Issue 312 of Passenger Transport is published on May 3. Contents include: LEAD STORY Taking control Six metro mayors in England – representing 11.6 million people – were elected last week having pledged to take back control of local bus networks NEWS EXTRA: Metro mayors Metro mayors...
If metro mayors deliver on their manifesto pledges, almost three-quarters of bus journeys in England will be on publicly-controlled bus networks From left: Pete Bond, TfWM director of integrated transport services, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Cllr Stephen Simpkins, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council and WMCA Board...
Group plots return to High Wycombe 24 years after sale Go-Ahead’s Carousel Buses operation will step in on most of the routes Arriva is proposing to withdraw Go-Ahead looks set to benefit from a rival operator’s retrenchment following the news that Arriva is consulting on proposals to close...
It’s time for bold and fresh thinking about how we design public transport to best serve a changed market in changing times There is nothing ‘off the shelf’ about the interiors of the new Danish IC5 trains A draining Covid epidemic and the ungainly pirouettes of government...
We keep hearing that the railway is short of money, but have we made the most of the commercial opportunities in front of us? Are we making the most of our amazing station infrastructure? I’m getting a little tired of hearing that the UK rail industry has...
Government has axed ‘the most critical section of the route’ Concerns raised country will be left with a £67bn white elephant A key proponent of HS2 says that if Labour forms the next government it must extend the project to Crewe and Manchester or the country will be left with a £67bn white...
On a recent visit to Ukraine I was inspired to meet so many brave, committed and talented people, who believe in the power of rail This shell-damaged wagon was carrying civilian evacuees BY David Brown I recently had the honour of visiting Ukraine as part of an international delegation working with the Global...
At First Bus we are helping to futureproof the industry with a diverse apprenticeship programme Maddi Simmons joined First Bus’s engineering programme after her daily bus commute to and from college sparked an interest in the sector From the granite streets of Aberdeen right down to the Cornish coast, First Bus is proud...
The true measure of success of the latest transport technologies lies in the hands of the people who know the industry best Bus systems are influenced by a myriad of real-world factors BY Brian O’Rourke From self-driving cars to artificial intelligence (AI) – we’ve been through the tech hype cycles that were big...
While Labour’s intention to repeal the minimum service levels legislation is clear, not much else is. We’ve heard little of substance Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the duopoly at the top of Labour I see that Germany has been hit by a wave of strikes by 90,000 transport workers affecting rail, bus...
There are times in the bus sector when some organisations and individuals appear embarrassed to be associated with bus travel It’s rare to stumble across a business or sector where you get that disconcerting vibe that those at the helm would deep down rather not be doing what they’re doing and would prefer...
With a general election drawing closer, shadow transport minister Simon Lightwood addressed bus and coach operators in London last week Simon Lightwood at last week’s CPT Conference An incoming Labour government would use simplified and extended franchising powers to grow public transport, and provide the sector with greater certainty. That was the message...
Scottish Government pledged £500m – but has spent only £26.9m As recently as last October, Scotland’s minister for transport, Fiona Hyslop, told Passenger Transport that the Bus Partnership Fund was “a key area of investment” Formally launched in November 2020, Scotland’s Bus Partnership Fund was hailed as a “landmark long-term capital investment of...
Edinburgh is a city where every kind of person uses the bus and where everyone owns their local bus company, Lothian Buses An initial fleet of 50 new Volvo BZL electric double deck buses will enter service in the spring It’s good to be in the warmth of the great value Lothian...
Walking is good for our mind and body, our environment and public transport. Hana Sutch of Go Jauntly wants to make it easy Hana Sutch set up Go Jauntly in 2018 I’ll be honest, before the pandemic I had zero interest in walking for fun. But then, apart from model railways and...
Claire Miles has indicated a new approach to bus franchising and wants to turn the page on ‘cultural and political baggage’ of Souter years Claire Miles is keen to cast aside Stagecoach’s “cultural and political baggage” The recently appointed chief executive of Stagecoach has expressed regret over the group’s confrontational approach to bus...
New service aims to woo motorists to rail with faster journeys FirstGroup said the venture would form part of its Hull Trains open access business FirstGroup has revealed it has submitted an application to launch a new, faster open access rail service between London and Sheffield via the East Coast Main Line. It...
Let’s have some detail from Labour