Issue 324 of Passenger Transport is published on November 1.
Contents include:
LEAD STORY
Budget brings relief – and disappointment
Chancellor faced criticism for raising England’s bus fare cap from £2 to £3 and increasing rail fares by 4.6% while retaining the 5p fuel duty cut
NEWS
South Yorkshire lifts lid on bus franchising plan
Major investments, but consultation warns of potential deficit
Employees are owners of Stephensons parent
Bus industry entrepreneur Bill Hiron has sold Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent of bus operators Stephensons and NIBS, to an employee trust
Euston improvement plans move forward
Trial of early boarding of services commences as summit convened
Burnham backs ‘Buy British’ bus policy
Greater Manchester mayor backs UK firms during Mellor visit
NXWM sees profits wiped out in 2023
Recently filed accounts for the year ending December 31 2023, reveal National Express West Midlands experienced a decline in profitability
Groups enthusiasm for coaches continues
Transport Scotland is working on a process as a matter of priority
Misbehaviour will see free travel withdrawn
Punctuality has improved by 8.1 percentage points
Megabus axes Welsh and English networks
Patronage woes influence decision after network changes
NET ZERO
Hitachi helps First Bus move towards 2035 goal
Seven depots receive Hitachi ZeroCarbon technology
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
Go-Ahead rolls out use of CitySwift platform
Partnership aims to optimise service performance
COMMENT
Norman Baker: Not as bad as feared – but will it work?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her first budget. There was some good news for public transport but disappointment too
Jason Prince: Moving beyond the budget
We must now start to look towards the spending review in Spring and make a compelling case for investment in public transport
Alex Warner: Don’t dismiss the ‘dinosaurs’
Our youth-focussed world overlooks the talent and experience of older workers, but right now we need them more than ever before
Nick Richardson: Make information truly accessible
New requirements for audio-visual passenger information on buses and coaches will be beneficial but may face a few problems
Great Minster Grumbles: We all talk about ‘lessons learnt’
Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT
FUTURE OF BUS
Britain’s buses in a new era
Chris Cheek has researched and written a new book about the future of Britain’s bus industry and the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. Here he shares some of his reflections
Decarbonising the UK’s buses
The UK has been leading the way on zero-emission buses, but we must keep up the momentum
Thorpe makes case for BYD’s UK plans
Frank Thorpe, the MD of BYD’s UK bus business, makes the case for Chinese manufacturer in the face of calls to ‘Buy British’
A stronger future for drivers
Fiona Guthrie of RATP Dev Transit London was named ‘Best Project Manager’ at the pan-European Talent in Mobility Awards last month for her work on the Garage Life Programme. She explains how the project has helped new drivers feel quickly at home and boosted retention rates
CAREERS
Cutts joins Transport UK as London bus MD
Appointment follows restructuring at London bus operation
David Martin rejoins Arriva
Former group chief executive rejoins as executive chairman following departure of Mike Cooper
RECRUITMENT
Engineering Director – Stagecoach West
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