DfT could terminate ‘unsustainable’ SWR
Transport secretary Grant Shapps says Department for Transport will now consider options, which include calling upon the Operator of Last Resort First and MTR Corporation have operated SWR since August 201 The Department for Transport may decide to terminate the current South Western Railway franchise, replacing it with a short-term term management contract...
Metrobus users face ‘appalling disruption’
Bristol bus boss warns that flagship service risks being ‘entirely discredited’ if services are bogged down in ‘areas of increasingly chronic congestion’ The northern section of the m1 route It is marketed as “a modern public transport system for the greater Bristol area”, but users of the flagship Metrobus network are facing “appalling...
Stagecoach blasts DfT for franchising crisis
Transport group claims rail franchising regime is in crisis as High Court trial gets under way probing government’s decision to disqualify group from bids Virgin and SNCF have joined Stagecoach in its action Lawyers for Stagecoach blasted the Railway Pensions Scheme as a “basket case” and claimed rail franchising was in crisis in...
Minister: buses will see ‘transformational year’
Ahead of next month’s UK Bus Summit in London, buses minister Baroness Vere says that ‘fantastic opportunities’ have been created to grow bus use Baroness Vere: ‘2020 will prove to be an exciting year for buses’ 2020 will be “a transformational year for the bus network”, says buses minister Baroness Vere. In the...
Stakeholders blast Berkeley’s HS2 report
Critics claim peer shows ‘disgraceful ignorance’ of project Lord Berkeley has published an alternative to the Oakervee review into HS2 Lord Berkeley has published a new report into the troubled HS2 high speed rail project that suggests it is “the wrong and expensive solution” to improving connectivity in the Midlands and North of England. In...
New decade, new era – Souter steps down
Sir Brian Souter will give up his role as chairman at the end of this year Sir Brian Souter After four decades at the heart of Stagecoach, Sir Brian Souter will step down from his role as chairman on December 31. He will become a non executive director of the company he co-founded...
Virgin’s journey ends as the age of Avanti begins
New owners FirstGroup and Trenitalia this week unveiled the brand for the new Intercity West Coast franchise, ending Virgin’s 22-year tenure A visualisation of a Pendolino with the new Avanti West Coast brand Avanti West Coast was this week unveiled as the brand for the new Intercity West Coast rail franchise, which begins...
‘Immigration reform risks labour shortage’
Existing plans would require future migrants to show that their job pays more than £30k – shutting off opportunities to work in the bus industry Plans to introduce a £30,000 annual salary threshold as part of a future immigration system risk a shortage of workers across the bus and coach industry, the Confederation...
Wrightbus delivers buses under new ownership
The first 36 units of a 55 bus order have been delivered to FirstGroup Left to right: Buta Atwal, chief executive at Wrightbus; Jo Bamford, executive chairman at Wrightbus; Jon Harman, head of fleet at FirstGroup UK Bus and John McLeister, sales and business development director at Wrightbus Wrightbus has completed its first...
Electric cars in bus lanes? N0 TH4NK5
Dismay at Department for Transport’s suggestion that electric vehicles with green number plates could get cheap parking and access to bus lanes Access to bus lanes and cheaper parking could be offered to motorists to encourage uptake of zero emission electric vehicles. This suggestion was put forward by the Department for Transport last...
Bamford on brink of deal to save Wrightbus
Following a breakthough in talks last week, a team has been resident in the bus manufacturer’s factory in Ballymena, preparing to restart production Frozen in time: A glimpse inside the dormant Wrightbus factory At the time of writing the last stage in lifting Wrightbus more or less intact out of administration was awaiting...
Bold new vision for a billion more bus users
The Confederation of Passenger Transport’s plan contains a range of new commitments from the industry and desired actions from government Bus operators have unveiled a bold new strategy to improve services in England, help tackle climate change and get a billion more passenger journeys by bus by 2030. It contains a range of...
