Issue 339 of Passenger Transport is published on June 13. Contents include: LEAD STORY £15bn package is ‘huge vote of confidence’ Chancellor announces £15.6bn of funding for local transport projects in England’s city regions, £2.3bn for other areas and extends £3 bus fare cap NEWS Bus franchising...
Chancellor announces £15.6bn of funding for local transport projects in England’s city regions, £2.3bn for other areas and extends £3 bus fare cap Rachel Reeves during her visit to Mellor This month’s Comprehensive Spending Review contained positive outcomes for the public transport sector. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £15.6bn...
Louise Cheeseman, former TfL director of buses, warns of lack of expertise while others say public expectation levels are high for franchising schemes Cheeseman: ‘My worry for bus reform going forward is lack of expertise’ Governments may have raised public expectations too high in their messaging on franchising...
How well does public transport understand its existing and potential customers, and the societal trends that influence them? There has been a greater post-Covid recovery in women travelling by bus than men “Time is the most precious resource any of us has,” Marc Winsland remarked in his...
As I bid farewell to the Bee Network and its striking yellow buses, I do so with immense pride. It’s a model that others can follow The Bee Network Bus franchising is a transformative approach to public transport management, granting local authorities the ability to regulate service...
We might not have all the pieces, but we have enough to make a very good start. Let’s begin transforming the UK rail industry If you’re the sort of person who plunges into a jigsaw puzzle without consulting the picture on the box first, you’ll know how hard...
Collaboration with CitySwift has been a win for passengers, operators and Transport for London London’s buses carry around 1.8 billion passenger journeys each year London’s bus network is one of the largest and most mature in the world, with nearly 9,000 vehicles operating across over 600 routes. These...
Unveiled at last week’s Welsh Public Transport Summit, the plan includes rail infrastructure projects, extra services and Pay as You Go ticketing Network North Wales forms an ambitious plan to upgrade transport in North Wales Ambitious rail proposals for North Wales for the next decade and beyond were announced by Ken Skates, Welsh...
Andrew Wickham, the managing director of Poole-based bus operator Go South Coast, passed away last weekend after a long battle with cancer Andrew Wickham: 1966-2025 BY Andrew Garnett The bus industry has reacted with shock to the news that Go South Coast managing director Andrew Wickham passed away last weekend after a long...
Passenger numbers have returned faster than bus services in the period since Covid. Are bus operators getting the balance right? Our industry has been put through the wringer once or twice in the AD era. 2025 is my 10th year working in the bus industry. It also marks five years since the...
I experienced trains, trams and trolleybuses on a recent journey across Europe – and spied some interesting contrasts with Britain A tram in Budapest I have just completed my longest train journey ever, and no, it wasn’t one marred by rail replacement buses, driver shortages and signal failures on the West Coast...
We share the Welsh Government’s goals for buses – but to achieve those goals, reform must build on what already works Buses are the most used and most accessible form of public transport in Wales By Martin Gibbon Bus franchising has a part to play in delivering service improvements across South Wales, but...
A growing number of areas want bus franchising but ALBUM Conference is told opportunity still exists to shape policy in many parts of the country This month saw the West Midlands become the latest region of England to commit to franchising and newly-elected ‘metro mayors’ express their support for taking bus services back...
Britain’s small and medium-sized bus companies are adjusting to rapid changes, but ALBUM Conference speakers also identified opportunities. Robert Jack reports East Midlands mayor Claire Ward Within the ALBUM grouping of Britain’s remaining municipal and independent bus companies, there is understandable pride at their combined contribution to the bus sector. ALBUM members are...
Buses minister and ‘metro mayors’ are confirmed speakers Event takes place in Manchester on September 11 The programme for the UK Bus Summit, which will be held in Manchester on September 11, has been confirmed. Organised by Transport Times in partnership with Passenger Transport, the event will bring political leaders, transport professionals and industry...
Mayor Richard Parker and the West Midlands Combined Authority have approved plans to franchise the region’s bus network from 2027 Richard Parker visited Wolverhampton Bus Station following the decision By Andrew Garnett Bus services in the West Midlands will be brought back under public control for the first time in nearly four decades,...
Thriving new community spaces have been created from the redundant former public transport estate, and more can follow Tilburg in the Netherlands was one of the country’s rail manufacturing centres Transport reconfigures the landscape time and again with each fresh wave of technological change. The coming of canals, railways, motorways, airports and...
There’s no doubt that the convenience of Uber has eroded bus travel to some degree – but how should the sector respond to that? Uber has become the elephant in the room (Photo: Shutterstock) Last week, I eavesdropped on some bus industry bods lamenting declining patronage levels on London buses and the...
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 an interesting read and we...
The missing buses of Britain