busses not washing powders.

If it looks clean, tidy and uncluttered with the company name clearly identifyed that is what the public remember.

[22438]

Yeah, agree with stephenr here - TM Travel's buses look much better presented without adverts, just a shame they can't decide on a livery. Also trent barton's buses look excellent, and as you say they use the space (inside as well as out) to promote their own services and tickets.

[dave72122]

It depends for me also, I mean on the big companies livery, the buses look bare without adverts, as the livery as been designed to incorporate adverts, where as companies like Tm Travel look better without adverts (do Tm Travel vehicles have interior adverts?) but buses can start to look a mess when the same adverts are on the same vehicles for the past 12 months just like the Sheffield ADL Darts, even the interior adverts have adverts from 2006 still on! where as the Rawmarsh vehicles seemed to gain new adverts every month on their ADL Darts both internally and externally.

It is a tough decision and can be viewed from all different angles, but for me, I have to say that I prefer adverts on buses both internally and externally.

Cheers, Dave

[22438]

True about the Sheffield Darts which still just have the Megarider adverts. Also oddly some MANs don't have rear advert panels (the later ones in the series, KRZ onwards? Certainly at least KSJ/K don't have them).

TM Travel do have some adverts inside, but very low-key ones: inkjet-printed white A4 sheets in plastic wallets, on the screen behind the driver's compartment. There was one on YN56AHY advertising a shoe shop in Chesterfild IIRC.

[dave72122]

True about the adverts on the Sheffield Man's, and the Sheffield ADL Darts, although inside the vehicles do have some adverts, but not as many as the ADL Darts at Rotherham, I had a trip up to Rawmarsh the other day and inside YN56 OMP the amount of adverts was unbelievable! their were adverts on top of each other as they ran out of space!

Most of the Man's still have the same adverts for 3 Shops in Sheffield on the side of the vehicles which have been on since June.

Strange to know that about Tm Travel though!

Cheers, Dave

[Tom B]

I think that greater use could be made of the insides, mostly they seem to be advertising how good First is, with little commercial advertising.

Externally, again I agree it depends on the livery.

Of course, adverts have an excellent use as temporary destination boards when the blinds fail!

[thrybergh]

I have to say I much rather prefer buses with adverts on, regardless of the livery, as to me buses look really bare if their are no adverts on or inside the vehicles.

[maltabus]

Also if you like to photograph buses at least with different adverts outside you can tell you have photographed a vehicle at different times as the adverts change. And if you photograph a specific batch of buses say for instance the MAN Evolutions of SIY at Rawmarsh at least with different adverts it looks like you have photographed more than one bus, if you know what I mean?

[manclad]

It's all well and good us all saying whether we like them or not, the bottom line is that they make additional revenue for the operator which will feed down to the passenger in one way or another.

[duncan]

cjm said:

Yeah, agree with stephenr here - TM Travel's buses look much better presented without adverts, just a shame they can't decide on a livery. Also trent barton's buses look excellent, and as you say they use the space (inside as well as out) to promote their own services and tickets.

There is one T.M. bus with a rear end advert for a garage.
The livery situation is now final and all buses are being gradually repainted into current schemes. There are 3 liveries, solo, bus and coach.
A problem for T.M. with advertising is that many advertisers request vehicles to go onto specific routes. The intense utilisation of vehicles prevents this from being guaranteed.
Route branding has been tried but it just looks daft when you use them on different routes so was disbanded.

[duncan]

I also feel that when the likes of First pay out massive sums to have a livery designed for them, they probhably would love to survive without adverts spoiling them. The lure of the £££££ is just to strong to resist.
I would also question the value of advertising for an operator as the down time for application / re-application against the fairly low return must be questionable.

[marshall]

I think there is no point of having bus adverts up when they do not change them. On some of the old X78 busses In Doncaster they still have the adverts up saying ''the all new X78 is comming, for more Information please visit www.firstgroup.com.'

[Tom B]

That is because it's obviously far too much work to take the posters down.

If TM can't guarantee that a given bus will work a given route, how on earth do First get advert contracts?