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NCT Success at UK Bus Awards 2009

Nottingham City Transport is today celebrating after picking up the Winning New Customers Award at the 2009 UK Bus Awards.
NCT beat off tough competition from 5 other entries – Arriva Midlands, Translink, First Glasgow, Ulink Bus Service and Stagecoach – to take the Department for Transport Winning New Customers Award, after the winners were announced this afternoon at the London Hilton Hotel.

Mark Fowles, NCT Managing Director commented, “Nottingham City Transport’s primary aim is to increase patronage and attract more people on to our buses, which we have successfully achieved in recent years. The Winning New Customers Award rewards our innovative approach to attracting car users in West Bridgford onto our buses, where nearly a third of our customers now choose to leave the car at home”.

The Department for Transport Winning New Customers Award recognises the success of NCT’s West Bridgford campaign last year, where a fleet of 22 new buses, at a cost of £3m, were introduced. Recognising the car as the main competitor, NCT sought to replicate car luxuries and benefits, by updating the bus product and image and supporting it with an extensive advertising campaign built around the theme of “a vehicle so advanced, they didn’t even need to drive it!”

The campaign increased patronage by 3.7% in a year and saw the number of customers leaving their car at home increase to 31% (up from 21% in 2005).
Other key results include:

• Continued patronage growth in the area – up 19.5% over 5 year period
• Increased customer satisfaction of 15% year on year
• 8% of users new to the service in the past year, with 65% quoting the marketing and image change as a motivator
• Passenger capacity increased on all routes by 40%
• New bus stop waiting facilities with better timetable information and more bus shelters installed by Nottinghamshire County Council to complement the scheme
• Vast improvements for disabled passengers with all buses fully wheelchair and disabled accessible – 9 years ahead of UK legislative requirements

The purpose of the UK Bus Awards is to recognise and reward the success and good practice in bus based public transport and attracted some 210 entries this year, the highest ever! NCT has been a shortlisted operator every year since first entering in 2002, picking up many awards and commendations.