Bold NBC move
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A BOLD new look for one of National Bus's most enterprising subsidiaries is part of its latest drive for new business.
Midland Red East has assumed a new identity for its operation in Leicestershire with Midland Fox as the company's new name. A revised route network has been tailor-made as a result of surveys carried out and designed to meet specific passenger demand.
The operator's buses are also being painted in a new yellow and red livery with the complete front section of the vehicle painted yellow for easy recognition.
A company spokesman denied that this light colour had been chosen so that buses would be confused with municipal Leicester City buses at night.
The new identity is being backed by a major marketing campaign which includes the publication of a free newspaper, a children's club and bargain fares.
Since Midland Red East was formed in 1981, after the split up of the former Midland Red company, it claims to have stemmed almost 20 years of passenger level decline and is now claiming levels are increasing by up to a million each year. PRESSURE GROUP Transport 2000 has given 12 counties "Scrooge" awards for making low bids for local bus and rail revenue support in the coming financial year.
The counties are Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Warwickshire and Wiltshire.
The "Scrooge" counties are all asking for less than £3 bus and rail support per person for the coming financial year.
The current average per Shire county spending accepted by the Government is £3.39 per person and the Government has accepted bids of up to £6.31.