{"id":3149,"date":"2018-10-17T11:03:12","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T10:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverpassenger.com\/?p=3149"},"modified":"2026-08-07T07:25:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T06:25:59","slug":"customer-story-redefining-borders-buses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masabi.com\/es\/news\/customer-story-redefining-borders-buses\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer story \u2013 redefining Borders Buses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Redefining Borders Buses \u2013 West Coast Motors builds a brand with help from Passenger<\/h3>\n

West Coast Motors has an impressive heritage stretching back some 100 years. From its inception in the 1920s \u2013 when company founders the Craig Brothers opened a garage in Campbeltown, Scotland \u2013 the company has grown to a fleet of 285 buses and coaches, 550 staff, depots in eight locations, and six different brands navigating riders across Scotland\u2019s bustling cities and picturesque uplands. <\/span><\/p>\n

One such brand is Borders Buses \u2013 a brand created by combining Perryman\u2019s Buses (acquired in Feb 2016) and First Scotland East\u2019s operation in the Scottish Borders (acquired Mar 17) by West Coast Motors in 2017. Being new to the area, Borders Buses presented West Coast Motors with a unique opportunity: the company could use its new acquisition as a platform to rethink what a bus service should embody in a world where people have access to technology like Google Maps and Uber. <\/span><\/p>\n

How could Borders Buses give its users the same timely, simplified, first-hand user experience as that found in the new wave of mobility apps? They found the answer in Passenger. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\nA new kind of operator<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith Borders Buses, we had the chance to build a new brand from scratch \u2013 that doesn\u2019t happen every day in the bus industry,\u201d begins Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors. \u201cPreviously, bus services at Borders followed traditional lines. Now, we were working with a clean sheet with entirely new ideas around how to keep bus travel relevant.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Craig and team wanted to modernise Borders Buses approach for a wider market. That meant going beyond investment in higher-quality vehicles \u2013 it meant creating an experience that would feel familiar in a world of ridesharing and real-time information. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to rethink the whole product offering, not just the journey portion of the experience,\u201d says Sharon Morrison, commercial manager at West Coast Motors. \u201cThat meant simplifying the process around planning a trip, providing more payment options and opening new channels of communication to ensure a constant line of dialogue. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTechnology was a key factor in this transformation, so Passenger coming on board was perfect timing.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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All in one<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Borders Buses launched the Passenger app in January 2018. \u201cThings were great from the word go,\u201d says Morrison. \u201cThe Passenger team is very approachable, communication throughout the pilot and launch was spot on, and nothing was rushed. It was a seamless process.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

One of the key features that initially attracted Borders Buses to Passenger was its packaging of real-time journey information alongside mobile ticketing \u2013 two vital features in the new Borders Buses vision appearing side by side, rather than split across separate apps. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we reviewed the market, Passenger was the only solution to offer that one-stop shop rather than multiple channels \u2013 easy access to both information and ticketing all in one place,\u201d says Craig. \u201cThat simplicity was key to the new Borders Buses approach. We wanted to make each customer\u2019s journey as accessible and sensible as possible. By enabling this, Passenger helps us to stay relevant as a service and not be squeezed out by the Ubers of the world.\u201d <\/span>
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Customer communication<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

What Borders Buses most values in Passenger, however, is the bridge it builds between its comms team and the customers that they serve. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBorders Buses is absolutely committed to regular communication to ensure we\u2019re delivering a service that meets our customers\u2019 needs,\u201d explains Morrison. \u201cHowever, historically this has been a challenge, particularly so considering the extreme Scottish weather we experience, which often disrupts our services. How to get that information out to our customers?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether using radio, social media, or even tackling adverse conditions to post bulletins on bus stops out in the wilderness, communicating the impact of weather on routes hasn\u2019t always been easy. Thankfully, the Disruptions feature in Passenger presents a new direct-to-rider line of communication. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn social media, we\u2019re just a voice among all the others clamouring to be heard. Passenger\u2019s Disruptions cut right through the noise in a much cleaner and more succinct way,\u201d says Morrison. \u201cThat direct, singular line of communication is a very powerful thing, and in terms of customer service, vital. With Disruptions, we can get information out to rural bus stops in the back of beyond, with less operational staff and in a fraction of the time. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn occasions of adverse weather conditions, we can easily be inundated with request for service updates. Now our customers have the information they need quite literally at their fingertips.\u201d <\/span>
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Bucking the trend<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Since its 2016 relaunch, Borders Buses has proudly reported a steady increase in patronage. For Craig, this trend is very much down to reliable service, friendly drivers and well-presented buses \u2013 but Passenger has also played its part in evening the playing field. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPassenger has enabled us to offer a service that\u2019s familiar in a world of tech-driven transport services,\u201d he tells us. \u201cWhat\u2019s more, it doesn\u2019t sit still. The Passenger team understands the wants and needs of the public are always shifting, so their technology constantly shifts to meet them. And if we ever need something, we get responses \u2013 and in some cases a solution \u2013 within 10 minutes.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Borders Buses has big plans for what\u2019s next with Passenger. \u201cWe have huge confidence in our relationship with the team, how it\u2019s grown, and where we\u2019re heading next,\u201d concludes Craig. \u201cWe\u2019re looking into using Passenger for the tour element of our business, for example. We want to see if what we\u2019ve done for our bus operation can be tailored and adapted to serve a different, non-repeat market. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI fully trust that it can. Passenger knows how to meet a need \u2013 and meet it well.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

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Further reading<\/strong><\/p>\n