Newport Bus asks 'zombie drivers' to ditch their car in Hallowe'en ad

The 44-second "It's A No Brainer" ad shows a zombie driver stuck in nightmarish congestion on the A48.

"The morning commute is turning drivers into zombies," it says, the kind of suspenseful music that belongs in a horror film accompanying the action - or rather inaction - of the gridlocked roads.

Sat at the wheel of her stationary car, the zombie driver watches a free-flowing Newport Bus vehicle overtake her in the left lane.

The next morning, the inspired zombie commuter boards one of those buses with a City Day ticket on her Zomb-iPhone. This suggests two things: Newport Bus accepts zombie passengers, so long as they buy standard tickets like the rest of us.

No sign of a discount for the undead.

The ticket on the phone also indicates that filming took place over a month ago on September 12.

Welcomed with an unquestioning smile from the driver, the zombie limps her way to a seat near the back of the bus before almost immediately being offered a piece of confectionery from a passenger across the aisle.

The zombie takes the sweet and transforms into her usual, happier, more presentable self.

The Conditions of Carriage on the Newport Bus website confirm that passengers must not "consume food or drink (except water)" - meaning the former undead passenger takes just 17 seconds to break one of the operator's rules.

Newport Bus completes around 8 million passenger journeys every year, throughout the Newport area and into Monmouthshire, Cardiff and Torfaen.

The operator aims to provide at least 95 per cent of all timetabled services "on time" - which, by the Traffic Commissioner's definition, stretches up to five minutes late.

Their message this Hallowe'en is: "Choose Newport Bus for greener, smarter, safer, stress-free travel - it’s a No Brainer!"

And, joking aside, there will be a few drivers used to sitting in queues in the city centre that might consider giving it a go.