Franchising – Burnham takes back control
Mayor decides to implement bus franchising in major milestone for transport in Greater Manchester Transport for Greater Manchester will introduce a single brand for all buses The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has made a historic decision to take control of buses in the biggest shake-up to Greater Manchester’s transport network in...
‘TfL will never hit pre-Covid patronage’
Demand will remain around 40% less than pre-pandemic levels Transport for London is unlikely to see patronage on its networks recover to pre-pandemic levels according to analysts at ratings firm Moody’s. The warning comes after Andy Byford, London’s transport commissioner, warned last month that patronage recovery on the capital’s transport networks may take...
Welsh strategy pledges to drive modal shift
The Welsh Government has published its new transport strategy which pledges a commitment to public transport An electric bus in Newport. Diesel buses will be phased out in Wales by 2028 The Welsh Government has outlined a raft of measures to “drive modal shift to public transport” in its new transport strategy. One...
‘I love buses’ – Boris begins bus revolution
Bus Strategy marks biggest bus reform since the 1980s to achieve ‘substantial and untapped potential’ Boris Johnson visited National Express’s depot in Coventry on March 15, the day that the National Bus Strategy was published Bus operators in England will no longer design and provide local bus services in isolation, in a major...
TfL prepares for £1bn farebox revenue slump
Andy Byford reveals TfL modelling suggests a likely scenario of patronage rebounding in the medium term to 80% of historical pre-Covid norms London’s transport commissioner has warned that patronage recovery on the capital’s transport networks may take far longer than many within the industry expect. Speaking at a virtual event hosted by the...
Battered by the storm, but staying optimistic
Our poll of passenger transport professionals serves as a large focus group, revealing how the sector feels about the Covid experience and the future Public transport is not the only sector of the economy to have been battered by Covid. In fact, some might argue that it has been relatively sheltered; permitted to...
‘Public transport is social justice’ – Shoaf
Urban Transport Group chair says now is a good time for the sector to remind itself, and those who work within it, of the essential role they play Laura Shoaf: networks must be “fully functioning and supported” The managing director of Transport for West Midlands has warned that any post-Covid cuts to public...
ORR reveals significant punctuality improvement
Stats show 74.7% of trains arrived on time in late 2020 ‘On time’ performance was the third highest quarterly percentage since the time series began in 2014-15 The latest statistics from the Office of Rail and Road have found that between October to December 2020, there were 1.7 million trains planned (11% fewer...
Leaders reject ‘cheap and nasty’ option for NPR
Political leaders have sent a strongly worded letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps Liverpool City Region metro mayor Steve Rotheram is among the signatories of a strongly worded letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps Political leaders from Liverpool City Region, Warrington, and Cheshire West and Chester have joined forces to reject the government’s...
Academic forum to guide investment planning
Transport for the North says move will help inform transport investment decisions The first meeting of the Forum will take place virtually on February 24 A new collaborative approach to infrastructure planning and policymaking is being introduced by Transport for the North (TfN) to ensure investment decisions are based on the most relevant...
Oyster-style ticketing ‘essential’ for Midlands
Could be up and running in some areas as soon as 2022, and implemented region-wide by 2024, if the chancellor provides funding ‘Swift’ in the West Midlands is the UK’s second biggest public transport payment system after London’s Oyster scheme MPs have urged the government to invest in a Midlands-wide ‘tap and cap’...
Go North West staff to stage all-out strike
Outdated working practices risk closure of business, company claims Company has offered drivers an upfront payment of £5,000 to accept new terms Bus drivers at Manchester-based Go North West have announced they will commence an all-out continuous strike from February 28. The Unite trade union says staff are walking out “as a result...
