Harry Beck – 80 years

Harry Beck's blue plaque, revealed this week at his birthplace in Leyton, east London.

The late Harry Beck this week received a blue plaque on the 80th anniversary of his Tube map’s first appearance. Beck’s map, created in 1933, would set the future standard for London Tube maps (and indeed, transit maps the world over). His design, though updated over time, remains in use right up to the present […]

All change for the Woolwich Ferry!

Woolwich Ferry 'James Newman' in service.

We like plucky little people-movers here at transportdesigned – see our post on the Stourbridge Class 139 railbus for starters – and with Briggs Marine taking over the running of London’s Woolwich Ferry next month, we thought we’d take this opportunity to put the spotlight on this quirky south London crossing. The Woolwich Ferry, in its current guise, […]

Firsts’ UK bus app – road tested

First Manchester's 33729 in Manchester city centre on route 8.

First UK bus launched a nationwide ‘First Bus’ app this month after trials in Hampshire. Transportdesigned tested their latest digital offering. On opening the app, ‘first’ impressions are, well…good! The app boasts an impressively quick response rate, taking literally milliseconds to load the home screen on our iPhone 4 (editor’s note – due for an […]

Chiltern Railways – marketing campaign of the year

Chiltern Railways Mainline DVT 82302. Image credit: dwb photo on Flickr.

Chiltern Railways scooped a top transport industry award this month. The Arriva-owned operator picked up ‘transport marketing campaign of the year’ at the prestigious Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Websites That Sell campaign and Marketing Excellence Awards. Chiltern bagged the award for its launch of Mainline, the fast inter-city service between Birmingham and London. The campaign resulted […]

Sapphire: Arriva adds a touch of sparkle

Sapphire by kilmara on Flickr.

Something shiny is about to hit the UK’s streets. Arriva UK will roll out its answer to Stagecoach’s Gold and First’s, ahem, “Gold service“ concepts from April 2013 in Chester, followed by further launches in the Midlands, Oxfordshire and the North East. You could be forgiven for thinking that Sapphire is a little short of […]

American Airlines gets a new look

American Airlines new livery and logo

Frequent flyers may have noticed that their jets have been looking a little different lately. American Airlines underwent something of a re-brand during the first quarter of 2013. Working with FutureBrand, AA strived to bring itself into the 21st Century with a more streamlined, modern image. Gone (well, sort of) is the famed American Eagle, simplified and […]

Meet Vincent Kompany, Metrolink’s latest substitution

Metrolink tram

“This is your captain speaking, Vincent Kompany…the next stop is Piccadilly!” Residents of east Manchester are slowly getting used to the sound of various Manchester City players making their ‘next stop’ announcements on match days. When City are playing at home, the regular recorded announcements are substituted for the likes of Joe Hart, James Milner and […]

Class 139 – Railbus under the radar

Here’s one for the railbus fans. If you’ve never seen nor heard of the Class 139 Railbus before, you’re not alone! Only two of these plucky little vehicles currently exist in the UK (with the exception of the experimental vehicle 139000). Built for the Stourbridge branch line, they showcase what could be a perfect solution […]

People-eaters: world’s biggest coaches

Following the recent introduction of Stagecoach’s Plaxton Interdeck Elite-i on Megabus UK work, we thought we’d compile some of the world’s largest buses and coaches for your viewing pleasure! You can post your examples on our Facebook page – or tweet us!

Turning over a new leaf: UK electric hybrids

Arriva North West hybrid

  We all love a good marketing campaign. Ever since ‘low floor’ became old hat, UK operators had been left wondering what the next big thing in bus branding would be. And now, it appears that they’ve found it. Electric hybrids tick all the boxes – they’re the latest in modern technology, good for the […]

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