[TRIVIA]: Unfortunate branding on local buses

[Steddenm]

I recently saw a bus in the Skelmanthorpe area with the following branding on the back...


...the branding states "Shift to Shat".

Now I know that Skelmanthorpe has the local nickname of "Shat" but to those outside of the area, are they not going to be looking at the other connotation of the said word?

I'm sure that some laxatives might help.

 

[duncanp]

On a similar theme, there was a bus in Bristol a few years ago, powered by "..human waste.."

It had pictures of people sitting on the toilet on the side.

And it had the nickname "..the number two bus..."

The Bristol bus powered by poo

Britain's first Bio-Bus, nicknamed "the number two," powered by human and food waste has taken to the roads in Bristol.

www.bbc.co.uk

Eco-friendly Bristol 'poo bus' powered by human waste​

Britain's first bus to be powered by human and food waste has taken to the roads.
The 40-seat Bio-Bus, nicknamed "the number two," will transport people between Bath and Bristol Airport.
The biomethane gas it runs on is produced at a sewage treatment works at Avonmouth.
The eco-friendly vehicle can travel up to 300km (186 miles) on one tank of gas, which takes the annual waste of about five people to produce.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Potteries Motor Transport using PMT as a fleet name.

Some days the drivers were so grumpy

 

[Bristol LHS]

I recently saw a bus in the Skelmersdale area with the following branding on the back...

Now I know that Skelmersdale has the local nickname of "Shat" but to those outside of the area, are they not going to be looking at the other connotation of the said word?

I'm sure that some laxatives might help.

It’s Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield; rather than Skelmersdale in West Lancashire. Hence the Team Pennine bus. Skelmersdale goes by the equally attractive ‘Skem’ to locals.

 

[Steddenm]

It’s Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield; rather than Skelmersdale in West Lancashire. Hence the Team Pennine bus. Skelmersdale goes by the equally attractive ‘Skem’ to locals.

Thanks. I've edited it.

 

[edwin_m]

I always thought "Gagg of Bunny" or "Go Gash" were a bit scary - both long-gone independents working into Nottingham.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

On a similar theme, there was a bus in Bristol a few years ago, powered by "..human waste.."

It had pictures of people sitting on the toilet on the side.

And it had the nickname "..the number two bus..."

The Bristol bus powered by poo

Britain's first Bio-Bus, nicknamed "the number two," powered by human and food waste has taken to the roads in Bristol.

www.bbc.co.uk

How absolutely unappealing.

 

[Simon75]

Potteries Motor Transport using PMT as a fleet name.

Some days the drivers were so grumpy

Sorry to correct you but PMT was the Potteries Motor Traction, not Teansport
PMT means some that women have too !

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Seeing buses branded as "Cumfy Bus" around the West Lancashire and Southport areas always raised a wry smile from me.

I'd only want to board that if it was standing-room only!

 

[GusB]

I always thought it somewhat unfortunate that my local company had "Catch the Bluebird" written across the back; "You've Just Missed the Bluebird" would have been more appropriate!

 

[Gloster]

In the Ticino area of Switzerland is a company operating buses and trains: Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi. It is initially well-known to enthusiasts.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Not so much branding but Xelabus used the registration number ‘L8 XEL’ on a couple of vehicles, which I thought was an interesting choice of reg to buy as it just made me think ‘Late Xela’ whenever I saw it!

 

[CC 72100]

In another foreign offering, bus transport around the French Town of Bayonne used to be run by Société des transports en commun de l'agglomération de Bayonne, or STAB as the acronym was. Thankfully I survived my trip 15 years ago on the STAB bus.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Banga Bus in Wolverhampton and Impact Coaches (also ran a driving school) seemed unfortunate to me.

 

[stuart100100]

I remember this raising a few eyebrows a few years ago in the Cardiff area

Mod edit:
(Attached photo shows the rear end of bus YJ15AOT, depicting a lady holding up a sign which says "Ride me all day for £3")

 

[Flying Snail]

I would say that many of these aren't unfortunate, rather the company or their marketing people know exactly what the connotations are and they are purposely being edgy.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

I remember this raising a few eyebrows a few years ago in the Cardiff area

Mod edit:
(Attached photo shows the rear end of bus YJ15AOT, depicting a lady holding up a sign which says "Ride me all day for £3")

If I remember correctly this made the national press and ended up being banned by the advertising watchdog.

 

[Gloster]

If I remember correctly this made the national press and ended up being banned by the advertising watchdog.

Which meant that it thoroughly achieved its purpose.

 

[WibbleWobble]

The now-defunct Roadliner of Poole and JPT of Middleton both did something similar

Roadliner had a photo of a scantily clad lady and the tagline "the ride of your life", whilst JPT's involved a pair of legs and dropped knickers - in that case I think it may have been pulled before the bus went on the road as it caused a bit of a furore on their Facebook page!

 

[PG]

I always thought it somewhat unfortunate that my local company had "Catch the Bluebird" written across the back; "You've Just Missed the Bluebird" would have been more appropriate!

Maybe they need to prefix it with "Get up Earlier"

 

[padbus]

Worths of Enstone use the slogan "Rattling Good Ride".

 

[LowLevel]

Banga Bus in Wolverhampton and Impact Coaches (also ran a driving school) seemed unfortunate to me.

Particularly when Banga's predecessor Banga Travel had the unfortunate of bursting into flames periodically

 

[cnjb8]

Pendle Wizz by Transdev certainly raised a few eyebrows when it came into existence

 

[JD2168]

The Enviro 200 currently at Faresaver ex of Tates Travel for me has a slightly unfortunate plate of YX12 TAT which does not sound great quality wise.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Local bus services around the Domodossola and Locarno area are operated by Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi, and yes, the letters do appear on the buses, and in quite a comedy font too.

 

[PTR 444]

Local bus services around the Domodossola and Locarno area are operated by Ferrovie Autolinee Regionali Ticinesi, and yes, the letters do appear on the buses, and in quite a comedy font too.

In German speaking countries, the word “fahrt” (meaning journey) makes numerous occurrences within public transport branding. Always amuses me as a British person to see that word used in the context of enticing passengers

 

[Jammy Dodger]

Would Stagecoach SouthEast be classified as one, given how misleading it is? From my experience with their services in Canterbury, they really should be renamed ****coach!

Edit: Aww, they censored it

 

[DunsBus]

In 1985, as part of the SBG (Scottish Bus Group) reorganisation, buses started to appear with "Best Bus" slogans - Bus Bus Around, Best Bus in Town, Bus Bus in the Country and so on. Which made the slogans rather ironic if a bus that was carrying them, broke down.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Another one.

Julian Peddle's MK Metro, alongside MK Council (during one of the rare occasions when they spoke to each other) ran a rather cringeworthy advertising campaign that was based around "I'm BUSting to go to town" and stuff like that. Obviously it was corrupted by many into "I'm BUSting for a p***" etc.

 

[nw1]

Not so much branding but Xelabus used the registration number ‘L8 XEL’ on a couple of vehicles, which I thought was an interesting choice of reg to buy as it just made me think ‘Late Xela’ whenever I saw it!

One I remember from Alder Valley was the Bristol VR KKK 888V. At that time I'd never heard of the Ku Klux Klan, but for those that had, it was a rather unfortunate registration.

Sticking with VRs, and not unfortunate at all, but EWS (Badgerline) and JWV (Southdown) - both W-registered series - sounded rather like early 90s dance/soul acts. (There were actual acts called KWS and SWV, hence my thinking).