Jonathan Welch speaks to First Bus Chief Commercial Officer Simon Pearson about the company’s new look
The landscape is changing, and the industry is a very different one now compared to 10, or even five years ago. Franchising is looming on the horizon in many areas, whilst the move to zero-emission fleets is changing how companies operate, and both are helping to drive a shift in mindset across the sector. Having moved away from its previously quite rigid corporate identity in favour of local brands, resulting in a plethora of names and colour schemes across the UK, First Bus has recently begun a process of returning to one core identity across its bus operations.
Initially introduced with ‘electric’ branding in 2023, the company’s new colour scheme was first seen on new Wrightbus Electroliners for its York and Norwich operations, as well as a repainted Glasgow-based Enviro400, before starting to be rolled out across the country onto diesel as well as electric vehicles. Some early repaints received the then standard First Bus logo, whilst the new vehicles were branded as York and Norwich Electric.
Official launch
On 9 December, First Bus officially unveiled its new image and logo as part of what it says is a make-over of its business to give a consistent look and feel to its buses, speaking of a ‘transformation journey’ and launching a new ‘moving the everyday’ marketing campaign to celebrate the role of the bus in bringing the nation together.
The company says it is undergoing a huge transformation as a business, focusing on its customers, and its people. Its ‘moving the everyday’ campaign aims to celebrate local heroes from right across the communities it serves and highlight the integral role buses play in unlocking environmental, social, economic and health benefits, as well as to inspire people to make the switch from cars to buses. As part of the campaign, First Bus has worked with TV personality Josie Gibson, a former ‘Big Brother’ winner and presenter of ITV’s ‘This Morning,’ to share the stories of resilience, dedication and community spirit of some local heroes who First says represent the everyday of the many, showing how the bus brings people together.
[…]By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
