PUBLICITY MATTERS
DAVID JENKINS has put Arriva’s new app and website to the test and wonders how ordinary passengers could find it anything other than highly confusing, with routes listed out of logical order
What is a good time for a bus operator to change its main methods of online communication? Most would not choose just before wholesale timetable changes as the schools go back for the first time in nearly six months, and with some relevant staff still on furlough.
Nevertheless, Arriva’s new app and website were launched into the public domain in late August, promising to make it ‘easier than ever to connect with the people and places that matter to you’. It all looked slick and neat on the accompanying video, but within a week, Arriva’s social media channels were stating: ‘We are currently experiencing issues with our app and are investigating this urgently. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.’ It rapidly promised ‘an app update over the weekend to resolve this’.
Unfortunately, one month on, the merged app – with journey planning and ticket purchasing all available in one place – was still not up to scratch. Customers were being told: ‘We are actively working towards a solution. If you are experiencing issues, you can still travel with us. Please show your app screen to the driver when you board your bus.’ They were being offered refunds if they had to buy an additional ticket.
