Transport 21, the Bus Eireann fiasco and ignored branding guidelines

I know this news is from a while back, but I only picked up on it today via a small sideline in Joe Duffy’s column in the Mail on Sunday (so much for brand impact so far)….

How do you like the new Transport 21 logo? You have paid €70,000 for it so hopefully you think it’s money well spent.

It’s not just the logo of course. A whole Brand Identity was needed for the government’s woefully behind schedule, €34 billion budget to deliver a “world–class transport system”.  As Brand Identities go, I think it’s inifitely better than the old one :

I do have an issue with government spending our money on a “Brand Identity” though. What’s the deal with that? All of sudden, our temporary elected representatives are selling a product? Tell you what Noel Dempsey, why not just get on with the job you and your staff are being paid to do and stop playing like you are a company executive trying to compete in a commercial marketplace.

Here’s the justification Noel Dempsey gave for the spending on the logo and associated advertising (€3 million by the way) : 

“Given the scale and reach of Transport 21, I consider it essential that the general public and all interested parties are made aware of the programme and of the many transport improvements that are already being delivered,” he said.

I’m a pretty clued in media observer, and this rebrand totally passed me by.

What hasn’t passed me by is the practical little things that affect me when it comes to transport in Ireland. Like how 2 weeks ago the regular 7.40am bus from Wicklow to Dublin failed to turn up, leaving many people stranded until 9.05 am service. How’s that for a gap? Evening time is even better. Miss the 6pm bus? There’s not another one until 8.10pm… Seriously.

Many emails and phone calls to Bus Eireann have failed to elicit any explanation as to what happened the 7.40am service that day. We’ve been promised new coaches on the route and increased frequency of service for the past 12 months and still nothing. The coaches currently in service are old and smelly and in the past 6 or 7 months, there have be at least 4 breakdowns I’m aware of.

My point? €3 million could be spent on ACTUAL improvements. A start might be to educate Bus Eireann on how to respond to emails and phone calls in a timely matter. I’ve given up on ever seeing decent coaches on the Wicklow route.

I’m pretty sure we all have our tales of transport to tell. The bottom line is that I object to public money being spent on rebranding and advertising at a time when every single cent is needed to give us a transport system we deserve.

Footnote:

Seems like the branding guidelines aren’t even being followed by the agencies who, presumably, all attended meetings on the rebranding.

Dublin Bus FAIL:

Problem? From page 5 of the branding guidelines says : “The transport 21 logo must be surrounded by a ‘minimum clear space’”. The Dublin Bus homepage has the logo with no minimum clear space.

Irish Rail FAIL:

Problem? On the Irish Rail website, logo is used without the “progress in motion” strapline. Clear space not adhered to. Wrong aspect ratio.

Nation Roads Authority FAIL:

The NRA’s Transport 21 page can’t even be arsed to use the new logo.