ALBUM’s Astill warns of ‘existential threat’
As Britain’s small and medium-sized bus operators prepare to gather in Nottingham, David Astill warns against squeezing them out of the market Astill: ‘We’re talking about an existential threat’ Ahead of this month’s ALBUM Conference in Nottingham, ALBUM chair David Astill has warned that bus franchising poses “an existential threat” to small and...
Annus horribilis sees Mobico boss step down
Mobico Group’s woes continues after it reveals a loss of £793m, sale of American school bus business and the departure of CEO Ignacio Garat School bus business sold to Arriva parent I Squared Capital Mobico chief executive Ignacio Garat stepped down suddenly this week, marking the second senior departure in recent months. The...
Arriva makes bid for cross-country service
Newcastle to Brighton link restores for service lost in 2008 The proposal would form part of Arriva’s Grand Central open access operation Arriva has submitted an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for a new rail service stretching almost the entire length of England, running directly between Newcastle...
£38m for 319 new green buses across England
Funding has been allocated to 12 successful local authorities, with more than half going to West of England Combined Authority for 160 buses More than half of the money (£19.9m) has been allocated to West of England Combined Authority The government last week announced a £37.8m investment to underpin the purchase of new...
£300m cost estimate for Welsh franchising
Assessment presents a range of cost and benefit estimates for the planned ‘Bus Reform’ in Wales, which will see all local bus services re-regulated TrawsCymru services are already publicly controlled The cost of transitioning to bus franchising across Wales is estimated at over £300m in the Regulatory Impact Assessment on the Bus Services...
BSIP investment has boosted satisfaction
The second year of the Your Bus Journey survey, conducted independent watchdog Transport Focus, reveals increase bus user satisfaction Significant government investment as part of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding and the £2 bus fare cap, appears to be have helped increase bus user satisfaction in England. Bus passengers across England have...
‘Laser-like focus’ aims to grow Bee Network
Stephen Rhodes, Transport for Greater Manchester’s director of bus highlights Bee Network progress but warns improvements will take time Performance has lagged at the final two tranches of the Bee Network Greater Manchester’s move to the franchised Bee Network has shown early signs of success, with increased passenger numbers and improved punctuality, MPs...
ORR report favours Temple Mills access
Independent study concludes that operational tweaks could free-up capacity at Eurostar’s Temple Mills International depot for competitors Eurostar has stored redundant rolling stock at Temple Mills International (PA Images/Alamy) The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has confirmed that Eurostar’s Temple Mills International (TMI) depot in East London could accommodate additional trains if...
Bee Network bounce inspires GBR rebrand
Ministers saw how Greater Manchester’s Bee Network rebrand changed public perceptions almost overnight – and want the same bounce for rail The new logo and branding will be different to a Great British Railways logo that was registered with the Intellectual Property Office’s online trade marks journal in 2022 The government is set...
Coppard commits to bus franchising plans
Mayor of South Yorkshire backs plans to take back control of the local bus network after consultation reveals overwhelming public support for plans Better Buses for South Yorkshire campaigners gathered outside the combined authority as Coppard announced his decision Bus services across South Yorkshire will move to a franchised model from September 2027,...
First meeting of bus manufacturing panel
Local transport minister joins bus manufacturers, metro mayors and others to discuss how to transform the fleet while supporting UK bus builders The UK bus manufacturing panel in Sheffield last week Greener bus travel, new UK jobs and bigger business was on the agenda as government ministers met local leaders and industry bosses...
‘Mission not accomplished’
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, campaigners for greater diversity and inclusion in the UK’s passenger transport sector have restated their commitment to a more balanced workforce This International Women’s Day, train operator LNER is encouraging women to join the company as train drivers With US companies rushing to scale back diversity and...
