Calling all mums in Sheffield…

[TravelSouthYorkshire]

...picture the scene. You need to get you and your little ones into town for the day, so, having been up since the crack of dawn watching cBeebies, you prepare to jump on an early morning tram to get your errands out of the way. The problem is, what seems like the entire commuting population of Sheffield has had the same idea. It?s heaving, you?re cramped, the kids are going mental and there?s barely enough room to swing a rusk covered dummy let alone a cat. Being a mum is stressful enough, and this is one more thing that you could definitely do without.

Despite that, we all know that the tram is a quick, convenient and cost-effective way of getting round Sheffield; so what do you do? Believe it or not,there is another way?. By 10am, as soon as the glum looking commuters have made it into work , the tram transforms into a completely different place; a place that you might actually like to be.

As if by magic, the tram suddenly becomes calmer and quieter (if only home was like that), you can see the floor and, shock, get a seat! Although only minor, these differences, can make a world of difference and give you a stress free journey. And when you start the day relaxed, you?ve got a much better chance of keeping it that way!

There?s no denying that the tram is great for getting you and your little ones around Sheffield, but why not save yourself the stress and effort of battling your journey with commuters, have that extra cup of tea in the morning, and travel off-peak instead?

For more information visit www.travelsouthyorkshire.com/tram/

Is this a nice way of suggesting that we stay off the trams while they're busy? Are we clogging the trams with our prams?
Nice!

Is there a financial incentive offered to travelling off peak?

TravelSouthYorkshire... picture the scene. Your marketing folk have heard about a website called Mumsnet "where apparently mums ask politicians about biscuits - so it must have its finger on the pulse". You've been racking your brains about how you can stop those bloody mothers getting on your trams with prams at peak hour (SO many complaints from those glum-faced commuters!) so you decide Mumsnet is the way to reach your target demographic in one fell swoop.

"It's important that we show that we really understand mums" says head marketing honcho. "Firstly, we know they all sit their kids infront of CBeebies in the morning, so we need to mention that. And we need to sell the real benefits of the off peak idea - which are, of course, that our trams will be a more pleasant environment than their own homes, what with their awful kids running around screaming all day, and, most importantly, the chance to get that extra cup of tea. With key messaging like this, we'll be on to a winner."

So TravelSouthYorkshire got their marketing assistant to write a little story about how travelling off peak would have the same benefits to a mum's stress levels as a two week holiday in the Bahamas. And, as if by magic, all the mums who have a brain and don't particularly like to be spoken to like a five year old child decided that they would only ever travel at peak times in future, just to hack off TravelSouthYorkshire.

And we all lived happily ever after. Except the gloomy commuters, that is.

Wow.

Double wow.

If I didn't live so far from the bloo*y tram system I'd suggest an 8am MN meet on the trams one day!

Can we get TravelSouthYorkshire banned from MN. Surely this is worse than merely being a troll?

hmmm TravelSouthYorkshire, have your thought that the mums with pushchairs on your trams at rush hour may also be commuting to work and using the tram just like everyone else, they may just be popping their child to nursery on the way. I know i used sheffield public transport to do so.

shame my children are too big to put in a pushchair now or i'd join bosch on a 'pram-in' on the trams!

travelsouthyorkshire - do you seriously think that mums will respond to the rubbish you have spouted above, like nora i used public transport to get my children to nursery when i was working, so therefore i needed to be on the bus/tram at rush hour. We pay our fairs like everyone else on the bus/tram why should we not use it when its convenient to us. Equally as a part time working mum I used the bus/tram throughout the day, probably putting considerably more money into the system than the commuters.