Vision for integrated transport is unveiled
Transport secretary launches new strategy aimed at joining up England’s transport networks and invites others to contribute to her vision Haigh cited Greater Manchester’s Bee Network as a domestic integrated transport leader On the day before she resigned as transport secretary, Louise Haigh set out her vision for joined-up transport networks led by...
Bus ridership on the up but challenges linger
New statistics reveal strong passenger growth, but there is some way to go before the bus industry surpasses patronage recorded before the pandemic BY Andrew Garnett New statistics from the Department for Transport reveal that the number of local bus passenger journeys in Great Britain reached 4.04 billion in the year ending March 2024,...
NCT crowned Bus Operator of the Year
Council-owned operator won coveted prize at ceremony in London this week, but Stagecoach topped the ‘medal table’ with 12 winners in total Winners on stage at the 2024 UK Bus Awards Nottingham City Transport was named UK Bus Operator at this week’s UK Bus Awards in London. The council-owned company was also named...
ROSCOs are rolling in it – so why not act?
Renationalisation of the TOCs is at the heart of the government’s strategy for rail – but what about the far more lucrative ROSCOs? One mystery of the new Labour government’s rail policy is why it seems so uninterested in rolling stock issues. Public control has been the driving force of their approach. They...
Ribeiro eyes UK after Jersey success
Having made a success of franchising in Jersey, Samuel Ribeiro and his Tower Transit colleagues are seeking further opportunities LibertyBus – a franchising success story When I look back on my 2024 by some distance the highlight was my first ever trip to the Channel Islands, which I made in June to...
Ownership has become a distraction
A fixation on whether public services should be privatised or nationalised misses the larger, more impactful considerations It has happened! The failed delivery model whereby a public sector authority specifies the services it wants and then contracts private firms to deliver them is over! Hooray for rail renationalisation. Unless, of course, you’re a...
RIP JP – a true transport visionary
John Prescott, who died last week, took transport policy in a revolutionary direction during New Labour’s first term in office John Prescott pictured at the wheel of a bus outside the first Bus Summit in November 1999 (PA Images / Alamy Stock) When the editor of this publication asked me to write...
‘Take the time to get nationalisation right’
Long-serving rail boss Dominic Booth warns against overloading ‘woeful’ DOHL and calls for a phased approach to taking franchises in-house Dominic Booth: ‘quick fixes are rarely sustainable’ The government has been urged to take a phased approach to rail nationalisation rather than taking franchises back in-house at the earliest opportunity. That is the...
Franchising theme at Euro Bus Expo show
Bus franchising emerged as a key theme amongst speakers and suppliers as zero-emission electric buses dominated the biennal Birmingham show Delegates poured into the Birmingham NEC for Euro bus Expo this week Euro Bus Expo returned to Birmingham’s NEC for the first time in two years following the cancellation of Coach & Bus...
Partnering to drive better bus services
We spoke to Matt Carney, CEO of Go-Ahead Bus, about partnering with CitySwift to boost bus reliability and user experience in the UK and Ireland A bus driver at Go North West Last month, transport group Go-Ahead Group and technology firm CitySwift announced a ground-breaking UK and Ireland-wide partnership. In the wake of...
‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint’
Dominic Booth is right to warn that taking too many franchises in-house too quickly won’t help passengers and could backfire Dominic Booth, CEO of Transport UK After generally a ‘free pass’ from significant criticism since presiding in the public sector, train company Northern recently received a stinging rebuke from Greater Manchester mayor...
Buses have an image problem