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From the country that brought the world easyJet, easyCar and soon easyDorm (the first easyDorm will open this year in Lexham Gardens, London W8, just off Cromwell Road) now comes… easyBus! However, this time no-frills innovator easyGroup, which is behind all of these new business concepts, isn’t first to market: that honor goes to MegaBus. This competitor is already up and running, with bus routes to and from more than 20 cities in the UK. All bookings happen online and early-bird bookers can get fares as low as GBP 1 (about EUR 1.50 or USD 1.80). Meanwhile, easyBus will take to the British roads somewhere this summer, with pilot services along the M1 corridor in the UK, initially using a fleet of 10 sixteen-seat Mercedes minibuses. Focus will be on innercity, point to point, short distance minibus services that will avoid using expensive city centre coach stations. Like all easyGroup companies, easyBus will vary its prices according to demand and will operate on the basis of ‘the earlier you book, the less you pay’.

Opportunities

If you’re in B2C, it would be a revealing exercise to take a good look at your business pretending you’re easyGroup, mercilessly cutting costs and driving volume. It’s where TRENDWATCHING.COM trends like MASS CLASS and PLANNED SPONTANEITY converge, enabling consumers to physically and virtually go places at ever-decreasing cost. Soooo… After easyGroup’s planes, buses, boats, cinemas, hotels and automobiles, what’s next? Or better, who’s next?