A landmark year for local transport
The government has started to deliver the tools we have asked for: meaningful devolved control and long-term funding certainty Liverpool City Region has a multi-modal vision For years, the transport sector has presented its wish list to successive governments with the perennial optimism of a true believer. At the top were three simple...
Our people-powered Great Bus Comeback
After years of uncertainty, the bus sector is regaining momentum. Visionary leaders and diverse teams are needed to take it forward Stagecoach CEO Claire Miles brings a broad commercial perspective Across the UK, buses are making a remarkable comeback. Once dismissed as the “poor relative” of public transport, they are now reclaiming their...
Should buses be free – or worth paying for?
In his campaign to become mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani promised free buses. Can – and should – it be done? Zohran Mamdani’s offer to New Yorkers A new day has dawned in New York City. So says Zohran Mamdani, the newly minted mayor-elect who will take office on New...
Building Britain’s best bus partnership
Yes, Portsmouth received a big sum of money – but its industry-leading success stems from its collaborative, one-team approach Winners at the UK Bus Awards BY Paul Walker, Portsmouth City Council In a recent LinkedIn comment about an article highlighting the success of the Portsmouth Buses programme, someone remarked, and not for the first...
A budget to ‘rebalance transport costs’
Public transport sector welcomes the end of the fuel duty cut in due course, a new distance-based electric vehicle charge and a rail fares freeze Rachel Reeves outside Number 11 ahead of the budget Chancellor Rachel Reeves tilted the scales in favour of public transport in her budget this week by freezing rail...
First Bus to quit Cornwall
Group to withdraw from Cornwall after years of retrenchment. Andrew Garnett reports Be my Valentine? First Kernow will close on February 14 First Bus has announced plans to cease all operations in Cornwall by mid-February 2026, bringing to an end more than a decade of significant investment, restructuring and ultimately contraction in a market the...
Blackpool wins Bus Operator of the Year
Council-owned bus company won the best operator prize and Go-Ahead Group headed the medal table at this week’s UK Bus Awards in London The winner’s at this week’s UK Bus Awards Blackpool Transport was named UK Bus Operator at this week’s UK Bus Awards in London. The council-owned company was named the winner of the...
A career focused on unlocking growth
Over more than two decades with Stagecoach and then Go-Ahead, Rupert Cox has been obsessed with understanding local markets In an era of transport showboating fancy-dans, dressing themselves up in their own over-inflated, celebrity-style, personal brands, those who get on with the job, low-key style, sticking around and grafting hard on behalf of...
Britain’s railway reformation
The government has published its Railway Bill – what’s proposed, and what needs to be addressed? Paul Cooper reports CILT (UK)supports the creation of GBR and the goal of a more integrated network that brings track and train operations under unified leadership The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport has closely monitored rail...
Levelling up starts with connecting up
The North must go further and faster on rail connectivity. Expanding open access can unlock the region’s full potential, says Lumo and Hull Trains managing director Stuart Jones When Hull Trains launched in 2000, there was just one direct train a day between Hull and London When I think about the North’s future...
Improved integration offers ‘huge’ benefits
Centre for Cities report says improved transport integration in six English cities can offer easy access to city centres to an additional 1.2 million people Increasing public transport use would boost national economic output by an estimated £17.4bn per year Delivering more integrated transport networks in six of England’s big cities will give...
Transport’s role in the bodge-it budget