The future’s bright, the future’s yellow
I tested the service provided by municipally-owned Warrington’s Own Buses and spoke to the company’s MD, Ben Wakerley Warrington’s Own Buses is part of the ‘yellow wave’ in the North West Warrington sits between Liverpool (formerly one of the biggest ports in the World) and Manchester (the first industrial city in the...
The challenges of communication
Do you answer your emails? For a sector in that exists to connect people I believe that our communications skills could be better I’ll be honest, and this isn’t me blowing my own trumpet, but I’ve been inundated this last week with folk contacting me with comments regarding my last article regarding great...
Rail reform and Great British Railways
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink the railway James Bain speaking at Transport Ticketing Global BY Worldline’s Global COO James Bain The UK rail industry stands at a watershed moment in its long and illustrious history. It’s a chance we must seize immediately to ensure our communities and society as a whole can flourish for...
The inside track behind the statistics
Urban Transport Group’s annual report on the state of transport in England and Wales offers insights on shifting travel patterns In the most recent year, bus patronage in Greater Manchester grew by 11% BY Tom Ellerton, UTG Each year when we publish Inside track, the Urban Transport Group’s annual report on the state of...
Leaders – the great and the gruesome
The launch of the ‘Leadership in Passenger Transport Awards’ got me thinking about what makes a good leader – and a bad one Transport Events Group, the provider of the only industry shindig worth attending (the UK Bus Awards), has launched the inaugural ‘Leadership in Passenger Transport Awards’ for 2026. Led by all-round...
How can we entice people to go out?
I’m excited after organising two workshops that brought public transport operators together with tourism sector representatives Last time round, I mentioned to you lot that I was organising two workshops with transport operators, local and combined authorities and the tourism sector to plan a collaborative approach to the spring and summer season –...
Creating a culture that values everyone
It’s not about celebrating diversity once a year or ad-hoc policies. It’s about building a culture where everyone in rail can thrive Angie Doll, CEO of Govia Thameslink Britain’s rail industry is going through one of the most momentous periods of change in its 200-year history. The arrival of Great British Railways...
Recognising talent across the modes
Reflections on the new Leadership in Passenger Transport Awards, being launched this week and explains what they’re about The lunchtime Presentation Ceremony will take place at indigo at O2 in London on July 16 At the 2025 UK Bus Awards ceremony in November, I was delighted to announce the launch of a new...
‘Go Local’ to attract more customers
A new campaign by bus operator Transdev Blazefield encourages existing and potential customers to explore their local areas ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and ‘there’s an old sock for any boot’, are two phrases that I’ve heard in the last fortnight as I’ve regaled the joys of underrated destinations in...
The French franchising model
As more parts of the UK embrace franchising, they can learn from experience across the Channel Lyon has one of France’s largest urban bus networks, second in scale only to the Paris region (Pic: Shutterstock) BY Arnaud Léger, Trans-Missions Can France’s long-standing approach to franchising bus services offer useful lessons for British local authorities?...
Three policies stuck in the crawler lane
Coaches, parking and car pooling are policy levers overlooked by transport strategies. Why is that, and how could it change? The coach is never invited to the party when we talk about better public transport in England Some things just don’t count in transport policy. They barely get a mention in transport...
Survey reveals who’s got the right formula