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PLUSBUS is the first major product developed and introduced by the Journey Solutions partnership. PLUSBUS is the only nation-wide integrated train and bus travel ticket that is on sales across the whole of Britain. At present PLUSBUS is available to 245 towns and cities across Britain, ranging from large cities like Liverpool and Leicester right down to small towns like Lowestoft. PLUSBUS is available for interchange between train and bus services through 345 rail stations across England, Wales and Scotland. PLUSBUS has consistent product standards, so that customers can recognise the brand and have confidence in the ticket they are buying and using. There are some opportunities for further simplification and standardisation of the PLUSBUS product. Season ticket expansion During this year one of the main product developments for PLUSBUS is the further expansion in the availability of season tickets, so that more even rail commuters can take advantage of this great value product. PLUSBUS season tickets are available for set periods, to match the most popular rail season ticket availabile. These periods are: 7-days; 1-month; 3-months and 12-months. National marketing campaign In January 2007, Journey Solutions launched our first-ever nation-wide marketing campaign to raise awareness of PLUSBUS amongst rail users, bus users and the travelling public. So far this year over 1.4million PLUSBUS promotional leaflets have been printed and distributed through staffed train stations across Britain. Over 5,000 PLUSBUS promotional posters are now displayed inside buses across the Country and hundreds of train stations have also displayed advertising posters for the product. The National Rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk, which is one of the top five most visited sites in Britain, also now has a page dedicated to promoting PLUSBUS, with links to our official site. Airport Links PLUSBUS already provides integrated ticketing between train and bus services for journeys to a number of regional airports around Britain. During the next 18 months Journey Solutions will be working with industry colleagues to identify further integrated ticketing opportunities. Rural Links Many train operators have introduced their own Through-Journey ticketing schemes in agreement with local bus companies, so that customers can buy tickets for their entire journey to towns and villages beyond the National Rail network where a bus provides the final leg of the journey. Journey Solutions is working with all interested parties to develop a national and standardised ticketing product for such journeys, similar to PLUSBUS. Journey Solutions partnership
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