‘The bus industry in Britain is on the rise’

There was an upbeat mood at last week’s UK Bus Summit in Manchester, with speakers expressing enthusiasm about the industry’s future

Andy Burnham speaking at last week’s UK Bus Summit

 
Last week’s UK Bus Summit, organised by Transport Times in partnership with Passenger Transport, was the seventh to have taken place – but it has been five years since the last one, held in London in February 2020. So much has changed since then in the UK bus sector, but one of the biggest shifts has been the coalescence of politicians, transport authorities and bus companies behind locally-controlled, franchised bus networks, closely integrated with other modes of transport.

While some still have concerns about franchising, unity behind this vision was a theme of last week’s UK Bus Summit. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, who has delivered the Bee Network in his region, told delegates: “Finally the bus industry in Britain is on the rise. Let’s get lined up together and make the most of it for the country.”

More from the UK Bus Summit:

‘The most exciting time for buses in 50 years’
JASON PRINCE: The view from the (UK Bus) Summit

 
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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