Boris Johnson put public transport at the heart of his domestic agenda. Liz Truss and her new transport secretary are being urged to keep up support
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, pictured at the wheel of an Alexander Dennis bus at last year’s COP 26 climate summit
Anne-Marie Trevelyan was this week appointed as secretary of state for transport by incoming prime minister Liz Truss.
Trevelyan, who had previously served as secretary of state for international trade, succeeds Grant Shapps, who held the role for more than three years.
Commenting on her appointment on Twitter, the MP for Berwick said: “I’m thrilled to have been appointed [transport secretary]. Transport is crucial to our lives – bringing people together, creating jobs and connecting the UK with the world.”
Trevelyan takes charge at the Department for Transport during an extremely challenging period. Former prime minister Boris Johnson had placed improvements to public transport at the heart of his domestic agenda, but the pandemic saw usage plummet and it remains well below pre-Covid levels.
The leadership campaign provided few clues on Truss’s views on public transport, apart from a commitment to proceed with Northern Powerhouse Rail in full. This would reverse Johnson’s controversial decision to cut back on these proposals.
In the days before Truss was confirmed as leader, stakeholders in the UK public transport sector had set out their priorities for the new prime minister.
As inflation rises, the cost of living crisis intensifies and the reality of climate change becomes ever more apparent, the need to secure the future of affordable and effective local public transport networks is more pressing than ever
Jonathan Bray, director of the Urban Transport Group, said: “As inflation rises, the cost of living crisis intensifies and the reality of climate change becomes ever more apparent, the need to secure the future of affordable and effective local public transport networks is more pressing than ever.”
Bray continued: “The last government rightly stood by public transport during the pandemic. But with Covid restrictions behind us and high inflation in front of us, the new government needs to put public transport outside London on an even keel through a long term enhanced, simplified and devolved funding settlement which will allow us to provide the affordable public transport networks that our communities will rely on in the challenging times ahead.”
Representing the interests of bus and coach operators, the Confederation of Passenger Transport wrote an open letter to Truss and her leadership rival Rishi Sunak in August. It highlighted the support the sector needs to maximise its contribution to the national challenges of cost of living, levelling up and net zero. Long-term funding, a roadmap for zero emission buses and coaches, and action to solve driver shortages were amongst CPT main priorities for the new prime minister.
CPT chief executive Graham Vidler wrote: “While the industry is working hard to adjust to a post-Covid landscape, this needs to be accompanied by a supportive environment … There are huge benefits for the UK that can be realised with long-term planning and support for the critical services that the bus and coach industries deliver for the country and its communities. We ask that you work with us to do so.”
This story appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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