Annual Report 2010/2011 - pdf 7.05 MB - Nobina AB

NOBINA – BuSINeSS AreAS
During the spring of 2010, the brand’s name
was changed from Swebus Express to Swebus
and, at the same time, the graphical profile
was clarified to provide a more modern and
more distinguishing image of the brand. The
new profile received very positive reactions,
but the real effect is not expected to be seen
until the consumer surveys in 2011.
eFFectiVe SaLeS channeLS
The Internet is solidifying its position as a
prioritized, strong channel for marketing
and sales of trips. During the year, seven of
ten Swebus passengers booked their trip
online. Swebus’ own website swebus.se
attracts more than half a million visitors each
month thanks to smart functions and effective
search engine optimization (SEO). Swebus
also has operator status on SJ’s website,
which means that a bus trip with Swebus is
presented as an alternative to a train trip
when requesting travel information from SJ.
In 2009, Swebus chose to close half of its
ticketing offices. Instead, a cooperation
agreement commenced in 2010 with Reitan
Servicehandel and their Pressbyrå and
7-Eleven stores in Sweden (532 sales points).
This increased the number of sales points
markedly from around 70 to about 600 with
nationwide coverage, fully in line with the
ambition of offering as high a level of availability
as possible. The main benefits of the
cooperation are extensive opening hours,
broad geographic coverage and better distribution.
At year-end 2010, sales on board buses
also ended with the exception of the airport
transfer service. In pace with it becoming
more well known that Swebus tickets can be
purchased at Pressbyrå 7-Eleven stores and the
fact that ticket can no longer be bought on the
bus, online sales and sales through Reitan are
expected to increase.
Swebus also offers ticket sales by mobile
phone. The ticket is delivered directly to the
phone and checked with the help of a special
barcode reader on the bus. In addition, ticket
sales alliances have been made with other
interregional bus operators such as Ybuss in
northern Sweden and Eurolines in Europe.
These partnerships link Swebus’ own routes
46 NOBINA | ANNuAl repOrt 2010/2011
with connecting transports and are highly
advantageous for passengers who can book
their entire trip from a single source.
deMand-cOntROLLed pRicing and
tRaVeL pLanning
Swebus is one of a few bus operators that apply
a dynamic pricing model based on an IT system
in which demand, pricing and resource
needs are optimized to achieve the best results
in the form of revenues per passenger kilometer.
However, Swebus is always a less expensive
alternative than the corresponding train
route when booking shortly prior to departure.
In addition, discounts are offered for children,
students and pensioners. In the autumn of
2010, it became possible to book travel with
dynamic pricing all the way up to departure.
Swebus had already discontinued seat
guarantees, which led to requirements for
advance purchases and costs for cancelation.
The new system entails improved flexibility
in terms of quickly being able to adapt capacity
in the event of increased demand and, for
example, lease vehicles as a supplement to
proprietary buses during peak traffic.
gROWth OF aiRpORt tRanSFeR SeRVice
In the spring of 2010, Swebus launched its
airport transfer service between Stockholm
City and Arlanda Airport, and challenged
both Flygbussarna and Arlanda Express,
which have well-established brands and
offerings on the same route. Despite a
strained start with challenges getting started,
traffic functioned as planned and the first
months went better than expected thanks to
effective marketing and added value in the
form of Internet access and toilettes on board
the bus. Swebus was also the first to offer
direct service, in contrast to Flygbussarna,
which have a number of stops along the way.
Since 2009, Swebus also offers airport
transfer service between Örebro–Västerås–
Arlanda. This service is somewhat more
focused on business travelers than the other
interregional bus services.
The airport transfer service is a long-term
venture with a strong future outlook. Rising
air travel and Arlanda’s focus on the environ-
ment mean that there is considerable potential
for Swebus if the bus stop areas become
more customer-oriented and neutral from a
competition perspective, awareness grows in
the target group and the customers become
better at booking their transfer ticket earlier,
preferably on swebus.se.
a MOdeRn and enViROnMentaLLy
FRiendLy BuS FLeet
Swebus’ fleet of 90 buses is by far the largest
in the sector and is continuously being
renewed. This contributes to Swebus’ buses
having the best statistics of all companies in
the area of long-distance travel according to
Svensk Bilprovning. During the fiscal year,
13 new buses of the highest environmental
classification were put into operation, which
also reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
All buses have safety belts and alcolocks (to
prevent operating under the influence). As
of 2009, Swebus also offers free Internet connections
on all proprietary buses and several
buses are equipped with charging outlets
for telephones and computers.
StROng BeLieF in eMpLOyeeS
Swebus holds a strong belief in the company,
its products and employees. The company
has a low rate of employee turnover and sickness
absence, and motivated employees. The
percentage of employees with high long-term
healthiness, meaning employees who have
not had a sick day in 12 months, is more than
50%. During the year, 98% of the employees
said that there are conditions in their working
situation that support motivation and
commitment and that this means few obstacles
to strong development and improvement
work. Management often visits the operations
and follows transports aimed at
increasing participation in the company and
promoting open internal communications.
FutuRe FOcuS
The year was characterized by long-term
investments in the Arlanda service and better
IT solutions. The next year will see extensive
work focused on increasing the company’s
market efficiency and cost flexibility.