What is Brid Bus?

After meeting with one of our Bridlington business, our former Bridlington Director went away and put together a proposal that became known as “Brid Bus”.

 The idea was simple, organise free Coach travel for Sheffield residents to Bridlington, on the basis that they booked accommodation in the area.  We only set out to book one coach as a trial, and the response was fantastic!

The Trial

Brid Bus took place 4th-6th October 2019

The coach was booked filled from promoting through the Brid Bus Facebook page and media releases

Bridlington Director Dean Bullen greeted the “Brid Busers” in Sheffield and shared his knowledge of Bridlington sharing great places to visit, places to eat and where to shop

The customers retained receipts from their weekend so we could get a clearer idea of how people spent their time…and money!

Surveys conducted on the return journey, with 100% citing they would return, love Brid Bus concept, but would like a 3-5 day break instead.

Trial Cost

The trial was funded through Bridlington funds.

Tenders were put out to coach companies in and outside of the Yorkshire Coast.

2019 Investment:  £894

2020 Investment:  Activity pulled due to COVID-19 Restrictions

The Results

The overwhelming feedback was that despite the trial taking place out of season, with no events taking place, that 100% of the customers loved their time in Bridlington and would return – with or without Brid Bus!

£1,600 spend with accommodation providers

£3400 spend on food and drink, leisure and retail 

AND the people who used the service was a mix of families, younger and older couples….and one couple even bought their engagement rings in the town!

Areas for consideration if moved beyond the trial

There were two main lessons to be learned from the trial:

  • Pocket guides required for future services
  • A greeter is an absolute requirement in case there are travel delays

What’s next?

In February 2020, we launched a second Brid Bus date, expanding the project to cover more pickups, and importantly, more coaches!  Again the response was fantastic, but we had to decide to postpone the summer date due to the current pandemic.  However, we will be rescheduling as soon as it is safe to do so.

We are currently considering:

  • Future dates
  • New locations
  • What tools are required to make it bigger and better so more businesses have the opportunity to benefit from future trips

To help shape when a scheme like this would best benefit your business, please complete the below feedback form:

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