Welsh SMEs will have post-franchising role
Transport for Wales has been instructed to develop an approach that attracts a range of bus operators and retains a role for smaller operators Skates: ‘We’ll offer various types of franchising contracts’ Small and medium-sized bus operators will continue to play a role in providing local bus services in Wales once franchising has...
New bus fund replaces Scotland’s £500m BPF
The Scottish Government’s draft budget includes a new Bus Infrastructure Fund, but the value of this fund is unquantified The launch of the £500m Bus Partnership Fund in 2019. Only £26.9m was spent BY Rhodri Clark The Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2025/26 restores capital funding for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and heralds...
Vision for integrated transport is unveiled
Transport secretary launches new strategy aimed at joining up England’s transport networks and invites others to contribute to her vision Haigh cited Greater Manchester’s Bee Network as a domestic integrated transport leader On the day before she resigned as transport secretary, Louise Haigh set out her vision for joined-up transport networks led by...
Bus ridership on the up but challenges linger
New statistics reveal strong passenger growth, but there is some way to go before the bus industry surpasses patronage recorded before the pandemic BY Andrew Garnett New statistics from the Department for Transport reveal that the number of local bus passenger journeys in Great Britain reached 4.04 billion in the year ending March 2024,...
NCT crowned Bus Operator of the Year
Council-owned operator won coveted prize at ceremony in London this week, but Stagecoach topped the ‘medal table’ with 12 winners in total Winners on stage at the 2024 UK Bus Awards Nottingham City Transport was named UK Bus Operator at this week’s UK Bus Awards in London. The council-owned company was also named...
‘Take the time to get nationalisation right’
Long-serving rail boss Dominic Booth warns against overloading ‘woeful’ DOHL and calls for a phased approach to taking franchises in-house Dominic Booth: ‘quick fixes are rarely sustainable’ The government has been urged to take a phased approach to rail nationalisation rather than taking franchises back in-house at the earliest opportunity. That is the...
Budget brings relief – and disappointment
Chancellor faced criticism for raising England’s bus fare cap from £2 to £3 and increasing rail fares by 4.6% while retaining the 5p fuel duty cut Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week with some positive news for public transport, including investments in...
Employees are owners of Stephensons parent
Bus industry entrepreneur Bill Hiron has sold Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent of bus operators Stephensons and NIBS, to an employee trust Bill Hiron: ‘the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea’ Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent company of bus operators Stephensons of Essex and NIBS Buses, has been...
Expert panel will help UK bus manufacturers
Amid growing concerns for British bus builders, government hails £500m order for Wrightbus and announces UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel Transport secretary Louise Haigh Amid mounting political pressure to adopt a ‘Buy British’ rule in bus procurement, the government has announced a £500m electric bus order for Northern Ireland-based Wrightbus and plans to...
Halt ‘nonsensical’ road projects to save £10.5bn
Campaign for Better Transport urges transport secretary to divert funding to public transport as CPT calls for ‘immediate decision’ on £2 bus fare cap Campaign for Better Transport has called for “large and unnecessary” road projects like the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing to be cancelled Ahead of this month’s budget, Campaign for Better...
Calls to ‘Buy British’ increase at conference
A clear theme from the Labour Party conference was the growing demand for British bus manufacturers to be prioritised in public procurement Alexander Dennis, one of the UK’s largest bus producers, recently announced a consultation that could threaten 160 jobs in Scotland By Andrew Garnett Political pressure is mounting to adopt a ‘Buy...
‘Uneven playing field’ puts ADL jobs at risk
Bus manufacturer begins consultation on Scottish bus manufacturing jobs and accuses various government policies of favouring lower-cost imports ADL claimed it had invested significantly in its UK facilities Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited has announced a consultation process that could put 160 jobs at risk in Scotland, citing concerns over how government zero-emission...
