WCC Bus marketing campaigns 2026

Use of public transport, particularly bus services, has been in decline in the UK for a number of years running up to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has been reflected across all demographics. Nationally, to try and increase the number of people using bus travel, the Department for Transport is running a £3 Adult Single Bus Ticket flat fare pilot across the UK, which will run until at least March 2027. This is an opt in scheme for bus operators who are compensated for signing up to the scheme. In December 2022, Warwickshire County Council formed The Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership for Buses, signed up to by all bus providers in the County and which aims to support the improvement of bus services across Warwickshire and provide residents with a viable, affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to car travel. Following an extensive branding exercise, it was decided that The Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership for Buses would be branded as Warwickshire Buses. The only data available on bus usage is provided by Stagecoach (which covers c.80% of bus usage in Warwickshire). This shows a decline in passengers and journeys: WarwickshireBuses_StagecoachUsageData.xlsx Between April 2024 and December 2025, the Council worked with an external agency to deliver a young person (aged 14 to 24) bus marketing campaign - "Get the Bus with Two/A Few Squid". The scope of this campaign was to deliver a digital marketing and advertising campaign, which resulted in an increase in bus patronage that varied between 10% and 13% over the height of the campaign. The detail of this campaign, including media placements and performance, will be shared with the successful agency. Bus Campaign 2026 The Partnership has therefore taken the decision to further dedicate an amount of its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP+) funding from central government for 2026/27 to create a series of marketing campaigns to increase bus use amongst the following groups: • Young People aged 14 - 25 • Adults aged 25 - 50 (including People with Young Children) • Residents eligible for Warwickshire Concessionary Bus Pass (aged 66+) The main aims of the campaign are: 1. To increase take-up of Warwickshire bus services by the targeted groups. 2. To increase traffic on the WCC Public Transport Pages, which will be refreshed by Warwickshire County Council to provide more useful information including information specifically for these target audiences. https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/public-transport 3. Raise awareness of the Warwickshire Concessionary Bus Pass and increase take-up amongst eligible older adults. 4. Rase awareness of improved Warwickshire bus fleet, with an emphasis on change and transformation (uplifted passenger experience), ease of access, speed of boarding (smart ticketing) and ease of payment (fast).