Stagecoach North Scotland has launched a competition inviting members of the public to design a new version of the iconic Bluebird which features on the livery of all their coaches.
The remit is to design a Bluebird which will incorporate the heritage of the early Bluebird and the affection in which it was held by generations of bus passengers while enhancing the Stagecoach brand with a symbol which will represent the company for the next two decades and beyond.
The competition is open to all ages and to professional and amateur designers and in addition to the status of having a design which will be prominently displayed and widely seen throughout the North and North-east of Scotland, the winner will receive a cash prize of £1000.
The Bluebird emblem has been part of coaching history for more than 80 years, making its first appearance in 1934 as part of the cream and blue livery introduced by the former Alexander’s buses.
It has survived several changes in livery – and ownership – since but the Bluebird itself has remained relatively unchanged. In that time there have only been two variations - the first, a more conventional image of a bluebird flew the coaching flag for more than 70 years, adopting along the way the strapline “Catch the Bluebird”, until the introduction of its more modern 21st century version eight years ago which invited us to the “Discover the Bluebird”.
“The original Bluebird was a familiar sight in the North and North-east of Scotland and was held in great affection by bus passengers,” said Steve Walker, managing director, Stagecoach North Scotland. “A lot of people still talk about travelling on the Bluebird bus. We hope this competition will come up with a new design which will also catch the imagination of our passengers.
“We are looking for something which will represent Stagecoach Bluebird in the future; a good reliable service which is a vital part of the region’s public transport infrastructure delivered by a modern fleet of coaches. There is a huge wealth of design talent in Aberdeen and the North-east and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they produce.”
The first vehicles to carry the new Bluebird will be 12 Panther B12 coaches which started operating in October on the Service 35 route. The route lets passengers experience travel through the city, the country and the coast between Elgin and Aberdeen in optimum comfort. The rebranding programme of the new buses will take place throughout December with a rollout programme to rebrand the remaining coaches in the Stagecoach North Scotland fleet beginning in early 2015.
Details on how to enter the completion are available by contacting Claire Burt, Marketing Manager, Stagecoach North Scotland at claire.burt@stagecoachbus.com or on 01224 597561.
For more information please see the document below.