Chancellor George Osborne has challenged councils in the south west of England to come together and create new body to oversee local transport Chancellor George Osborne has announced that the government is exploring the case for creating a “dedicated Devon and Cornwall rail franchise for the south west of England”. The announcement came...
The new powers for Greater Manchester promised by chancellor George Osborne require careful consideration. Much is at stake Will all the buses be the same colour? Anyone for Metrolink yellow? (Artist’s impression) Following the views expressed by others in the previous issue, I am adding my thoughts on the most significant issue...
TfL’s bank-card ticketing and ticket vending machines which offer real time information were among the winners at the Transport Ticketing Awards Organisations which have achieved exceptional success and driven forward the development of transport ticketing and passenger information have gained global recognition for their work at a major international event in London last...
Revenue protection must join 21st Century, says Passenger Focus Passenger Focus has called for an overhaul of the way the rail industry deals with passengers who make innocent mistakes when buying tickets in order to provide customer service fit for the 21st Century. In a new investigation into the issue, the watchdog concluded...
Hybrid-powered buses have embedded themselves in the mainstream in the UK bus industry over the past five years, thanks to successive rounds of the Green Bus Fund in England and Scotland. There are now approaching 2,000 hybrid diesel/electric buses in service in the UK and the market leader is BAE Systems, through its partnership with...
Department for Transport asks KPMG to consider if franchising might be an appropriate model for buses, and whether candidate locations exist Nexus is seeking to take control of bus services in the North East The government is seeking to enhance its understanding of bus market dynamics in response to growing interest in regulatory...
German technology firm examines smartwatches HaCon illustrations of smartwatch app Sales of smartwatches are expected to increase rapidly this year and German transport technology firm HaCon has announced that it is developing applications for them. Passengers might be able to use the devices to plan journeys and buy tickets. HaCon has revealed that...
Arriva calls for Department for Transport to review anachronistic regulations and outlines potential option for radical ticketing reform A magnetic stripe ticket Arriva has called for the Department for Transport to revise “anachronistic” requirements for all train operators to provide a common national ticketing technology and sell tickets for every possible rail trip...
UK bus business is in ‘unprecedented territory’ A First bus in Sheffield Patronage has continued to grow strongly at FirstGroup’s UK bus division, despite some of its companies raising fares in line with inflation, following large price cuts the previous year. The bus business has now achieved 19 consecutive months of patronage growth,...
Driver shortages have caused widespread service cancellations at Govia Thameslink Railway, placing the Department for Transport under scrutiny Commuters make their way past a Thameslink train on the platform at Blackfriars Station, London, in the morning rush hour The quality of the Department for Transport’s franchise management, aspects of its franchising process and...
Combined Authority plans second NGT route for 2025 delivery An artist’s impression of an NGT trolleybus in Leeds The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has announced plans for a second New Generation Transport trolleybus route in West Yorkshire, despite the government not yet approving the planned first controversial route. The plans for the new...
Quality rating was ahead of rivals First and Keolis/Eurostar An artist’s impression of an IEP train in Virgin branding Stagecoach/Virgin trounced its rivals for the new East Coast franchise, with a bid that was a clear winner on quality as well as price. Information released to Passenger Transport by the Department for Transport...
Great questions for Greater Manchester