Transport chaos? Not a bit of it!

Switch on the goggle box and you would think we'd been hit by a meteorite.

"Oh my goodness, it's been SNOWING! Don't panic, don't panic!"

Ok so it is a bit cold and driving is rather hazardous, but there's an upside: people across the country are re-discovering…public transport.

For many this means abandoning the beloved car and walking a whole 400 yards to a bus stop, enduring a short ride to a train station and hopping on a slightly crowded train, suffering the indignity of getting to work a little earlier than normal.

Of course, public transport isn't that convenient for everyone, but then what do you expect if you live miles away from a main road. And granted, some of the region's buses and trains are over-crowded but nothing compared with London Underground during rush hour.

Personally I doff my cap to the hard-working emergency and public services who have kept the transport system moving smoothly in my neck of the woods at least (Boltonia), despite the best efforts of countless idiotic car drivers slip-sliding their way to work.

What a great PR opportunity for the GMPTE and Northern Rail.

For thousands, this will be the first time they've used 'public' transport for some time, if at all. If I was working in a public transport marketing department I would cash in on this qualified success with the following tactics:

1. Copy Starbucks and issue travellers with a nice little discount voucher booklet offering 50p off one journey per day.

2. Get the video camera out and do a few vox-pop interviews with happy 'first-time' public transport users. Publish the footage to websites, YouTube and run a series of regional ads on evening time Granada TV

3. Issue the local media with statistics on average journey times / running on-time successes / increase in people using services - comparing the differences between car travel times and public transport

4. Look at the health and safety angle and promote the accident ratio of public transport to private cars

5. Commission a snap satisfaction survey and publish the results - ok they'll be the crowding issue but roll with that and use the information to support the lobbying effort for more rolling stock, especially trains

I for one will be 'busing and training' it much more often now as I realize it's cheaper, quicker and more convenient, better for the environment, great for breakfast on the go and browsing through the morning paper.

Now I'm sure not everyone will agree with my 'half-full' view of the world but why not give it a try? You might be pleasantly surprised…

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