Can you do something BIG to win better buses in the West?

Our buses are in crisis. Thousands of services have been cancelled while over 40 entire routes are about to be cut.

It doesn’t have to be like this. Franchising our buses gives power back to the public and unlocks new ways to add routes, boost reliability, and improve affordability (read more about how here). Basically? It puts people over profit.

It’s a power devolved to Dan Norris as West of England Mayor. Every other Labour Mayor is using their power to reclaim their buses. It’s time Dan did too!

Dan needs to know franchising matters to voters. We’re going to post videos of the public making their heartfelt case for franchising on social media. We'll release one every day for the 30 days running up to Dan's next opportunity to make franchising happen. That's his Combined Authority meeting on the 17th of March.

These will be our 30 reasons to reclaim our buses. They’ll be personal stories about why we need better buses. They’ll put the moral and political pressure on him to ACT.

We need your help to reach the 30! Please use the guide below to record and submit your video. Need support writing your script or filming the video, email matthew@weownit.org.uk.

Don't have time to do a long video? Click HERE to get a guide on how to do your video in 5 minutes.

Want to know more about why we should franchise our buses? Take a look here!

How to take part?

Stage one: write your script!

  1. Go to our draft script here and download it (File>Download>Word). You can also copy and paste the link here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sYCbyqSLC2A3MnjIHsRzR1PKabElqeK0RwMjp9tzHNQ/edit?usp=sharing
  2. Open the file (30 Reasons Why Scripts.docx) on your phone or computer.
  3. Edit the draft script as directed to tell your story about why you need buses in public control. Concentrate on describing how bad your experience is right now. That’s the most important thing. If you can link it into why franchising can help, that’s just a bonus. Use our cheat sheet to link up your problem with the case for franchising: https://weownit.org.uk/why-franchising

Want an example script to read? Have a look at these two from Matthew. An example video? Here's one we made earlier!

Stage two: record your video!

  1. Pick where you are going to record your video (e.g., at home, ideally at a bus stop).
  2. Decide how you are going to record your video (e.g., on your phone, using zoom on your computer).
  3. Decide if you’re going to hold your phone/camera (e.g., selfie mode) or if you’re going to have a friend, family, or colleague hold it for you.
  4. Record your video! Don’t worry if it takes a few times to get through your script OR if you slip up. We want our videos to look like they’re by members of the public to show the region’s leaders that the public really care about this issue.

Alert! If you’re recording on your phone, please record a portrait!

Stage three: fill in the consent form!

  1. Before you upload your video, please fill in our consent form for us to store your video and post it on our social media channel: @ReclaimOurBuses
  2. Please go to the form online here: https://forms.gle/6aLeb99E2VigGtdb9

Stage four: upload your video!

  1. Now that you’ve filled in the consent form, it’s time to upload your video!
  2. Go to our DropBox and upload the video file: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rn49aeYN4DCsEH60MR9E
  3. Make sure you complete the form and upload your video. You should get an email confirming it has been submitted. If not, try again.

You’re done! Thank you SO much for taking part. If you have any problems or questions, please email matthew@weownit.org.uk.

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