Go North East
Using technology to provide a better customer experience
The Client
Part of the Go-Ahead Group, Go North East is the leading bus operator in the North of England.
Last year (2010/11) 72 million passenger journeys were taken on their fleet of 672 buses.
The Challenge
To maintain their status as the leading bus operator in the North East they needed a web presence to reflect this position. The site needed to provide passengers with the tools and information they needed to manage their tickets and journeys online.
Our brief was to package this up in to a web solution that was easy to use, engaging and in keeping with the Go North East branding.
The Solution
We developed a site that was built around showcasing information and making it easy to buy tickets online. A well structured design kept navigation simple and highlighted key content. Features that made this possible include:
- A bespoke Routes & Timetables System allowing users to quickly and simply find the route they need and view or download a timetable
- Customers can buy a range of tickets online through a secure third party payment processor
- A content management system so staff have full control of the site
- A banner admin system so the company can place a range of adverts around the site, time controlled so they can launch at the same time as a campaign
Recent advances include the development of the web interface for the company's new 'The Key' smartcard system, allowing visitors to top-up and manage their account online.
This is a groundbreaking project involving the whole of the Go Ahead Group and will help to transform bus services across the country.
The Results
Over the past year (2010/11) the site has performed very well. Averaging over 127,000 visitors a month who view (on average) 3.85 pages and spend just under 3 minutes on the site per visit.
A low bounce rate of 31% for the year and 56% of site traffic from return visits highlight the fact that the site is providing value that customers are coming back to the site for.