Bus operators make most of ‘Freedom Day’
National Express West Midlands, Go North West and Brighton & Hove are among those seeking to entice users back with offers and promotions Left to right: West Midlands mayor Andy Street; NXWM master driver Rekha Sehdeva; NXWM boss David Bradford Bus operators in England sought to capitalise on the removal of remaining Covid...
‘Face mask confusion will discourage travel’
CPT warns that ‘mixed messaging’ will stall the recovery as polls suggest that public want face coverings to remain mandatory on public transport Polls show support for face masks The ability of public transport to play a full role in the country’s recovery from the pandemic is being put at risk by the...
Brown: ‘Embrace it, be collegiate, be positive’
Go-Ahead Group chief executive David Brown urges audience of young bus managers to use the bus strategy as an opportunity for positive change David Brown will retire as Go-Ahead Group chief executive at the end of this year after more than 10 years in the role Go-Ahead Group boss David Brown has urged...
£226m to aid recovery of England’s buses
‘Final’ tranche of emergency funding for bus operators in England will offer greater flexibility to adapt services to meet changing travel patterns Baroness Vere: ‘Buses are the lifeblood of our communities’ England’s bus operators will receive £226.5m of government funding to support their recovery as Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, transport minister Baroness Vere...
Flexible season tickets ‘a missed opportunity’
Commuters in England will be able to purchase paperless tickets that offer travel on any eight days within a 28-day period – but some are disappointed Transport secretary Grant Shapps: “They give us greater freedom and choice about how we travel, simpler ticketing and a fairer fare.” New flexible rail season tickets, reflecting...
‘Boris in Wonderland’ plan will ‘end in tears’
Bus entrepreneur Julian Peddle offered his own bleak and controversial assessment of the National Bus Strategy for England at a meeting last week Prime minister Boris Johnson at the launch of Bus Back Better in March The National Bus Strategy for England is flawed and “will all end in tears”, bus entrepreneur Julian...
Leisure drives public transport bounce-back
With many Covid restrictions still in place, there are encouraging signs of bus and rail patronage recovering – especially among leisure travellers Scarborough’s Beachcomber buses Recent statistics confirm that leisure travel is driving a post-pandemic resurgence on public transport, with the last Sunday in May seeing buses outside London carry 80% of the...
‘Time is running out’ – Vere urges action
Transport minister Baroness Vere offered new insights into her thinking on buses at an online meeting of the Young Bus Managers Network last week Baroness Vere With a few notable exceptions we’ve seen some pretty unenthusiastic buses ministers over the years. Baroness Vere is not one of them. It has now been more...
The rail review to end all rail reviews?
Keith Williams (and transport secretary Grant Shapps published their long awaited rail White Paper last week – but will it stand the test of time? Keith Williams (left) and Grant Shapps It was more than two and a half years ago that former British Airways CEO Keith Williams was signed up to chair...
‘Too early to commit to long term bus funding’
The government has committed to spend an additional £3bn on buses over three years – Baroness Vere says it’s too early to say what happens after that Baroness Vere The government is not ready to commit to additional funding for local bus services in England beyond its existing commitment to invest £3bn over...
‘Public transport is both safe and desirable’
Broad coalition urges Boris Johnson to help high streets and avoid gridlock by restoring confidence in public transport Clean, safe and ready to go With lockdown restrictions continuing to ease prime minister Boris Johnson has been urged to send a “loud and clear” message of support for public transport. An unprecedented coalition of...
‘Recalcitrant’ LTAs pressed on bus strategy
Local authorities must produce ‘ambitious’ Bus Service Improvement Plans or ‘we will go back to them and say it is not good enough’, minister warns Baroness Vere (centre) pointed out that extra funding was available for “those that I call my recalcitrant local authorities” Local transport authorities in England have been warned not...
