National Express boss leaves for new role with Persimmon National Express Group has announced that chief executive Dean Finch has tendered his resignation in order to take up a new role as CEO of house builder Persimmon. Finch, who has been with NEG for a decade, will leave the group towards the end...
Funding will assist with electric bus expansion Zenobe Energy, one of the UK’s largest independent owners and operators of battery storage, has secured up to £20m of contracted receivables funding from NatWest Specialist Structured Finance, to support the continued growth of the company. The funding is the first financing arrangement to support electric...
UTG chair says Transport for Wales offers ‘unique perspective’ The Urban Transport Group has announced that Transport for Wales is joining the network as an Associate Member. Transport for Wales joins the existing 13-strong membership of transport authorities, with full Members in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, London, Sheffield City Region, Tyne and...
Additional funding to accelerate growth in UK & European markets with creation of 25 jobs Go-Ahead has rolled out Cityswift’s AI-based bus capacity checker technology across its bus operations in the UK Transport data and tech firm Cityswift has closed a funding round that has raised €2m for the Galway-based firm. It brings...
Covid-19 pandemic predicted to make dramatic changes in UK workplace travel patterns A survey of commuters found that more than a third of those who previously used public transport were not planning to return once the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. In May, 829 commuters from 49 employers from across England were surveyed by...
Bus Users Twitter poll offers insights on how people feel about getting back on the bus Two-thirds of bus users are willing to continue using buses, according to a Twitter survey by Bus Users. The survey, which attracted nearly 1,500 responses, sought information on the extent and nature of people’s concerns around bus...
Go-Ahead chief executive calls for government to back Britain’s buses David Brown, the chief executive of The Go-Ahead Group, has called on the government to launch a three-point plan to put the bus at the centre of planning for a green, post-Covid Britain. In an article for the Red Box column in The...
83% support proposals as bus operators offer partnership-based alternatives The vast majority of respondents to a consultation on how buses are run in Greater Manchester support proposals for the combined authority’s plans for a franchising scheme. In total 8,516 people and organisations took part in the public consultation on the proposed franchising scheme...
Different public transport operators have taken different approaches to compensation during the coronavirus pandemic. Nick Richardson has hit the blunt end of the spectrum ‘in which the operator keeps the money regardless’ The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the loss of many passenger transport journeys. There are arrangements in place for season...
Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT As we slowly ease out of lockdown, I wonder what the most significant issue has been for the transport sector, and what the long-term impact on the sector will be. At one...
Lasting impact feared after key corridors are closed to buses in Manchester and Aberdeen Since May 30, from 6am to 6pm every day, Aberdeen’s Union Street, a key thoroughfare for buses, has been closed to all traffic between Market Street and Bridge Street Concerns have been raised over pedestrianisation schemes that exclude buses...
‘We are pleased to widen the trial of the Stagecoach Connect app to help support our brilliant NHS staff with getting to and from their shift’ The ‘Stagecoach Connect’ app enables NHS staff to ‘pre-book’ their travel to and from work for free Stagecoach East Midlands has widened the trial of its new...
Compensate customers, or pay the price later