Inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport

Inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport

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...
£15bn package is ‘huge vote of confidence’

£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   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...
Bus franchising ‘may not meet expectations’

Bus franchising ‘may not meet expectations’

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...
Do we have our fingers on the pulse?

Do we have our fingers on the pulse?

  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...
Bee Network offers blueprint for Britain

Bee Network offers blueprint for Britain

  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...
Putting rail’s jigsaw puzzle together

Putting rail’s jigsaw puzzle together

  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...
Smarter data, better buses

Smarter data, better buses

  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...
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£2.1bn Network North Wales plan announced

£2.1bn Network North Wales plan announced

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...
Industry pays tribute to Go South Coast boss

Industry pays tribute to Go South Coast boss

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...
The missing buses of Britain

The missing buses of Britain

  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...
From Istanbul to London by train

From Istanbul to London by train

  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...
Bus franchising is  not a silver bullet

Bus franchising is not a silver bullet

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...
Bus operators urged to get out and make deals

Bus operators urged to get out and make deals

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...
Opportunity lies amid  a world of uncertainty

Opportunity lies amid a world of uncertainty

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...
UK Bus Summit 2025 programme revealed

UK Bus Summit 2025 programme revealed

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...
West Midlands latest to opt for franchising

West Midlands latest to opt for franchising

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,...
Breathing new life into redundant land

Breathing new life into redundant land

  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...
Uber is here to stay  - can we live with it?

Uber is here to stay – can we live with it?

  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...
Read our supplement: The ALBUM Report 2025

Read our supplement: The ALBUM Report 2025

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...