Go-Ahead strategy favours bus expansion
New chief executive Christian Schreyer reveals ambitious new strategy but brands existing German rail contract ‘a mistake’. Andrew Garnett reports Schreyer: Focus on improving the next billion journeys Recently installed Go-Ahead chief executive Christian Schreyer aims to move on from the debacle of the Southeastern rail franchise and problematic overseas contracts with an...
Workplace Reform – can we really do it?
The railway is talking about Workplace Reform, the post-Covid world demands it. But what will it look like and will it happen? The railway needs the right people in the right place at the right time ‘Workplace Reform’ are the two words that are on the lips of every rail industry bigwig...
‘£5bn fuel duty cut will hit public transport’
The chancellor this week announced the biggest ever reduction in fuel duty to help motorists – but public transport campaigners are not impressed Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 5p a litre cut in fuel duty in this week’s spring statement Chancellor Rishi Sunak was accused of having “pulled the rug from underneath public...
Warrington’s buses to become solar showcase
Is this the most exciting green bus project in the UK? A new depot and a new fleet of 120 electric vehicles powered by a renewable source of energy Warrington’s Own Buses will move into a purpose built all-electric bus depot by the end of the year, with a new fleet of 120 vehicles...
Bus safety shouldn’t be an afterthought
England’s National Bus Strategy dragged poor practice into the spotlight but left the bus safety regime to stagnate in the margins Edinburgh is the only city I can think of, other than London, where the bus feels like a mass transit system used by all The National Bus Strategy for England has...
Majority of public back bus priority measures
New research undertaken for CPT shows local authorities that they can be bold with plans to improve bus services, while toolkit offers helpful advice A clear majority (54%) of the general public support bus priority schemes while only 15% oppose them Most people support measures which give buses greater priority on roads, according...
Is it still possible to ‘bus back better’?
Matt Gamble and Neil Davies of Atkins consider how England can deliver BSIPs, Enhanced Partnerships and ZEBRAs The welcome announcement of an extension of the Bus Recovery Grant buys some much-needed breathing space for buses Since the original commitments and ambitions outlined in the Department for Transport’s Bus Back Better strategy, published in...
IT-TRANS is the best place to see the future
This May, the world of public transport will gather for the eighth edition of the biggest event of its kind dedicated to IT and digitalisation in our sector IT-TRANS: bigger than ever in 2022 IT-TRANS is all about the future. And the next steps for the world of urban mobility will be what...
Four ways to accelerate the diversity agenda
Just 20% of the UK’s transport and logistics workforce is female. Here’s a plan for making the sector more appealing to women Govia Thameslink Railway reports it has experienced an influx of female apprentices BY Krishna Desai, Senior Global Marketing Manager at Cubic Transportation Systems Currently, the UK transport system isn’t fully equal in its...
Rival Stagecoach offer gives certainty to staff
Group’s directors support cash offer from German asset manager DWS, scuppering National Express merger that would have seen redundancies Stagecoach looks set to retain its independence after receiving a rival £595m cash bid from German asset manager DWS, trumping a takeover offer from its UK rival National Express. The bus, coach and tram...
Soaring fuel prices add to ‘the perfect storm’
Wholesale diesel prices 44% higher than start of year Passenger transport operators were this week grappling with the impact that soaring fuel prices will have on their businesses. Already struggling with the challenge of building back passenger volumes after successive Covid lockdowns and labour shortages, fuel prices have now leapt upwards following the Russian...
Another nudge in the wrong direction