A portal into the world of mobility
The smartphone experience is raising our expectations for comprehensive, yet targeted, regular information – and it’s influencing how we use transport These issues will only intensify with the pending arrival of autonomous shuttles Mobile phone penetration is currently at over 85% in the UK. Over 40% of UK adults look at their...
Clouds loom over London’s transport
After years of sunshine a chill wind developed in the air and it has begun raining down on the mayor and Transport for London Caroline Pidgeon’s solution is radical but in my view makes a lot of sense Once upon a time, not very long ago, everything in the garden looked rosy....
Bus schedulers – our true rockstars
They’re a vital cog in the UK’s public transport machine, and yet bus schedulers are rarely afforded the recognition they deserve By Tom Quay: Timetables are utilitarian. They serve a purpose. They provide structure and process to the bus networks they chart and confidence to the customers who use them. And yet, despite...
No more tinkering – we need ambition
Bus funding helps to achieve a multitude of policy objectives for government – but real reform is required, not more of the same Putting public money into the bus is one of the biggest bargains in transport policy – but despite this the bus has been one of the biggest losers from recent...
Ambition essential to get a bus strategy
It’s easy to talk about a national bus strategy, but it won’t be easy to get different government departments and stakeholders on board Buses minister Nus Ghani came in for some criticism for saying she was in favour of a national bus strategy “at the right point” but I think that is unfair ...
A crisis in small vehicle transport?
Global cities like London, which possess a wide array of transport options, are not the only places in need of new types of mobility No doubt Ford has learned a lot in the various markets around the world in which Chariot operated, including London In January of this year Ford announced that...
Buses – it isn’t all about congestion
Bus operators claim that their services can’t prosper unless traffic congestion is tackled, but the evidence suggests otherwise Bournemouth is the UK’s eighth most congested area according to a recent survey – but it hasn’t stopped bus use from growing I agree with Brian Souter. When he said at last year’s Scottish...
Trams are back, and a good thing too
Light rail networks have returned to some of our cities, and the prospects for expansion are good. It’s something to celebrate The Manchester Metrolink system provides an exemplary case study in how to grow a network incrementally and sustainably Anyone walking through Sale on the morning of December 4 may well have caught...
Let’s talk about women and buses
No one really talks openly and honestly about women and their role within the bus industry, and it’s about time that we did We need more men and women in the bus industry speaking openly about the gender diversity challenges Women and buses is a subject that the industry believes it is tackling....
I build therefore I sprawl
Will where future Britons live rely on, or ignore, public transport? We should study examples of transit oriented development IJburg is reverential to its big skies and calm waters Tens of thousands of homes lying empty whilst people sleep on the streets, not enough homes of the right type in the right places,...
Don’t leave rail users in dark over closures
The rail industry is not making sufficient effort to clearly explain to customers how an engineering closure has improved the service Engineering closures are often essential but they are inconvient for train users Part of the UK’s Christmas and New Year traditions is the annual closure of the national rail network on Christmas...
What do we really feel about the bus?