Chatty Bus
The Chatty Bus Tour was all about connection, tackling loneliness and social isolation across East Yorkshire by getting people talking. Working with partners including Age UK Hull and KCOM, we transformed a bus into a mobile community space that offered tea, conversation, and company.
Client: East Yorkshire Buses
Overview
The Chatty Bus Tour was designed to tackle loneliness and social isolation by getting people talking, on buses and beyond.
In partnership with Age UK Hull and KCOM, East Yorkshire Buses took the campaign on the road, transforming a bus into a mobile community hub.
The Chatty Bus visited towns and cities across the region, offering free tea, friendly faces, and a safe space for conversation, proving that even a quick chat can make a big difference.
My role
As part of East Yorkshire’s marketing team, I:
Helped plan and deliver the Chatty Bus Tour, coordinating logistics, branding, and community partnerships.
Produced visual assets, event signage, and social content to promote tour stops and invite participation.
Collaborated with Age UK Hull and KCOM on campaign messaging and PR activity.
Supported on-site event coverage, capturing stories, photography, and testimonials from participants.
Ensured campaign alignment with the Go-Ahead Group’s wider Wellbeing and Inclusion initiatives.
Objectives
Support the national Chatty Bus initiative to reduce loneliness through conversation.
Build awareness of East Yorkshire’s community role beyond transport.
Strengthen local partnerships and social responsibility presence.
Encourage people to see public transport as a welcoming, connected space.
Generate local media coverage and community engagement across the region.
Impact
The tour reached hundreds of people across multiple locations, sparking meaningful conversations and local goodwill.
Partner organisations reported increased awareness and engagement following the campaign.
The initiative received regional press coverage and positive community feedback.
Reinforced East Yorkshire’s commitment to social connection and wellbeing beyond travel.
Reflection
This project was a reminder that marketing can do more than sell, it can genuinely make people’s days better.
The Chatty Bus Tour blended brand purpose with human connection, showing how a simple idea, just talk to someone, can have an incredible ripple effect.
It was a campaign built on empathy, community, and collaboration, the kind of work that reminds you why you got into this industry in the first place.