Inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport
Issue 336 of Passenger Transport is published on May 2. Contents include: LEAD STORY ALBUM’s Astill warns of ‘existential threat’ As Britain’s small and medium-sized bus operators prepare to gather in Nottingham, David Astill warns against squeezing them out of the market NEWS Annus horribilis sees Mobico boss step down Mobico Group’s...
Read our supplement: The ALBUM Report 2025
Welcome to The ALBUM Report 2025, a publication from Passenger Transport devoted to Britain’s independent and municipal bus companies. Returning for a ninth year, this year’s report also incorporates the Conference Workbook for the ALBUM Conference 2025, hosted by Nottingham City Transport on May 12-14. We hope you find it an interesting read and we...
ALBUM’s Astill warns of ‘existential threat’
As Britain’s small and medium-sized bus operators prepare to gather in Nottingham, David Astill warns against squeezing them out of the market Astill: ‘We’re talking about an existential threat’ Ahead of this month’s ALBUM Conference in Nottingham, ALBUM chair David Astill has warned that bus franchising poses “an existential threat” to small and...
Annus horribilis sees Mobico boss step down
Mobico Group’s woes continues after it reveals a loss of £793m, sale of American school bus business and the departure of CEO Ignacio Garat School bus business sold to Arriva parent I Squared Capital Mobico chief executive Ignacio Garat stepped down suddenly this week, marking the second senior departure in recent months. The...
Arriva makes bid for cross-country service
Newcastle to Brighton link restores for service lost in 2008 The proposal would form part of Arriva’s Grand Central open access operation Arriva has submitted an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for a new rail service stretching almost the entire length of England, running directly between Newcastle...
UK Bus Summit will return this year
Local transport minister Stephen Lightwood will be among the speakers in Manchester With the UK bus industry entering a period of rapid evolution, Passenger Transport has partnered with Transport Times to launch the seventh UK Bus Summit. The event will take place on September 11, 2025, in Greater Manchester – the home of...
£38m for 319 new green buses across England
Funding has been allocated to 12 successful local authorities, with more than half going to West of England Combined Authority for 160 buses More than half of the money (£19.9m) has been allocated to West of England Combined Authority The government last week announced a £37.8m investment to underpin the purchase of new...
Keep an open mind about open access
Open access rail services have demonstrated that they can grow the market for rail without requiring subsidy. What’s not to like? Lumo’s open access services begun in October 2021 It was less than a month ago that Rail Partners shut up shop, but I for one am already feeling their loss. The...
Culture: the missing piece in rail reform
The establishment of Great British Railways provides a unique opportunity to reshape and, in certain areas, reset the rail industry We are at a pivotal moment for the UK rail industry. With the creation of Great British Railways (GBR) and the imminent renationalisation of passenger services, the sector has an opportunity to set...
£300m cost estimate for Welsh franchising
Assessment presents a range of cost and benefit estimates for the planned ‘Bus Reform’ in Wales, which will see all local bus services re-regulated TrawsCymru services are already publicly controlled The cost of transitioning to bus franchising across Wales is estimated at over £300m in the Regulatory Impact Assessment on the Bus Services...
Make a great scenic bus journey soon!
If you believe in buses don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk by taking yourself and others on one of many hidden gems out there East Yorkshire’s excellent Beachcomer ‘Use it or lose it’ is a famous but wise old cliché often used among folk to cajole them into supporting businesses...
Looking after the ‘stakeholders’