To navigate this make-or-break period of major upheaval successfully, the bus sector needs bold leadership and open minds
A more diverse range of voices – whether in terms of gender, ethnicity, professional experience – can only strengthen decision-making
With major changes to how services are planned, funded and delivered, the UK bus sector is undergoing an ambitious transformation. Actually, that’s probably underselling the importance of it – the sector is going through a major period of make-or-break upheaval and change. To navigate this successfully, the industry needs to embrace unorthodox thinking at leadership level. There is a pressing need for leaders who can challenge conventional approaches, embrace innovation and act as advocates for the bus sector, helping to attract the support and investment it deserves.
For too long, leadership in the sector has been drawn primarily from within, with senior roles often filled by those who have spent their entire careers in the industry. This is not to knock the industry’s existing leaders or call their commitment into question. Their experience will always be valuable, and they undoubtedly have vital contributions to make. The sector is full of hard-working, supportive and passionate leaders, but the scale of change ahead will take us into new and uncharted territory, and this inevitably calls for a broader perspective.
Leaders with experience in digital transformation, customer experience and urban planning, for example, could bring with them highly relevant new ideas in areas like service integration, passenger engagement and the transition to greener fleets.
One of the major problems confronting the UK bus industry is its limited talent pool at managerial and leadership level. Internal succession planning is inconsistent and as such, the sector lacks sufficient leaders with the experience and the strategic vision to deliver the kind of major change that’s necessary during a period of ambitious bus reform affecting routes across much of the UK.
What we must do is attract new brains and new minds to come into the sector to work with the existing leadership experts so that its ongoing transformation lives up to its full potential. But that requires a willingness to do things differently – and that includes drawing on expertise that’s currently outside the industry.
At the same time, career progression within the bus industry remains crucial. Future leaders need to be nurtured and encouraged to climb through the ranks, but they should be developed with a growth mindset that embraces change rather than simply perpetuating the status quo.
A fresh approach to leadership means recruiting from a broader talent pool. The bus industry has historically been male-dominated at senior levels, and bringing in a more diverse range of voices – whether in terms of gender, ethnicity, professional experience – can only strengthen decision-making and problem-solving. Many other sectors have already recognised that diverse leadership teams lead to better business outcomes, and the bus sector should be no different.
A fresh approach to leadership means recruiting from a broader talent pool
Ultimately, the bus sector needs leaders who are willing to rethink traditional ways of working, embrace collaboration and ensure that our bus services are truly fit for the future. The process of change upon which the sector is currently embarking presents a rare opportunity to reimagine its leadership, bringing in motivational and inspirational leaders from a wealth of different backgrounds and experiences – and we must not be afraid to seize it.
The scale of the challenge
There’s a lot of great things currently happening in the UK bus industry.
The expansion of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network has brought the remainder of the
city region’s bus services brought into the publicly-controlled network, with several other major regions expected to introduce similar models in the next few years. Bus franchising for the Liverpool City Region is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, having been brought forward by a year.
The extension of franchising powers to combined authorities and city region mayors marks a significant turning point for the UK bus sector, effectively dismantling the settlement laid down by the Transport Act of 1985, when the government of the time deregulated bus networks outside London and barred councils from setting up new municipally-owned bus operators. Private operators will still be contracted to run bus services, but combined authorities – as in Greater Manchester – will have greater control over fares, timetables and routes.
This reflects a long overdue reassessment by government, recognising the importance of bus services in connecting communities and driving economic growth. Buses are a profoundly important part of everyday life. Better bus links not only reduce commuting times, cut congestion and improve the overall quality of life, but stimulate local economies, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of growth and investment.
For decades, the bus sector has been cautious in its approach to change
It is to be hoped that the shift towards greater public control over bus franchising strengthens accountability, improves service quality and reliability, and reverses the trend of falling passenger numbers seen since the 1980s. This is an essential shift, not just in stimulating and rebalancing economic growth away from the south-east, but also in reducing car dependency and helping Britain meet its environmental goals. Steering the bus sector through this crucial transitional stage will require dynamism and foresight at leadership level – and this needs to be a key focus.
Grasping the nettle, shaping the future
For decades, the bus sector has been cautious in its approach to change, dominated by established ways of working and generally looking inward for solutions. Now that the sector is undergoing such a major overhaul, now is the time to break the cycle – embracing unorthodox thinking to drive innovation and create a system that works better for passengers, operators and local communities.
Some of the biggest shifts in transport history have come from those willing to challenge convention and explore new methods, and from outside traditional industry thinking. The bus sector should draw the right lessons from these examples, exploring new service models, leveraging data and technology in smarter ways, and reimagining the passenger experience.
The shift towards city region bus franchising, meanwhile, should help to create a better integrated public transport network, bringing buses into closer alignment with trains and light rail services. There is a chance to rethink how these networks are designed, moving away from competition between operators and towards coordinated, strategically planned services that put passengers first. Integrated ticketing across multiple modes of transport, better use of real-time data to optimise routes and service frequencies, and a more consistent approach to branding – as with the Bee Network – could make buses more attractive and accessible for passengers.
Fundamentally, though, the challenge is not just about introducing new technologies or tweaking service models: it’s about changing mindsets. A willingness to ask difficult questions, challenge ingrained assumptions and learn from other sectors will be critical in ensuring that the bus sector is not merely swept along by change but instead actively grasps the nettle. The transition to a new system will require bold decision-making, and those who embrace innovation will be the ones to define the future of bus travel.
The route to success
The bus sector, then, stands at a crossroads. The shift towards franchising and greater public control provides the industry with an opening to reinvent itself for the 21st century, improving services, growing passenger numbers and cementing the position of buses at the heart of the UK’s public transport system. But to achieve this, the industry must be prepared to do things differently and rethink many of its old assumptions.
A diverse, dynamic leadership pool will not only bring innovation but also ensure that decision-making is more responsive to the needs of passengers. This should be seen as a valuable opportunity to be embraced, not a threat to be guarded against. Welcoming new perspectives does not mean dismissing those who have built careers in the bus sector. Rather, it means combining the existing expertise at our disposal with new thinking to create better services.
Strategic vision and open-mindedness can help reverse the long-term decline in bus ridership, making buses more appealing, reliable and convenient for passengers. But that can only happen if the industry welcomes change instead of resisting it. The future of bus travel requires bold leadership, open minds and a willingness to go against the grain. If the sector seizes its moment now, it can lay the groundwork for enduring, long-term success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caroline Wilson is head of client engagement at Intuitive Talent Solutions. Caroline is a specialist in talent management, employee engagement and executive level recruitment. She was a founding board member of Women in Rail and former chair of Women in Northern Trains
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
Buses must embrace unorthodox thinking
by Passenger Transport on Feb 21, 2025 • 11:31 am No CommentsTo navigate this make-or-break period of major upheaval successfully, the bus sector needs bold leadership and open minds
With major changes to how services are planned, funded and delivered, the UK bus sector is undergoing an ambitious transformation. Actually, that’s probably underselling the importance of it – the sector is going through a major period of make-or-break upheaval and change. To navigate this successfully, the industry needs to embrace unorthodox thinking at leadership level. There is a pressing need for leaders who can challenge conventional approaches, embrace innovation and act as advocates for the bus sector, helping to attract the support and investment it deserves.
For too long, leadership in the sector has been drawn primarily from within, with senior roles often filled by those who have spent their entire careers in the industry. This is not to knock the industry’s existing leaders or call their commitment into question. Their experience will always be valuable, and they undoubtedly have vital contributions to make. The sector is full of hard-working, supportive and passionate leaders, but the scale of change ahead will take us into new and uncharted territory, and this inevitably calls for a broader perspective.
Leaders with experience in digital transformation, customer experience and urban planning, for example, could bring with them highly relevant new ideas in areas like service integration, passenger engagement and the transition to greener fleets.
One of the major problems confronting the UK bus industry is its limited talent pool at managerial and leadership level. Internal succession planning is inconsistent and as such, the sector lacks sufficient leaders with the experience and the strategic vision to deliver the kind of major change that’s necessary during a period of ambitious bus reform affecting routes across much of the UK.
What we must do is attract new brains and new minds to come into the sector to work with the existing leadership experts so that its ongoing transformation lives up to its full potential. But that requires a willingness to do things differently – and that includes drawing on expertise that’s currently outside the industry.
At the same time, career progression within the bus industry remains crucial. Future leaders need to be nurtured and encouraged to climb through the ranks, but they should be developed with a growth mindset that embraces change rather than simply perpetuating the status quo.
A fresh approach to leadership means recruiting from a broader talent pool. The bus industry has historically been male-dominated at senior levels, and bringing in a more diverse range of voices – whether in terms of gender, ethnicity, professional experience – can only strengthen decision-making and problem-solving. Many other sectors have already recognised that diverse leadership teams lead to better business outcomes, and the bus sector should be no different.
Ultimately, the bus sector needs leaders who are willing to rethink traditional ways of working, embrace collaboration and ensure that our bus services are truly fit for the future. The process of change upon which the sector is currently embarking presents a rare opportunity to reimagine its leadership, bringing in motivational and inspirational leaders from a wealth of different backgrounds and experiences – and we must not be afraid to seize it.
The scale of the challenge
There’s a lot of great things currently happening in the UK bus industry.
The expansion of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network has brought the remainder of the
city region’s bus services brought into the publicly-controlled network, with several other major regions expected to introduce similar models in the next few years. Bus franchising for the Liverpool City Region is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, having been brought forward by a year.
The extension of franchising powers to combined authorities and city region mayors marks a significant turning point for the UK bus sector, effectively dismantling the settlement laid down by the Transport Act of 1985, when the government of the time deregulated bus networks outside London and barred councils from setting up new municipally-owned bus operators. Private operators will still be contracted to run bus services, but combined authorities – as in Greater Manchester – will have greater control over fares, timetables and routes.
This reflects a long overdue reassessment by government, recognising the importance of bus services in connecting communities and driving economic growth. Buses are a profoundly important part of everyday life. Better bus links not only reduce commuting times, cut congestion and improve the overall quality of life, but stimulate local economies, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of growth and investment.
It is to be hoped that the shift towards greater public control over bus franchising strengthens accountability, improves service quality and reliability, and reverses the trend of falling passenger numbers seen since the 1980s. This is an essential shift, not just in stimulating and rebalancing economic growth away from the south-east, but also in reducing car dependency and helping Britain meet its environmental goals. Steering the bus sector through this crucial transitional stage will require dynamism and foresight at leadership level – and this needs to be a key focus.
Grasping the nettle, shaping the future
For decades, the bus sector has been cautious in its approach to change, dominated by established ways of working and generally looking inward for solutions. Now that the sector is undergoing such a major overhaul, now is the time to break the cycle – embracing unorthodox thinking to drive innovation and create a system that works better for passengers, operators and local communities.
Some of the biggest shifts in transport history have come from those willing to challenge convention and explore new methods, and from outside traditional industry thinking. The bus sector should draw the right lessons from these examples, exploring new service models, leveraging data and technology in smarter ways, and reimagining the passenger experience.
The shift towards city region bus franchising, meanwhile, should help to create a better integrated public transport network, bringing buses into closer alignment with trains and light rail services. There is a chance to rethink how these networks are designed, moving away from competition between operators and towards coordinated, strategically planned services that put passengers first. Integrated ticketing across multiple modes of transport, better use of real-time data to optimise routes and service frequencies, and a more consistent approach to branding – as with the Bee Network – could make buses more attractive and accessible for passengers.
Fundamentally, though, the challenge is not just about introducing new technologies or tweaking service models: it’s about changing mindsets. A willingness to ask difficult questions, challenge ingrained assumptions and learn from other sectors will be critical in ensuring that the bus sector is not merely swept along by change but instead actively grasps the nettle. The transition to a new system will require bold decision-making, and those who embrace innovation will be the ones to define the future of bus travel.
The route to success
The bus sector, then, stands at a crossroads. The shift towards franchising and greater public control provides the industry with an opening to reinvent itself for the 21st century, improving services, growing passenger numbers and cementing the position of buses at the heart of the UK’s public transport system. But to achieve this, the industry must be prepared to do things differently and rethink many of its old assumptions.
A diverse, dynamic leadership pool will not only bring innovation but also ensure that decision-making is more responsive to the needs of passengers. This should be seen as a valuable opportunity to be embraced, not a threat to be guarded against. Welcoming new perspectives does not mean dismissing those who have built careers in the bus sector. Rather, it means combining the existing expertise at our disposal with new thinking to create better services.
Strategic vision and open-mindedness can help reverse the long-term decline in bus ridership, making buses more appealing, reliable and convenient for passengers. But that can only happen if the industry welcomes change instead of resisting it. The future of bus travel requires bold leadership, open minds and a willingness to go against the grain. If the sector seizes its moment now, it can lay the groundwork for enduring, long-term success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Caroline Wilson is head of client engagement at Intuitive Talent Solutions. Caroline is a specialist in talent management, employee engagement and executive level recruitment. She was a founding board member of Women in Rail and former chair of Women in Northern Trains
This story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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