Route Branding Par Excellence
Not too many years back Blackpool's town centre was the scene of a kaleidescope of bus liveries, each depicting assignment to this or that individual route - or in the case of 'Metro Coastlines' - 'Line'. Now overtaken by two successive fleet rebranding exercises instituted by different management - the former colourful parade of Blackpool's buses is just a receding memory.
A visit to Oxford this past weekend encountered a repeat of the 'route branding' approach on the part of several bus operators, all of whose vehicle styling is very much direct and 'in your face' - as opposed to the discrete corporate image now evidenced by Blackpool Transport Services in 2017. Given the diversity and number of different bus services traversing the principal city centre streets in Oxford passing famous university (and other) landmarks that make up this must visit destination on young people's 'bucket list' - it is difficult to capture the full flavour of urban transport in a single page.
Below : Blackpool Promenade has nothing on the density of crowds of visitors filling Oxford's centre and shopping streets on a Saturday afternoon. Looking down the principal shopping street which I didn't venture to walk through - not a mobility scooter in sight... but I encountered plenty of cyclists.
Route branding Oxford style in 2017 - Steve Burd eat your heart out ! Below : Oxford Brookes Uni has its own distinctive buses not dissimilar in overall colour to BTS vehicles but in this case prominently displaying a diversity of reasons why someone will benefit from attending this place of higher learning in Oxford - not one of the traditional Colleges of Oxford University. - Below :
All of these images taken by John Woodman in the space of one hour in Oxford centre on Saturday July 29th, 2017.
Oxford Citybus 3 negotiating one of the busiest corners in the centre city. Wrightbus did well with operators here.
Even the Park & Ride services have dramatic imagery. Conventional Stagecoach behind
and bold infomercials on several 'green' themes.
Electric hybrid technology on this example, as I was waiting for the '8' to Barton. Below creative artwork inside this operator's new vehicles (below). Time for B&FC to team up with BTS to showcase student's artwork inside Blackpool's new buses possibly?
And tempting ridership pricing on this example.
Just a few of the myriad vehicle designs and operators traversing Oxford streets making a colourful eclectic moving display for everyone.
