Issue 336 of Passenger Transport is published on May 2. Contents include: LEAD STORY ALBUM’s Astill warns of ‘existential threat’ As Britain’s small and medium-sized bus operators prepare to gather in Nottingham, David Astill warns against squeezing them out of the market NEWS Annus horribilis sees Mobico...
Welcome to The ALBUM Report 2025, a publication from Passenger Transport devoted to Britain’s independent and municipal bus companies. Returning for a ninth year, this year’s report also incorporates the Conference Workbook for the ALBUM Conference 2025, hosted by Nottingham City Transport on May 12-14. We hope you find it...
As Britain’s small and medium-sized bus operators prepare to gather in Nottingham, David Astill warns against squeezing them out of the market Astill: ‘We’re talking about an existential threat’ Ahead of this month’s ALBUM Conference in Nottingham, ALBUM chair David Astill has warned that bus franchising poses “an...
Mobico Group’s woes continues after it reveals a loss of £793m, sale of American school bus business and the departure of CEO Ignacio Garat School bus business sold to Arriva parent I Squared Capital Mobico chief executive Ignacio Garat stepped down suddenly this week, marking the second senior...
Newcastle to Brighton link restores for service lost in 2008 The proposal would form part of Arriva’s Grand Central open access operation Arriva has submitted an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for a new rail service stretching almost the entire length of...
The value of good stakeholder relations can’t be underestimated. Who should do it, what should it involve and who does it well? Sometimes, the term ‘stakeholder’ gets used in a very depersonalised, almost token manner in business I do titter when I listen to business mumbo-jumbo –...
Local transport minister Stephen Lightwood will be among the speakers in Manchester With the UK bus industry entering a period of rapid evolution, Passenger Transport has partnered with Transport Times to launch the seventh UK Bus Summit. The event will take place on September 11, 2025, in Greater Manchester – the home of...
Funding has been allocated to 12 successful local authorities, with more than half going to West of England Combined Authority for 160 buses More than half of the money (£19.9m) has been allocated to West of England Combined Authority The government last week announced a £37.8m investment to underpin the purchase of new...
Open access rail services have demonstrated that they can grow the market for rail without requiring subsidy. What’s not to like? Lumo’s open access services begun in October 2021 It was less than a month ago that Rail Partners shut up shop, but I for one am already feeling their loss. The...
The establishment of Great British Railways provides a unique opportunity to reshape and, in certain areas, reset the rail industry We are at a pivotal moment for the UK rail industry. With the creation of Great British Railways (GBR) and the imminent renationalisation of passenger services, the sector has an opportunity to set...
Assessment presents a range of cost and benefit estimates for the planned ‘Bus Reform’ in Wales, which will see all local bus services re-regulated TrawsCymru services are already publicly controlled The cost of transitioning to bus franchising across Wales is estimated at over £300m in the Regulatory Impact Assessment on the Bus Services...
If you believe in buses don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk by taking yourself and others on one of many hidden gems out there East Yorkshire’s excellent Beachcomer ‘Use it or lose it’ is a famous but wise old cliché often used among folk to cajole them into supporting businesses...
Hamburg will host the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in June. We spoke to UITP’s secretary general, Mohamed Mezghani, about the event and what visitors can look forward to UITP’s secretary general, Mohamed Mezghani Mohamed, the UITP Summit is fast approaching, and Hamburg will be the first host city under the new annual...
The second year of the Your Bus Journey survey, conducted independent watchdog Transport Focus, reveals increase bus user satisfaction Significant government investment as part of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding and the £2 bus fare cap, appears to be have helped increase bus user satisfaction in England. Bus passengers across England have...
Stephen Rhodes, Transport for Greater Manchester’s director of bus highlights Bee Network progress but warns improvements will take time Performance has lagged at the final two tranches of the Bee Network Greater Manchester’s move to the franchised Bee Network has shown early signs of success, with increased passenger numbers and improved punctuality, MPs...
Independent study concludes that operational tweaks could free-up capacity at Eurostar’s Temple Mills International depot for competitors Eurostar has stored redundant rolling stock at Temple Mills International (PA Images/Alamy) The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has confirmed that Eurostar’s Temple Mills International (TMI) depot in East London could accommodate additional trains if...
The response to the recent power outage at Heathrow Airport has lessons for crisis management in the public transport sector Heathrow Airport CEO Thomas Woldbye The power outage at Heathrow Airport a fortnight ago was fascinating in the way that it shone a lens on CEO Thomas Woldbye’s reaction to the crisis...
Ministers saw how Greater Manchester’s Bee Network rebrand changed public perceptions almost overnight – and want the same bounce for rail The new logo and branding will be different to a Great British Railways logo that was registered with the Intellectual Property Office’s online trade marks journal in 2022 The government is set...
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