Reflections on the new Leadership in Passenger Transport Awards, being launched this week and explains what they’re about
The lunchtime Presentation Ceremony will take place at indigo at O2 in London on July 16
At the 2025 UK Bus Awards ceremony in November, I was delighted to announce the launch of a new awards scheme for the UK passenger transport industry: the Leadership in Passenger Awards (LiPTA) scheme is now seeking nominations, and the prizes will be presented for the first time this summer.
LiPTA is a genuinely cross-modal scheme designed for all forms of ground public passenger transport – bus, coach, rail and light rail/tram. The 14 categories reflect the importance of the different management skills that are required to ensure that public transport delivers high-quality, cost-effective, efficient, attractive and well-marketed services for both existing and potential users.
Thus, the new prizes (see panel) recognise the skills entailed in project management; service delivery; engineering, community and stakeholder relations, marketing and PR and innovation. There’s a Team Management Award and a Management Development category. Others reward overall professionalism and lifetime achievement. The need to promote and encourage talent and professionalism amongst new and recent entrants to the industry will be recognised too.
There will no doubt be groans from some people in and around the industry, along the lines of “oh, no, not more awards”: after all, there are already prizegiving schemes for the rail, light rail, coach and bus industries, and those that focus on specific national markets – as well as individual companies’ own schemes. Cynics might be forgiven for thinking that you can win an award these days for just turning up.
However, the main focus of most existing award schemes is on projects and companies, and the delivery of outcomes for policymakers, businesses or government. These are absolutely fine, and have their place – particularly in spreading the word about good practice. However, there are fewer prizes for people. In the UK Bus Awards, we have addressed this over the years, especially for front line staff, but we now want to extend this. LiPTA will ensure that the vital contribution which managers make, at all levels, is recognised and rewarded – and that the skills required to deliver that contribution are developed and passed on to new generations.
In the fields of infrastructure and service development, for example, we know that on-time and on-budget delivery relies on good project management skills; we also know – because history has taught us – that multi-million projects need to work correctly, from Day One. The taxpayer and the passenger expect it, and it takes consumers who are mucked about a long time to forgive and forget.
The skills required of a project leader to ensure that projects are delivered and work “out of the box” are huge and wide-ranging: they include leadership, team-working, immense technical knowledge and skill, and endless patience – plus lots and lots of stamina.
Or take the skills required in operational management at the sharp end, delivering service outputs day in, day out, for seven days a week and often 24 hours a day. Managers in this field need to be experts in staff and disciplinary matters and industrial relations. They need to understand and monitor such arcane matters as scheduling efficiency, rostering, demand and commercial performance. As well as meeting performance targets for service delivery, they have to manage budgets for both costs and revenue. Oh, and they need to know a bit about customer relations as well.
Then there are the people who do the politics and public affairs – the ambassadors for the industry amongst stakeholders and in the wider community. They have to deal with a sceptical and sometimes openly hostile media on an immensely wide agenda, ranging from the failure of last night’s 4.15 from Paddington to the development of transport policy and funding. They have to persuade, cajole and sometimes pacify local and national politicians, persuading them of the need for more spending or for other measures which might upset or inconvenience taxpayers or their constituents.
Innovation, marketing and digital communication are all skills which LiPTA seeks to recognise, each having their own category. Innovation is in many ways the lifeblood of the industry: new schemes, products and approaches are needed all the time if public transport services are to keep pace with the rapidly changing world in which we live. The use of AI, zero emission buses or automatic train control systems, we need to develop, test and introduce new technology and products – safely, reliably and efficiently. This needs managers of vision who need to be the facilitators that drive projects through.
Marketing, too, is an essential weapon in our industry’s armoury. Getting the message across about the availability of services and products; ensuring that public perceptions are understood, managed and dealt with; and keeping customers and potential customers active, engaged and on your side. These are all key elements in the delivery of revenue, growth and prosperity for the industry. There are particular skills needed here too, in understanding data and research, in managing and motivating creative talent to produce the best campaigns, and in having the ability to learn, adapt and switch within what are always tight budgetary constraints.
Whether it’s apps for customers or running social media campaigns, the world of digital communication has become a vital one in recent years. It’s hard and demanding – and requires a special set of skills. These will be recognised in our digital communication award.
Last and by no means least there are the generalists: the senior managers at board level or equivalent who pull all these disparate skills and people together into one coherent whole, managing risks and meeting customer needs and aspirations, efficiently within often tight financial constraints – understanding who is and is not managing their project or their team effectively; watching and encouraging the innovator and the marketer, supporting and boosting the ambassadorial role (maybe even doing it themselves). The individuals who do this most effectively really will qualify for the title ‘Passenger Transport Leader of the Year’.
Those who have spent a lifetime performing or delivering one or more – or all – these skills will be the candidates for the LiPTA Lifetime Achievement Award. Whether it is in policy development, analysis and understanding, education and training or “sharp end” service delivery, their skills, commitment and sheer hard work will be recognised at our prestigious summer Awards ceremony.
And that is what LiPTA is all about – recognising skills, talent and commitment and rewarding the sheer hard work delivered every day by thousands and thousands of industry managers around the country – all devoted to getting people where they want to go. It seems like a pretty good idea to me – which is why the TEG team will be working with Passenger Transport and our colleagues across the industry to deliver this exciting new project.
LiPTA: The Details
‘FAST AND EASY’ ENTRY
There are no entry forms for the Leadership in Passenger Awards (LiPTA) scheme. Instead all you need to do is write an email of between 300 and 500 words describing your nominee and why the entry should win. Make the subject line of your e-mail the category you want to enter and include your contact information. Attach three pictures of the person or something visual that best illustrates your project or scheme. Further advice is available on our website at: www.lipta.org.uk
THE AWARDS TIMETABLE
February 23: nominations open
April 17: nominations close
mid-May: Short-lists announced
July 16: Lunchtime Presentation Ceremony at indigo at O2 in London
WHO’S IN CHARGE
Transport Events Group (TEG) is a not-for-profit organisation that exists solely to promote and inspire excellence in transport provision. The company was founded in 2008 by the team behind the highly respected UK Bus Awards, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary later this year. TEG organised the UK Coach Awards for 10 years prior to Covid and runs twice-yearly conferences for Young Bus Professionals with the Chris Moyes Scholarship Trust.
TEG is chaired by Giles Fearnley whose own career encompasses senior management and ownership roles in both bus and rail. Other directors are distinguished transport journalist Alan Millar, journalist and events director Jamie Cash and the author of this article, veteran consultant and author Chris Cheek.
Other members of the team include David Warrilow – who himself knows a bit about innovation and product development after a long career with Daimler Bus. He’s looking after sponsorship, whilst the consultant and distinguished former rail manager Angela Higginbottom is responsible for Stakeholder Management.
Our thanks to Ray Stenning and his team at Best Impressions for their help with branding and the new logo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chris Cheek has worked in public transport for 52 years. After joining the National Bus Company as a senior management trainee in 1972, he held several line management posts in bus and coach operations, later moving on to marketing and tourism. He was a director consultancy firm The TAS Partnership and helped to found and then run Transport Events Group, organiser of the UK Bus Awards. He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bus Centre of Excellence
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
Recognising talent across the modes
by Passenger Transport on Mar 2, 2026 • 11:32 am No CommentsReflections on the new Leadership in Passenger Transport Awards, being launched this week and explains what they’re about
At the 2025 UK Bus Awards ceremony in November, I was delighted to announce the launch of a new awards scheme for the UK passenger transport industry: the Leadership in Passenger Awards (LiPTA) scheme is now seeking nominations, and the prizes will be presented for the first time this summer.
LiPTA is a genuinely cross-modal scheme designed for all forms of ground public passenger transport – bus, coach, rail and light rail/tram. The 14 categories reflect the importance of the different management skills that are required to ensure that public transport delivers high-quality, cost-effective, efficient, attractive and well-marketed services for both existing and potential users.
Thus, the new prizes (see panel) recognise the skills entailed in project management; service delivery; engineering, community and stakeholder relations, marketing and PR and innovation. There’s a Team Management Award and a Management Development category. Others reward overall professionalism and lifetime achievement. The need to promote and encourage talent and professionalism amongst new and recent entrants to the industry will be recognised too.
There will no doubt be groans from some people in and around the industry, along the lines of “oh, no, not more awards”: after all, there are already prizegiving schemes for the rail, light rail, coach and bus industries, and those that focus on specific national markets – as well as individual companies’ own schemes. Cynics might be forgiven for thinking that you can win an award these days for just turning up.
However, the main focus of most existing award schemes is on projects and companies, and the delivery of outcomes for policymakers, businesses or government. These are absolutely fine, and have their place – particularly in spreading the word about good practice. However, there are fewer prizes for people. In the UK Bus Awards, we have addressed this over the years, especially for front line staff, but we now want to extend this. LiPTA will ensure that the vital contribution which managers make, at all levels, is recognised and rewarded – and that the skills required to deliver that contribution are developed and passed on to new generations.
In the fields of infrastructure and service development, for example, we know that on-time and on-budget delivery relies on good project management skills; we also know – because history has taught us – that multi-million projects need to work correctly, from Day One. The taxpayer and the passenger expect it, and it takes consumers who are mucked about a long time to forgive and forget.
The skills required of a project leader to ensure that projects are delivered and work “out of the box” are huge and wide-ranging: they include leadership, team-working, immense technical knowledge and skill, and endless patience – plus lots and lots of stamina.
Or take the skills required in operational management at the sharp end, delivering service outputs day in, day out, for seven days a week and often 24 hours a day. Managers in this field need to be experts in staff and disciplinary matters and industrial relations. They need to understand and monitor such arcane matters as scheduling efficiency, rostering, demand and commercial performance. As well as meeting performance targets for service delivery, they have to manage budgets for both costs and revenue. Oh, and they need to know a bit about customer relations as well.
Then there are the people who do the politics and public affairs – the ambassadors for the industry amongst stakeholders and in the wider community. They have to deal with a sceptical and sometimes openly hostile media on an immensely wide agenda, ranging from the failure of last night’s 4.15 from Paddington to the development of transport policy and funding. They have to persuade, cajole and sometimes pacify local and national politicians, persuading them of the need for more spending or for other measures which might upset or inconvenience taxpayers or their constituents.
Innovation, marketing and digital communication are all skills which LiPTA seeks to recognise, each having their own category. Innovation is in many ways the lifeblood of the industry: new schemes, products and approaches are needed all the time if public transport services are to keep pace with the rapidly changing world in which we live. The use of AI, zero emission buses or automatic train control systems, we need to develop, test and introduce new technology and products – safely, reliably and efficiently. This needs managers of vision who need to be the facilitators that drive projects through.
Marketing, too, is an essential weapon in our industry’s armoury. Getting the message across about the availability of services and products; ensuring that public perceptions are understood, managed and dealt with; and keeping customers and potential customers active, engaged and on your side. These are all key elements in the delivery of revenue, growth and prosperity for the industry. There are particular skills needed here too, in understanding data and research, in managing and motivating creative talent to produce the best campaigns, and in having the ability to learn, adapt and switch within what are always tight budgetary constraints.
Whether it’s apps for customers or running social media campaigns, the world of digital communication has become a vital one in recent years. It’s hard and demanding – and requires a special set of skills. These will be recognised in our digital communication award.
Last and by no means least there are the generalists: the senior managers at board level or equivalent who pull all these disparate skills and people together into one coherent whole, managing risks and meeting customer needs and aspirations, efficiently within often tight financial constraints – understanding who is and is not managing their project or their team effectively; watching and encouraging the innovator and the marketer, supporting and boosting the ambassadorial role (maybe even doing it themselves). The individuals who do this most effectively really will qualify for the title ‘Passenger Transport Leader of the Year’.
Those who have spent a lifetime performing or delivering one or more – or all – these skills will be the candidates for the LiPTA Lifetime Achievement Award. Whether it is in policy development, analysis and understanding, education and training or “sharp end” service delivery, their skills, commitment and sheer hard work will be recognised at our prestigious summer Awards ceremony.
And that is what LiPTA is all about – recognising skills, talent and commitment and rewarding the sheer hard work delivered every day by thousands and thousands of industry managers around the country – all devoted to getting people where they want to go. It seems like a pretty good idea to me – which is why the TEG team will be working with Passenger Transport and our colleagues across the industry to deliver this exciting new project.
LiPTA: The Details
‘FAST AND EASY’ ENTRY
There are no entry forms for the Leadership in Passenger Awards (LiPTA) scheme. Instead all you need to do is write an email of between 300 and 500 words describing your nominee and why the entry should win. Make the subject line of your e-mail the category you want to enter and include your contact information. Attach three pictures of the person or something visual that best illustrates your project or scheme. Further advice is available on our website at: www.lipta.org.uk
THE AWARDS TIMETABLE
WHO’S IN CHARGE
Transport Events Group (TEG) is a not-for-profit organisation that exists solely to promote and inspire excellence in transport provision. The company was founded in 2008 by the team behind the highly respected UK Bus Awards, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary later this year. TEG organised the UK Coach Awards for 10 years prior to Covid and runs twice-yearly conferences for Young Bus Professionals with the Chris Moyes Scholarship Trust.
TEG is chaired by Giles Fearnley whose own career encompasses senior management and ownership roles in both bus and rail. Other directors are distinguished transport journalist Alan Millar, journalist and events director Jamie Cash and the author of this article, veteran consultant and author Chris Cheek.
Other members of the team include David Warrilow – who himself knows a bit about innovation and product development after a long career with Daimler Bus. He’s looking after sponsorship, whilst the consultant and distinguished former rail manager Angela Higginbottom is responsible for Stakeholder Management.
Our thanks to Ray Stenning and his team at Best Impressions for their help with branding and the new logo.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chris Cheek has worked in public transport for 52 years. After joining the National Bus Company as a senior management trainee in 1972, he held several line management posts in bus and coach operations, later moving on to marketing and tourism. He was a director consultancy firm The TAS Partnership and helped to found and then run Transport Events Group, organiser of the UK Bus Awards. He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Bus Centre of Excellence
This article appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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