People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for passenger transport, launches 2012 awards scheme that aims to recognise the contribution of women. Nominations have opened for the 2012 Women 1st Shine Awards, the only awards scheme that is designed to recognise the outstanding achievements of women in the hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism industries. Organised...
Volvo has won a second order for its hybrid-powered 7900 citybus from Lothian Buses following the award of funding from the second round of the Scottish Government’s Green Bus Fund. The council-owned operator has been awarded 75% of the £2.5m cost of the 10 buses. It follows the news that FirstGroup has ordered 29 of...
FirstGroup chief executive Tim O’Toole says the group’s UK bus business has to change direction after passengers reject January fare increases. Shares in FirstGroup have lost a fifth of their value since the group warned last week of a worse than expected financial performance at its UK bus business. The group’s attempt to offset rising...
FirstGroup shortlisted for three franchises, and NEG for two. FirstGroup has been cleared to bid for three further UK rail franchises by the Department for Transport. The Aberdeen-based group, which is already in a four-way competition for the new West Coast franchise, has been shortlisted to bid for the new Great Western, Essex Thameside and...
In his first interview since the launch of his new venture, Marwyn European Transport, David Leeder tells Robert Jack about his plans to expand in the German bus market. A growing proportion of the UK passenger transport operations are foreign-owned. It’s part of a global trend. Passenger transport operations are being consolidated by large multi-national...
The government’s recent consultation on rail fares reform potentially maps out significant changes. Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, offers his view on this. There is much to welcome in Rail Fares and Ticketing Review: Initial Consultation and the more general Command Paper it accompanied. It talked of a commitment to stop the seemingly...
The Welsh Government has deferred cuts to Bus Service Operators Grant, but the last minute decision was too late for some. Rhodri Clark reports. The Welsh Government has deferred the 25% cut in BSOG which it announced in January, but the decision came too late to prevent large fare rises and some service reductions. Also...
Transport minister Norman Baker has today announced the winning bidders for the Better Bus Areas and Green Bus Fund competitions, which were launched before Christmas 2011. Baker said that the quality of the bids for the two funds been excellent and he has been able to increase the allocations previously announced, from £20m to £31m...
Phil Stockley argues bus operators cannot be exempt from cuts. Phil Stockley, the proprietor of Hampshire-based independent bus operator Velvet, has hit out at the response of much of the industry to changes that will be made to the Bus Service Operators Grant next month. Writing on his blog, Stockley said that he could not...
With six weeks to go before West Coast bids are submitted, some interesting issues are emerging. Hundreds of the UK railway’s best brains are currently labouring on the bids for the new West Coast intercity franchise. When the bids are submitted to the Department for Transport on May 1, more than £20m will have been...
Phil Tonks went in search of the New Bus for London, and offers a passengers’ perspective on the new vehicle in service. It’s a sunny March morning as I loiter around Victoria bus station in central London. A bus station supervisor ticks off a young man for riding his bike on the pavement. Throngs of...
‘For years transport investment in the North of England was neglected,’ says Osborne, as he gives backing for £130m project to improve rail links. The government will support Network Rail to invest a further £130m in the Northern Hub rail scheme, chancellor George Osborne announced in his budget this week. Addressing parliament, Osborne said that...
Affordable and acceptable?