Leyland puts service on the map
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ARRIVING early for a Leyland Bus Press conference on the new Top Cat emergency service — which has nothing to do with jumbo-sized tins of Whiskas for Tigers, Royal or common — I passed the time in discussing with colleagues the marketing shortcomings of coach operators.
But it soon became evident that they were not alone in hiding their lights. Alan Martin, service manager, admitted that most operators did not know that Leyland had 262 service points in Europe. Grey-Green Coaches was, he said, a notable exception.
Reticence and inertia are now things of the past. The comprehensive Top Cat service, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through 20 coach specialists near the main coach routes in West Europe, is being marketed with vigour. Careful research has gone into the project and a comprehensive guide is being sent to 1,000 major operators.
Now that Leyland Bus can compete with its Continental peers on service in Europe, a European marketing strategy is being developed. Tigers are being built and sold at a rate of 25 a week and it would be pleasing to think that Continental operators would soon be queueing up to buy them.