Nottingham bus announcements are being re-recorded with humorous touches after complaints that the messages are too formal.
Students from the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies have been recording the new audio messages for Nottingham City Transport (NCT).
Students from the college in Nottingham’s Creative Quarter were approached to inject more creativity into the announcements about journey changes, passenger behaviour and ticket offers.
The new messages include the line: “For everybody’s comfort, please do not listen to music on a loudspeaker. Plug in your headphones and keep the volume down. Unless, of course, you do requests. In which case, Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi, please.”
Students from the level three acting and presenting course at Confetti wrote and recorded the updated announcements in the Antenna Media Centre on Beck street on Wednesday.
Video gallery: Hear some of the new announcements being recorded
NCT marketing manager, Anthony Carver-Smith, said: “Most of the passengers recognise the value of the audio announcements, but the feedback we were receiving suggested they were in need of a fresh approach.
“The students have certainly fulfilled their brief, giving us some great, cheeky one-liners, and I’m sure they’ll be a hit with our customers.”
Audio announcements are mostly used on public transport to inform passengers of the next stop, diversions and customer courtesy.
Leila Gold, head of marketing for the Confetti Media Group, said: “We were approached by NCT because the current customer service announcements have been described by some people as a bit formal.
“What we are really hoping is that these will brighten up people’s commutes and make people smile on their way to work.”
NCT is the biggest bus operator in Nottingham, meaning the updated announcements will be heard on more than 52 million journeys a year.
The new messages are due to appear across the network before Christmas.
