Nakedbus.com
Encyclopedia
Nakedbus.com is a provider of low-cost intercity
bus transport services around New Zealand. It uses concepts such as yield management
and no-frills to provide low fares. The company is so-named because "we have stripped out the costs that you don’t need."
Established in October 2006 with services out of Auckland
around the North Island
, nakedbus.com expanded to the South Island
in February 2007.
The business is owned by Hamish Nuttall . It is based on British online transport models such as EasyJet
and megabus
.
, using an 0900 number charging NZD1.80 minute to make telephone bookings or enquiries; callers are directed at the beginning of the call to go to the website instead to avoid the charge.. Lost property enquiries are dealt with online using a contact form. "99%" of customers do not need to contact the company by phone. Nakedbus does not have terminals .
with a nakedbus sticker
added.
, for example it accepts bookings up to 15 minutes before departure and electronically transmits bookings to the driver en route while timetables are monitored through a cellphone checking system which links with the Nakedbus computer system.
Intercity bus
An intercity bus is a bus that carries passengers significant distances between different cities, towns, or other populated areas. Unlike a municipal bus, which has frequent stops throughout a city or town, an intercity bus generally has a single stop at a centralized location within the city, and...
bus transport services around New Zealand. It uses concepts such as yield management
Yield management
Revenue management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize yield or profits from a fixed, perishable resource...
and no-frills to provide low fares. The company is so-named because "we have stripped out the costs that you don’t need."
Established in October 2006 with services out of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
around the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
, nakedbus.com expanded to the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
in February 2007.
The business is owned by Hamish Nuttall . It is based on British online transport models such as EasyJet
EasyJet
EasyJet Airline Company Limited is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It carries more passengers than any other United Kingdom-based airline, operating domestic and international scheduled services on 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports...
and megabus
Megabus (United Kingdom)
Megabus is a UK coach service operated by Stagecoach Group. It started in 2003 and as of February 2010 operated 19 UK coach routes serving 41 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. Some services link with Megatrain services which are also operated by Stagecoach...
.
Marketing techniques
Fares
The company provides at least one headline-grabbing NZD1.00 fare on each service, while "the average fare is equal to 50 percent of the prevailing market fares and all fares beat standard market adult prices by at least 25 percent"No-frills
Nakedbus.com avoids overheads by encouraging online bookings, although it also has agents, who may charge a service fee in addition to the website-quoted fare. Nakedbus charges its callers for use of its telephone reservation call centreCall centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
, using an 0900 number charging NZD1.80 minute to make telephone bookings or enquiries; callers are directed at the beginning of the call to go to the website instead to avoid the charge.. Lost property enquiries are dealt with online using a contact form. "99%" of customers do not need to contact the company by phone. Nakedbus does not have terminals .
Operations
Nakedbus.com sometimes code-shares with operators on smaller routes. So while most buses are in the standard black and white livery, a few buses are in another company's liveryLivery
A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...
with a nakedbus sticker
Sticker
A sticker is a type of a piece of paper or plastic, adhesive, sticky on one side, and usually with a design on the other. They can be used for decoration, depending on the situation. They can come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are put on things such as lunchboxes, in children's...
added.
Technology
Nakedbus.com uses information technologyInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, for example it accepts bookings up to 15 minutes before departure and electronically transmits bookings to the driver en route while timetables are monitored through a cellphone checking system which links with the Nakedbus computer system.