New identity and liveries for First buses in Somerset.

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Buses operated by First in Somerset are getting a new livery and corporate identity. The 'First' name has been dropped entirely and the new identity goes by the name of the buses of Somerset. The new name and livery will be applied to 68 vehicles based in Taunton and Bridgwater.

There's a new website also. http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/index.shtml. From that website is the following news item:

27 January 2014, 10:30

Today sees the start of a whole new era for buses in Somerset, as we launch our smart new look and new name, the buses of Somerset.

These all used to be run under the First name, so for a while some buses will still be in the off-white colours, although more and more will be appearing in our stylish two-tone green livery as the weeks roll by.

It's not only the buses that are getting a makeover. We're looking to do everything better, to up our game and make using local buses a much better option, whether you travel regularly or just now and again.

Our new website is the place to find up-to-date timetables, maps, tickets and more, all in one place.

Welcome to the buses of Somerset.

Taunton Bus Station has had a lick of green paint.

There's also a Twitter account for this new entity. https://twitter.com/busesofsomerset

Internet chatter suggests this is the first of many rebrands for First Bus across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). 

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Yesterday I was in Yeovil and noticed a rather smart bright green bus with the branding ' the buses of Somerset' with some investigation online they appear to be old first Somerset routes ... But is this a rebranding exercise or another operator


http://www.busesofsomerset.co.uk/

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for posting, 6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01: it is indeed a rebranding exercise - I've therefore merged your post with an existing topic here. 

[Alan Pettitt]

Interestingly if I buy a First Day South West ticket on a bus in Frome it costs ^7 and covers unlimited journeys throughout the south west on First buses, however Buses of Somerset have replaced the First Day ticket with their own Day Unlimited ticket which costs ^10 and only seem to be valid on the said Buses of Somerset.

[trainer]

Interestingly if I buy a First Day South West ticket on a bus in Frome it costs ^7 and covers unlimited journeys throughout the south west on First buses, however Buses of Somerset have replaced the First Day ticket with their own Day Unlimited ticket which costs ^10 and only seem to be valid on the said Buses of Somerset.

I wondered whether this would happen when I first heard about the re-brand last month.  It seems that as part of First's strategy of restructuring fares locally, there will be a loss to those who have enjoyed a wider area for leisure travel in particular.  [Nostalgia moment: How well I remember the vast area a 12/6d (65.5p) Midland Red Day Anywhere ticket bought me in 1966 (Shrewsbury - Northhampton; Birmingham- Gloucester/Cheltenham were two of the longest routes)]. 

With the ever increasing Balkanisation of bus companies within the larger groups I suspect these unlimited ticket offerings will become even more localised and it will only be the Bus Pass holders who will be able to travel at will for more than 20 miles or so without forking out for another ticket.  This of course merely continues a trend since privatisation which was temporarily halted as the 'big boys' absorbed more companies and allowed group-wide travel on one ticket.  I know it's commercial necessity, but a pity, nevertheless.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Sorry about a duplicate post, i did check the new posts link before I started this one unfortunately bnm's thread was not showing for me.

Back to the topic i find it interesting that first has chosen to remove it's corporate identity  from this area, to me this says something about they believe their brand is viewed in the area

[Chris from Nailsea]

Sorry about a duplicate post, i did check the new posts link before I started this one unfortunately bnm's thread was not showing for me.

No problem at all, 6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01 - I merely completed your commendable attempt to avoid any such duplication! 

Back to the topic i find it interesting that first has chosen to remove it's corporate identity from this area, to me this says something about they believe their brand is viewed in the area

I agree: it's interesting that quite a few big organisations seem to be rebranding themselves, apparently trying to distance themselves from their previous corporate image ... 

[FarWestJohn]

I believe First in Cornwall have now made the day ticket ^10.

This makes the Ride Cornwall ticket very good value as it includes nearly all buses and trains.

[JayMac]

One change for the positive I have noticed is that, since November, service 21 now runs Taunton - Weston-super-Mare hourly. It previously only ran as far as Burnham-on-Sea.

[Lee]

Doesnt make up for the fact that all the evening services to Burnham got pulled just before that though, thus making my visits there a lot harder.

Note to "the Buses of First Somerset or whatever our name is this week" - spend the money on reinstating those services, rather than on a job lot of green paint for a pointless rebranding excercise 

[Surrey 455]

The change in name and livery and complete removal of the word "First" makes me wonder if they are preparing to sell off this bus company. Would it be more attractive to a potential buyer if they didn't have to repaint and remove all references to the previous owner? If so you could probably rule out Stagecoach and Arriva because they'd probably want the buses in their own corporate identity so perhaps a smaller operator might be interested.
First sold their London operations a few months back. Operating TfL^» (Transport for London - about) routes the new owner Metroline had to keep the existing red colour scheme so the only changes to those buses was the Metroline logo replacing First.
I understand that First have sold other bus fleets in recent years possibly to reduce their debt.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

I'm a little suprised that a certain operator with a base in Wellington hasn't made any moves yet... I would imagine they are being patient and waiting for it to all fall apart before moving in

[SDS]

The change in name and livery and complete removal of the word "First" makes me wonder if they are preparing to sell off this bus company. Would it be more attractive to a potential buyer if they didn't have to repaint and remove all references to the previous owner? If so you could probably rule out Stagecoach and Arriva because they'd probably want the buses in their own corporate identity so perhaps a smaller operator might be interested.
First sold their London operations a few months back. Operating TfL^» (Transport for London - about) routes the new owner Metroline had to keep the existing red colour scheme so the only changes to those buses was the Metroline logo replacing First.
I understand that First have sold other bus fleets in recent years possibly to reduce their debt.

First flogged off the TfL routes because they were not making enough money from the management contracts on the tenders. Most of the routes went to a new Australian Company Tower Transit (http://www.transitsystems.com.au/tower-transit)

[Brucey]

The change in name and livery and complete removal of the word "First" makes me wonder if they are preparing to sell off this bus company. Would it be more attractive to a potential buyer if they didn't have to repaint and remove all references to the previous owner? If so you could probably rule out Stagecoach and Arriva because they'd probably want the buses in their own corporate identity so perhaps a smaller operator might be interested.

First Hampshire & Dorset (now calling themselves First Solent) have rebranded their Portsmouth buses (but not the Southampton buses) to "The Star", retaining a small First logo on the bus.  I was somewhat confused this weekend waiting for the First No. 40 bus when The Star No. 7 turned up.

Maybe they are trying to remove First's "reputation" from certain areas?

[Surrey 455]

First flogged off the TfL^» (Transport for London - about) routes because they were not making enough money from the management contracts on the tenders. Most of the routes went to a new Australian Company Tower Transit (http://www.transitsystems.com.au/tower-transit)

My understanding is that just over half went to Metroline with those remaining going to Tower Transit