Carousel Buses launches Brand the Bus for good causes to be decked out on a bus

• Competition winner will receive £60,000 worth of advertising, including branding a bus 

• Partnerships with Wycombe Wanderers and Wycombe Sound boosts prize package 

• Inaugural competition helps local charities and good causes raise awareness of what they do

Carousel Buses has announced it plans to launch a unique competition in January 2025 enabling local good causes to have a chance to get their branding advertised on a double-decker bus. 

Charities and good causes are being encouraged to enter the Brand the Bus competition and residents to vote for them. The winner will have its branding emblazoned on a Carousel Buses vehicle for 12 months. 

And thanks to partnership with Wycombe Wanderers and Wycombe Sound, the winning good cause will expand its reach via wider advertising opportunities, to create an overall package worth £60,000. 

The ten entries that are deemed best according to a public vote will be shortlisted and examined by a judging panel. Prizes will be awarded to the competitors who have, in the panel’s opinion, fulfilled the brief to the highest standard. The winning organisation will be invited to work with Carousel Buses to design a bus wrap featuring the brand colours, logo and messages of the good cause. 

It is the first time Carousel Buses is holding the Brand the Bus competition and follows the success of its sister company Oxford Bus Company’s delivery of the scheme in recent years. 

To enter, good causes must be registered in and be delivering impact in Buckinghamshire and submit a simple entry form online providing background information and what it would mean to win the competition. Entry opens on 1st January 2025 and closes on 1st March, the public will be able to vote up until 1st April and the final top 10 entries will then be shortlisted and go to a judging panel, who will then decide on a winner in June.

Luke Marion, Managing Director of Carousel Buses said: “We’re proud to be launching Brand the Bus in Buckinghamshire to support local good causes. 

“Brand the Bus has delivered a significant impact in Oxfordshire for various charities and good causes and we’re thrilled to be expanding it to Carousel Buses. 

“We care deeply about the communities we serve and believe in giving back where we can. 

“Brand the Bus is an excellent way for charities and good causes to raise awareness of what they do. Many thanks to Wycombe Wanderers and Wycombe Sound for partnering with us to help us elevate how we can support good causes. It’s a partnership based on shared community values and we’re looking forward to helping good causes in Buckinghamshire.” 

Neil Peters, Wycombe Wanderers’ Head of Business Operations, said: “Wycombe Wanderers is delighted to throw our support behind Carousel Buses’ Brand the Bus campaign and encourage local charities to get on board and put themselves forward for this fantastic opportunity.

“Carousel Buses have been a superb partner of ours, playing a major role in connecting us to our local community, and the Brand the Bus initiative is a brilliant way of using our platform and theirs to shine a light on the vital work of many charities in the High Wycombe area.”

Liam Gates, Managing Director at Wycombe Sound, said: “Wycombe Sound is proud to be supporting an initiative that will help shine a light on some amazing non-profit organisations in the local area. 

“It's great to see local organisations coming together in partnership to help raise the profile of local non-profits and we can’t wait to get involved in continuing to support the community.

Wycombe Sound is a community-run station bringing local content to South Bucks and so the Brand the Bus initiative hugely resonated with us. We can't wait to see all the amazing local good causes take part and the winner branded across a bus travelling and heard on the airwaves.”