domain
knowledge
competitors
strategy
tenative
wireframes
BusMe presentation
Jim Lord & Laura Shraven
personas
BusMe presentation
DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE
• According to a study done by DePaul University, 22% of passengers travel
to their destination because the low-fare bus service is available. Nearly
three quarters (73%) of passengers are between the ages of 18-35.
• The success of Chinatown curbside buses in the late 1990s led to the
creation of “corporate” curbside buses like the BoltBus and MegaBus.
Together these modes helped intercity bus travel more than double in the
Northeast Corridor between 1998 and 2007 — with ridership levels
topping 7 million passengers.
• “Intercity bus service was the fastest growing mode of intercity
transportation, outpacing air and rail transportation.”
• Only one competitor attempts to offer a comprehensive search –
GoToBus.com. In this case some of the biggest carriers (BoltBus and
MegaBus) are not included. There are many individual, corporate
competitors offering tickets for their fares only (Greyhound, MegaBus,
BoltBus, NewCentury Travel, etc).
BusMe presentation
DOMAIN KNOWLEDGE
BusMe presentation
COMPETITORS
1. GotoBus
• Full trip experience to include hotels, show and or tours
• Services are available in two additional languages – Chinese and Spanish
• Search feature is minimized based on prior selection – Arrival city is
dependent upon departing city.
• Affiliate Program
• Ability for businesses to add their buses to the service
• Provide additional resources such as full bus schedules
• Do not inform customers of affiliates with tour purchases
• Busses do not operate out of formal bus stations
• Very low prices
REVIEWS: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ivy-media-gotobus-com-cambridge
BusMe presentation
COMPETITORS
2. Greyhound
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Reserved seating
WI-FI availability
Special requests – legroom, outlets
Provide discounts –military,
companion, student and veterans
Provide schedule details – stops
and time layovers
Greyhound offers a variety of
carriers (Neon, BoltBus,
Americanos, Crucero)
Rewards program
Provide hotel packages
• Resources for customers traveling
with children and or disabilities
• Provide information in Spanish
• Multiple purchase selections
- Advanced
- Web only fare
- Standard fare
- Refundable
REVIEWS: http://www.yelp.com/biz/greyhound-bus-lines-boston
BusMe presentation
COMPETITORS
3. MegaBus
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Provide schedule details – stops and time layovers
Variety of departure times
Ability to easily look at previous or next day options
Provide service advisories on home page
Additional information with those traveling with disabilities
Provide information on hotel deals
Ability to search bus stop locations
REVIEWS:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g191-d2224801-ReviewsMegabus-United_States.html
BusMe presentation
COMPETITORS
4. BoltBus
• Additional features
- WI-FI
- Extra legroom
- Plug-ins
- $1 fares
- Boarding groups
- Reserved seating
• Frequent user rewards
• Charter buses
• Purchase experience is on one screen
• Information window is small
REVIEWS: http://www.yelp.com/biz/boltbus-new-york
BusMe presentation
COMPETITORS
5. New Century Travel / Chinatown Bus
• Daily bus between New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore and
Richmond
• Provide number of available seats on bus when booking tickets
• Change schedule on same pages as purchasing overview
• Provides full schedule of all buses
• Disability reservation information located on home page
• Site is very busy and crowded (Request use of Internet Explorer)
REVIEWS: http://www.yelp.com/biz/apex-bus-new-york
BusMe presentation
STRATEGY
Currently, customers have no comprehensive, usable tool to compare bus
fares. BusMe believes that its unique set of features and revenue model will
be able to perform well in this market.
• Vision statement – BusMe: the no hassle way to finding the best bus
ticket.
• How does BusMe do this? By offering the most comprehensive list of
fares. Period.
• BusMe focuses on the bus trip and offers exclusive deals on food,
entertainment, and services through their mobile app and website. By
giving you all available fares, BusMe gives the user the opportunity to
select the best ticket for them.
BusMe presentation
TENATIVE WIREFRAMES (mobile – search fares)
BusMe presentation
TENATIVE WIREFRAMES (mobile – “go on my terms”)
BusMe presentation
TENATIVE WIREFRAMES (mobile – sign in)
Name: Susan Hahn
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Role: Graduate Student
Computer Literacy: Advanced
•English is a second language
•Asian descent
•Current graduate student at Drexel University, Master of
Science in Global and International Education
•Friends in school in New York City and Washington D.C.
•Has lived in Philadelphia for one year
•Not familiar with New York City or Washington D.C.
•Recently engaged
•Comfortable with using a computer and the WWW
•Utilizes applications from her phone and tablet
•Uses Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends
Name: Brad Johnson
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Role: Young Professional
Computer Literacy: Advanced
•Avid user of social media
•Foursquare
•Has an active twitter account
•Uses Facebook to connect with family and friends as well as
for gaming, shopping deals and check-ins
•LinkedIn
•Recent graduate from Georgetown University
•Scheduled for freelance work out of New York City for the
summer
•Wants accessibility – mobile
•Comfortable with using public transportation
•Does not have a family
Name: Ron Robbins
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Role: Retiree
Computer Literacy: Basic
•Recently retired music teacher of 32 years from The Peabody
Institute of The Johns Hopkins University
•He and his wife love to travel to New York to see shows
•Recently diagnosed with Presbyopia - This is the loss of the
ability to clearly see close objects or small print.
•Have family in Boston – son, daughter-in-law and two
grandchildren
•A novice user of computers – can look up basic information
on the WWW
•Owns a smart phone but only uses it to make phone calls
Name: Macie Trindle
Age: 36
Gender: Female
Role: Working Mother
Computer Literacy: Advanced
•Mother of two children; son (6), daughter (8)
•A Clinical Care Manager for five years in Laurel Maryland
•Husband works for NSA at Fort Meade in Maryland
•Husband is confined to a wheelchair
•Very comfortable with computers and technology
•Main form of communication is email
•Uses some social media – mainly Facebook
•Loves online coupons and is a huge Groupon User
•Is familiar with text alerts because of the children
•Is the event planner for the family
•Very organized and meticulous with receipts & confirmations
•Parents live in Philadelphia
•Undergraduate degree is in Art History
Name: Beth Moore
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Role: Heavy user of city-to-city bus system
Computer Literacy: Advanced
•Teaches at the Philadelphia Dance Academy for one year
•Works and dances in productions in Washington D.C. and
New York
•Regularly uses buses to get from home to a job and back
•Has many dancer friends in the surrounding cities that do
the same thing
•All live in different cities but may work in the same show
•Uses social media as main source of communication
•Has a computer but primarily uses her smart phone or tablet