Are your buses best?

Weekday mornings are usually pretty hectic in any family household so an alternative to the school run is often a very welcome offer – running buses through key residential areas can really boost your school’s recruitment, says mtmconsulting’s Head of Research James Leggett.

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Offering parents an easy way to get their offspring to and from school can be an important deal breaker, especially in these times of fierce competition for recruitment. School buses make travel to school more convenient particularly for parents whose journey to work may take them in the opposite direction, or who have various children at various schools, and they allow your school to become a viable option for families living in residential areas that are not well served by public transport.

If your school is currently running buses, when was the last time you considered the effectiveness of the routes they travel? Are your buses really serving the best areas for recruitment? Now is an ideal time to plan routes for September, ensuring new starters are provided for.

We regularly deal with schools whose admissions staff had no idea that a prime area for recruitment could be just a schoolbus ride away. The mtmconsulting Mandarin Bussing Bolt-on provides an independent and objective view of the market within your school’s catchment, allowing for the planning of bus routes that are most convenient for current and prospective pupils. The analysis takes into account where current pupils live and the areas with the highest density of target aged children living in families with the appropriate socio-demographic lifestyle and household income to attend your school. This way you can be sure that school buses are passing the front doors of the key families in your catchment.

Running liveried vehicles though areas your school does not currently recruit strongly from – but in theory should – also helps to raise awareness of the school and helps to keep your brand in buyers’ minds. Even contract hire taxis, mini buses or coaches can carry your school’s branding – magnetic livery panels can be attached easily to the sides of any vehicle (even staff cars), raising your school’s profile wherever they go.

For an evaluation of the effectiveness of your school’s current bus routes and recommendations of the most successful routes based on current socio-demographic data, call 0843 308 7548 for a free consultation.

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