Yet another award winning marketing project introduced by Brighton & Hove has been the Bus ID scheme to attract young people to travel by bus. Brighton & Hove was one of the first bus companies to introduce an identity card many years ago for 14 and 15 year olds who wanted to receive child rate half fare bus fares and help drivers identify their entitlement compared to 16 or 17 year olds.
What makes the Bus ID scheme so successful and unique is that firstly all Bus ID cards are dated to expire at the end of the school year after the teenager has reached their 16th birthday (every other bus company ceases the offer of child rate fares at age 16) and secondly the Bus ID offer includes attractive fare deals especially outside of school hours which are much cheaper than standard child rate fares.
And that’s not all as the scheme appeals to youngsters as young as five there are great cheap fare offers available for kiddies travelling with an adult. At the other end of the scale 16, 17 and 18 year olds are encouraged to keep the bus habit rather than thinking about getting that first car by the hugely popular Bus ID+ scheme. This offers all the same benefits as Bus ID for a flat payment of £20. This brings a two year extension of Bus ID to the end of July after the 18th birthday.
Even after all that Bus ID+ card holders receive exclusive offers of cheap rate SAVER tickets tailored to their requirements to ensure they keep the bus habit.
Details of current offers with a Bus ID and Bus ID+ are available at this site
Bus ID was awarded the Marketing Initiative Award at the Bus Industry Awards in 2000. It recognised the way the Company has turned an operational requirement (for teenagers to have an ID card to prove their entitlement to child rate fares) into an irresistible ticket for the customer to have (through excellent fare offers and direct mail).
In November 2006 the number of children that can travel with an Adult for 20p was increased from one to three.
In 2011 the upper age limit for a busID increased to age 19 and cards expire at the end of August after the 19th birthday.
In April 2012 the flat fare increased from 20p to 30p (accompanied) and from 50p to 60p (sole) and the upgrading to a smartcard called the key began.