Safety is a right, not a privilege
Incidents of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) occur every day on public transport. What are we doing to prevent it? Kayleigh Ingham BY Kayleigh Ingham, First Bus Buses and trains are lifelines that connect people to work, education, healthcare, and their loved ones. But for too many women and girls, their journeys...
Insular Britain is staying at home
An apathetic population is no longer making trips that were once routine. What does this mean for public transport operators? Another week of travelling around the UK has made me realise just how market forces are conspiring against whole swathes of our landscape at the moment. I don’t know why I am surprised...
Going for growth, but lacking vision
Keir Starmer’s administration is all about ‘growth, growth, growth’ – there is money available but its transport policy is often ‘grey’ Is Keir Starmer presiding over a technocratic transport policy? Keir Starmer is now into his second year as PM – but is transport a secondary priority for his administration? Yes and...
The view from the (UK Bus) Summit
Last week the bus sector gathering in my home city of Manchester led me to reflect on how far we have come, and where we’re going Last week’s UK Bus Summit in Manchester Notwithstanding the wet and thundery weather, something that the city region is famous for, hosting the Transport Times UK Bus...
A sector failing to move with the times
A week of sub-standard public transport experiences exposed areas where the public transport sector has failed to evolve The industry is in denial if it thinks, as some do, that Uber isn’t more attractive and represents far better value for money As regular readers of this column will attest, I frequently extol...
Summer is over – plan for the next one!
Do you run bus services that cater for the seasonal leisure travel? Have a short break, take stock and start your planning early As summer comes to an end, it’s time for transport operators to assess their leisure service performance Well, that went quickly. Summer is over, the schools are back, nights...
Rail sector needs a vision to unite us all
The Greatest Gathering in Derby this month showed the passion that still exists for the railway – but what is the direction of travel? The Greatest Gathering Earlier this month, the ‘Greatest Gathering’ was hosted by Alstom at their Derby Litchurch Lane works. It promised to be the biggest gathering of rolling...
Bold leadership for bus’s big moment
The competing demands on bus sector management are daunting, but it’s also a moment ripe with possibility for courageous leaders ‘When it comes to leadership the industry values a blend of deep sector knowledge and fresh, transferable thinking’ Speak to anyone running a bus network today, and you’ll hear the same refrain:...
Seizing momentum to boost bus services
With the Buses Bill advancing and the multi-year funding deal, there is a real opportunity to fully unlock the potential of bus An Arriva bus in Leicester BY Alistair Hands, Arriva UK Bus The latest National Transport Survey from the Department for Transport has shown that the number of people travelling by bus...
Powering up revenue protection
Fraudulent travel poses a huge and complex challenge to the rails sector. If we unite and show real commitment, we can tackle it Revenue protection should be treated as a specialism Last week, in my role as chair of the West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration, I co-hosted, with my colleague Lucy Wootton,...
Getting it right for rural areas
Rural bus services face the twin challenges of lower patronage and longer mileage, but it’s not doom and gloom everywhere Bus patronage has increased in Cornwall (Image: Shutterstock) As I write this, I’m travelling to Hatfield for the first Quality Rural Bus Conference. By the time you read this, the event will...
We must re-learn lessons of Hatfield