How we transformed a transport giant from the inside-out. Business Transformation & Brand Refresh for First Bus: 59m screen impressions.
How we transformed a transport giant from the inside-out.
Business Transformation & Brand Refresh for First Bus, by MadeBrave.
The UK bus market has been undergoing unprecedented change.
Long-term declining bus use, post-COVID changes to the routines of millions, a rapid switch to EV (electric vehicles), the growth of mobile booking and payment, and a political push towards franchising models all underlined an urgent need for renewal.
First Bus, a £1 billion+ market leader who move millions of passengers every day, needed a transformation which responded to these changing times.
In 2022 we were trusted to help support and drive the business in a major strategic transformation. For the first time in their 30-year history a full refresh of their brand, strategy and vision – nationwide.
The nation may be apathetic towards bus brands, but there was a lot of love out there for the bus itself.
Our team travelled across the UK talking to hundreds of staff, from the driver’s cab to the boardroom. We surveyed thousands of passengers and spoke to local communities and cultures to dig into the true feelings and frustrations on the ground.
Our research found that brand awareness was high, but so was a sense of cynicism and apathy. That the business had over 75 sub-brands, confusing passengers, holding back use of the app, complicating fleet logistics and fuelling cultural division. And that both inside and out, people expected tangible improvements to services to match any rebrand. For the strategy we focused on:
‘My Bus’, an ode to the magic, humour, and sometimes annoying moments that can only be found on the bus.
Around the idea we created a new visual and verbal identity for the business nationwide. A more fluid, motion-driven design system and logo, a tonal and messaging framework to inject humanity, embracing imperfections in communications and a new suite of assets that showcase the beauty, magic and humour of the everyday. It was all housed in a digital asset management system, so the thousands of staff and touchpoints could execute the brand themselves in the years ahead.
Integral to the brand launch was a beautifully poetic 60-second manifesto film. Starring Jordan Stephens, one half of Rizzle Kicks, who collaborated on a bespoke piece of spoken word for its soundtrack, the film reframes the bus as a place where lives collide, no matter your age, gender, politics, nationality, social or financial standing.
From new uniforms for the 13,000 staff, to new bus livery for the thousands of buses on the roads, to digital interfaces on the app and online—the new national master-brand will roll out across the UK in phases, unifying the business and its people.
The refreshed brand went live in December 2024, across thousands of online and offline touchpoints.
It was backed by a national campaign spanning B2B, B2C and B2G audiences.
And this is just the beginning. A phased rollout will extend the new brand identity across buses, uniforms, and depots in the coming months and years. Together with First Bus, we’ll measure success through robust brand tracking, social listening, internal metrics, and other KPIs.
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