Big Pkiblicity Scheme for Bus Operators
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HITH'ERTO, the leading provincial bus companies have, to a considerable extent, hidden their light under a bushel. What the general public knows about them is mostly gained from individual experiences of the services they give. Some of them have conducted a certain amount Of local advertising in or on their vehicles and in the local organs of the Press, but the national aspecti has been neglected.
With fewer vehicles, greatly depleted staffs, difficult black-out conditions, the need for conserving fuel, the shortage of spare parts and of skilled men for vehicle maintenance, the bus operators of this country have put up a really marvellous performance. In many areas, they have had to meet unusual conditions in respect of the conveyance of thousands of workers to factories which were either formerly very small or did not exist. Despite all these problems, in manycases, they are to-day conveying numbers far in excess of those carried pre-wat. Naturally there have been complaints, but in almost every instance these have been dealt with satisfactorily. Meanwhile, the Nation, as a whole, probably because it has been occupied with so many dither matters, has accorded little credit to (their great work in the war effort.
Now, a number of the leading bus
companies has come together to form a body under the title of the British,_. Omnibus Companies Public Relations Committee. It is the purpose of this organization to carry out publicity
• work on a large scale in the national and other important organs of the Press, with a view to 'conveying to the public, by degrees, a comprehensive idea of the-way in which the companies concerned are serving the public and assisting in the war effort.
Over 50 Bus Companies Represented on the Committee
The Committee consists of representatives of upwards of 50 bus companies in England, Scotland and Wales, and the number of buses involved, so far, is already close on 12,000, whilst additional support is readily forthcoming.
To begin with, the campaign will be limited to " prestige " publicity of a national character, which will also be extended to the local Press and to the vehicles running in the areas covered by the companies concerned, and all publicity matter issued by, or on the authority of this Committee, will bear a standard sign. It is hoped that the efforts of the Committee will be co-related to those of others working for a similar object, and to this end contact has already been established
with the London Passenger Transport Board and the main-line railways.
Amongat the bigger organizations represented on the Committee are the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd., the Scottish Motor Traction Co., Ltd., the Lancashire United Transport and Power Co., Ltd., and the Balfour Beatty group, together with many independent operators.
It is understood that some 1,000 newspapers will be carrying the Committee's advertisements. The Committee's executive director is Mr. Raymond Birch, to whom communications should be addressed at 88, Kingsway, London,
. W.C.2. The responsibility for the preparation and issue of the advertisement matter devolves upon C. Vernon and Sons, Ltd., 27, Chancery Lane, W.C.2. The first of the series was arranged to appear yesterday in " The Times."
That the passenger-transport side of our industry has been able to put into being such an important effort adds emphasis to the need for the better organization of the goods-transport side, and we hope that if this campaign receives the approbation which we believe it will, some similiar committee will be, formed to deal with publicity for the great work being done by the haulier and ancillary operator. Such co-operation would be invaluable.