Students on board with Metro’s green credentials

Transport operator Nexus has teamed up with Northumbria University business students to develop a campaign aimed at encouraging more passengers to ditch the car and use the Tyne & Wear Metro.

Students from the Business Clinic at Northumbria were tasked with capturing the Metro’s environmental credentials as a unique selling point to boost passenger numbers in line with, or above, pre-pandemic levels. Owned and operated by Nexus, the Metro is one of the country’s fastest-recovering light rail networks since passenger numbers dropped dramatically during Covid-19. However, Nexus is looking at more ways to help numbers recover to prepandemic levels.

The students – Ella Craggs, Nathan Binns, George Dawson and Elliot Cowie – carried out an in-depth audit focusing on the environmental benefits of Metro travel. They also undertook a survey to understand the travel habits of existing and potential passengers, revealing a concern for climate change but also a lack of awareness of the Metro as a sustainable form of transport.

The students made a range of recommendations, including a physical marketing campaign with billboard advertising, posters and increased engagement with local schools via an art competition to coincide with the introduction of the new Metro fleet. Engaging with prominent social media influencers was also proposed, together with updates to the Metro app showcasing the environmental benefits.

Team leader Ella Craggs said: “It was fantastic to gain practical experience to complement our academic studies. We had an excellent professional relationship with Nexus. They were easy to work with and gave us some really positive feedback on many of our ideas.”

Head of Corporate Planning at Nexus, Helen Mathews, was really impressed with the work the students produced, explaining: “They understood the brief well and came up with some novel recommendations that we can take forward as we seek to promote the environmental benefits of Metro travel to a wider audience – and increase passenger numbers to or even beyond levels seen before the pandemic.”

The Business Clinic at Northumbria University offers free consultancy support from final year students to SMEs, multi-national organisations, charitable organisations, educational trusts and social enterprises that operate across a wide range of sectors.

Nigel Coates, Director of the Business Clinic, added: “We were delighted to work on such a worthwhile project with one of the country’s most prominent transport operators. The students were able to showcase their analytical skills and business acumen on a campaign that will reap tangible benefits for Nexus and the wider community.”

Click the QR code to read more about working with the Business Clinic.

“THEY UNDERSTOOD THE BRIEF WELL AND CAME UP WITH SOME NOVEL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE FORWARD AS WE SEEK TO PROMOTE THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF METRO TRAVEL TO A WIDER AUDIENCE.”

HELEN MATHEWS, NEXUS