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How did the project start?
Anyone proposing to make a journey by public transport needs a certain amount of information before they set out.
Good information about any product or service is essential to selling it successfully. The right sort of information, at the right time and in the right place plays a vital in making public transport services a more attractive travel option, increasing patronage and encouraging people out of their cars.
However, public transport information can be complex.
The initial business objective was to improve and extend the availability and timeliness of public transport information, including timetables, ticketing options as well as reducing ongoing marketing costs, ensuring that the site is accessible to all of our customers, ranging from students to silver surfers. We also wanted to maximise efficiencies bring site maintenance in-house, allowing the in-house marketing and IT teams to update content as and when required and also reducing printing costs by having downloadable timetables online.
A clean, modern, easy to navigate website makes finding out about public transport simpler and could lead to increased passengers and less congestion on our roads.
What options did you consider?
We could have opted for simply meeting the industry standard and develop a ‘normal’ sized site.
We could have just referred visitors to other transport operator sites for specific travel information.
We could have outsourced the whole site, giving a contractor the unenviable task of keeping all of the information up to date.
We didn’t. We went for the tough option. We developed a website for our customers that is comprehensive and informative.
The result is a massive website. With over 2,000 pages to maintain, many of which contain detailed public transport timetable information, simply keeping the content management site up to date is an enormous task.
But our customers keep coming back and as a result nexus.org.uk receives hundreds of thousands of hits every month. We are proud of our site and have plans to ensure it keeps developing and keeps getting better.
What help and expertise did you receive?
We knew we needed a Content Management site, but because of the sheer size and complexity of the site, specialist assistance was required. An internal team worked alongside a specialist content management company - Campbell Lee to redesign, rebuild and populate www.nexus.org.uk The result is a clean and user friendly site that receives over 3 and a half thousand visits every day, and almost 100,000 visits every month.
Did you face and challenges or learn any lessons?
We learnt that you shouldn’t underestimate the complexity of the online digital environment, and the need for specialist expertise and advice. We also learnt that having developmental ideas is the easy part, implementing them is a long and often painful process which always takes longer than expected.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
www.nexus.org.uk is the site to visit for all your travelling needs. Whether you need to find out the time of the last Metro from Central Station, want to plan a family day out, renew your MetroSaver, enquire about Concessionary Travel schemes or find a bus to take your kids to school – www.nexus.org.uk is the place to go. Thanks to the website, our customers don’t need to wait as full and detailed public transport information is now on-hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with real-time information available for both Metro and Ferry services.
The site now boasts the following innovative features:
• 24 hour real-time information for Metro and Ferry services
• Sign-up for Metro disruption alerts which are sent directly to email inbox
• Searchable ticket finder, identifying the best ticket across all public transport operators
• Ticket renewals (almost 3,000 annual online renewals)
• Detailed journey planner software
• Virtual media centre
• Downloadable applications for all Nexus membership schemes such as Concessionary Travel, Under 16 cards etc.
• PDF timetables for Metro services from all Metro stations
• Full ferry timetable
• Full timetables for all bus services operating in Tyne and Wear
• Interactive Metro map showing facilities at each Metro station, links to walks in the area and useful ticketing information
• Regular features that support events in Tyne and Wear, for example Red Kites, Tour of Britain, Sunderland Air Show and the Great North Run.
The site has been promoted using a mix of on-line and off-line media, including press and magazine advertising, radio, large format poster displays and online sponsorship including www.whatsonne.co.uk. The site has been so successful that it has become the key driver in Nexus corporate promotions with all corporate advertising now carrying the strapline ‘just ask nexus.org.uk’.
Enhancing the site has allowed us to reduce some of our information budgets as the cost of only downloading relevant timetables by the customer reduces the need for large timetable print runs. We have successfully achieved public sector efficiency targets and have reduced costs for handling enquiries and complaints. We have also speeded up our handling times for enquiries and complaints. As the site covers all types and modes of public transport, it has encouraged cross-departmental and multi-operator interaction.
What are your plans for the future?
We have just started to move into email marketing, offering members news, travel pass renewal reminders, changes to travel and transport in the region as well as competitions and special offers. We are investigating ways in which to extend interactive mapping, linking bus stop timetables with geographic maps, as well and sending service change alerts to passengers by email and text message. In addition, we will also launch online Gold Card renewals later this year, allowing us greater efficiencies over direct mail renewals and offering the customer a greater choice in how they want to renew.
