Bee Network offers blueprint for Britain
As I bid farewell to the Bee Network and its striking yellow buses, I do so with immense pride. It’s a model that others can follow The Bee Network Bus franchising is a transformative approach to public transport management, granting local authorities the ability to regulate service quality, fares, and network integration....
Putting rail’s jigsaw puzzle together
We might not have all the pieces, but we have enough to make a very good start. Let’s begin transforming the UK rail industry If you’re the sort of person who plunges into a jigsaw puzzle without consulting the picture on the box first, you’ll know how hard it can be. You tip...
The missing buses of Britain
Passenger numbers have returned faster than bus services in the period since Covid. Are bus operators getting the balance right? Our industry has been put through the wringer once or twice in the AD era. 2025 is my 10th year working in the bus industry. It also marks five years since the...
From Istanbul to London by train
I experienced trains, trams and trolleybuses on a recent journey across Europe – and spied some interesting contrasts with Britain A tram in Budapest I have just completed my longest train journey ever, and no, it wasn’t one marred by rail replacement buses, driver shortages and signal failures on the West Coast...
Bus franchising is not a silver bullet
We share the Welsh Government’s goals for buses – but to achieve those goals, reform must build on what already works Buses are the most used and most accessible form of public transport in Wales By Martin Gibbon Bus franchising has a part to play in delivering service improvements across South Wales, but...
Breathing new life into redundant land
Thriving new community spaces have been created from the redundant former public transport estate, and more can follow Tilburg in the Netherlands was one of the country’s rail manufacturing centres Transport reconfigures the landscape time and again with each fresh wave of technological change. The coming of canals, railways, motorways, airports and...
Uber is here to stay – can we live with it?
There’s no doubt that the convenience of Uber has eroded bus travel to some degree – but how should the sector respond to that? Uber has become the elephant in the room (Photo: Shutterstock) Last week, I eavesdropped on some bus industry bods lamenting declining patronage levels on London buses and the...
Looking after the ‘stakeholders’
The value of good stakeholder relations can’t be underestimated. Who should do it, what should it involve and who does it well? Sometimes, the term ‘stakeholder’ gets used in a very depersonalised, almost token manner in business I do titter when I listen to business mumbo-jumbo – ‘drill down’, ‘helicopter vision’, ‘pain...
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...
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...
Do we have our fingers on the pulse?