It was a highly significant occasion when Reading Buses published number 700 of their weekly internal communications newsletter dubbed ‘the bulletin’.
After recently reaching the landmark the company issued number 702 which has now been followed by 703 – both numbers appropriately matching their Green Line service symbols!
The Reading Buses weekly bulletin issued from the Chief Executive’s desk every Wednesday at 12 noon first appeared on October 3 2007 at the introduction of the then Chief Executive James Freeman.
Barring a Christmas break and the occasional special announcement, the weekly bulletin has been part of Reading Buses’ ongoing communications with its employees ever since.
Said Robert Williams, who has been Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer since issue 556, said today: “I think the bulletin continues to be a really important part of our on-going internal communications.
“It is designed to keep employees abreast of developments – as they happen – within the company. I want to do all we can to maintain our strong team spirit and good communications.
“I will therefore continue to produce the bulletin every Wednesday and have even resumed the tradition of issuing it directly from my desk at 12.00 noon on the dot!
“A lot of effort goes into producing each week’s edition members of all teams from around the company providing material to include.
And Robert was keen to stress that the bulletin was just one part of communications within the company.
“We have always prided ourselves on keeping the lines of communication open. From categorised noticeboards so that employees know where to look for which bits of information they need, to an employee forum on Facebook that was started during the pandemic to help those who had been furloughed. This has shown itself to be just as important to people at work.
“But it is the bulletin that holds a special place in people’s minds and is something that can be both informative and light-hearted, focussing on both operational activity as well as celebrating our people. And the fact that it has been around long enough to run into our Green Line route numbers means we must be doing something right. Long may it continue.”
Green Line 702 and 703 run between Bracknell, Slough, Windsor, London and London Heathrow.