LCR selects Stagecoach and Go-Ahead

LCR selects Stagecoach and Go-Ahead

Stagecoach has been selected to operate the franchised bus network based in St Helens while Go-Ahead will operates services in Wirral   Mayor Steve Rotheram: buses aren’t a ‘nice to have’ – they’re a lifeline   Stagecoach and Go-Ahead Group have been selected as the first operators to run the...
Public transport’s ‘global family gathering’

Public transport’s ‘global family gathering’

Dubai will host the UITP Summit on April 21-23. We spoke to UITP’s secretary general, Mohamed Mezghani, about the event and what visitors can look forward to   Mohamed Mezghani: “For me, the Summit is about people”   Mohamed, the UITP Summit is heading to Dubai in April, less than...
Out now: The latest issue of Passenger Transport

Out now: The latest issue of Passenger Transport

What’s inside the latest edition of Passenger Transport:     LEAD STORY NPR rail improvements ‘will actually happen’ More than a decade after the Northern Powerhouse Rail project was first proposed, the government has unveiled a three-phase plan for its delivery   NEWS Cornwall probes bus regulation options Market engagement...
NPR rail improvements  ‘will actually happen’

NPR rail improvements ‘will actually happen’

More than a decade after the Northern Powerhouse Rail project was first proposed, the government has unveiled a three-phase plan for its delivery   The plans would see Manchester Piccadilly expanded   A three-phase plan for the long-promised Northern Powerhouse Rail project was unveiled by the government this week. The...
100 more bus routes in Wales and £2 fare cap?

100 more bus routes in Wales and £2 fare cap?

Labour has pledged an enhanced bus offer for Wales if it wins this May’s Senedd election, but will this be matched funding? Rhodri Clark reports   Welsh bus fares for adults aged 22 to 59 would be capped at £2   Labour has pledged 100 more bus routes in Wales...
Let’s get on and fix rail replacement

Let’s get on and fix rail replacement

  A new report by CMAC has shed light on an often overlooked but frequent aspect of the railway’s customer service proposition   2026 has already brought two major shocks. FA Cup holders, my beloved, Crystal Palace, being knocked out of this year’s tournament by non-league Macclesfield, 117 places below...
Putting customers front and centre

Putting customers front and centre

  Those taking decisions should always put themselves in the shoes of the passenger and ask whether what they will think reasonable   Average bus speeds in central London are now down to 7.4mph (picture: Shutterstock)   It was interesting to see the latest figures for bus passenger numbers (PT351)....
Latest entries
Thorpe makes case for BYD’s UK plans

Thorpe makes case for BYD’s UK plans

Frank Thorpe, the MD of BYD’s UK bus business, makes the case for Chinese manufacturer in the face of calls to ‘Buy British’   The BD11 double decker – a 10.9-metre-long, 90-passenger bus designed and built entirely by BYD in China   Lately, there has been much discussion about the challenges facing British-based bus manufacturers,...
Decarbonising the UK’s buses

Decarbonising the UK’s buses

The UK has been leading the way on zero-emission buses, but we must keep up the momentum   A Stagecoach West Scotland electric midibus in Ayr   By Tim Griffen The transition to zero-emission buses (ZEBs) in the UK, has been a big success story. The UK has been leading European counterparts in this transition....
Britain’s buses in a new era

Britain’s buses in a new era

  I’ve researched and written a new book about the future of Britain’s bus industry and the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. Here are some of my reflections   Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network   As so often in the past, any discussion about the bus industry’s future falls into two time periods: the...
National Transport Awards 2024 Book of Winners

National Transport Awards 2024 Book of Winners

The National Transport Awards took place on October 3 in London and you can read all about the winners in this official Souvenir Brochure. Click on the image below to view National Transport Awards Book of Winners 2024.     If you are viewing the site on a tablet or mobile device, tap here to...
Expert panel will help UK bus manufacturers

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...
Summit puts spotlight on women in bus sector

Summit puts spotlight on women in bus sector

Women in Bus and Coach event champions diversity   The Women in Bus and Coach Summit   The second annual Women in Bus and Coach Summit was held in Manchester on October 8, bringing together industry leaders, stakeholders, frontline operators and advocates to celebrate the remarkable contributions of women across the bus, coach and community...
Big challenges, tight budgets

Big challenges, tight budgets

The European Mobility Expo revealed that our continental neighbours face similar challenges   Fiona Guthrie (left) and fellow Talent in Mobility winners   If you like trams you’ll LOVE Strasbourg. With a population of 860,000 across the conurbation, France’s eighth largest city is criss-crossed by multiple light rail and BRT lines. Visitors from UK cities...
The railway’s lost sense of community

The railway’s lost sense of community

  Fragmentation and societal change have eroded the culture and commonality that bonded rail workers together, and it’s a shame   How will TOCs like South Western be remembered?   Last weekend, I watched the gripping Netflix documentary, Strike: An Uncivil War, about the 1984/5 miners’ strike. It was a fascinating watch, not least to...
25 years in transport - what I’ve learned

25 years in transport – what I’ve learned

  I have attempted to collate everything I’ve seen, learned, read or heard during my time in the transport sector into 10 thoughts   The 25th anniversary of my starting to work in and around transport passed me by earlier this year. I joined the Central Rail Users Consultative Committee (not a snappy title, I...
Halt ‘nonsensical’ road projects to save £10.5bn

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

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...
Rail needs a reset - not just another sale

Rail needs a reset – not just another sale

  The transport secretary has announced a ‘Rail Sale’ for early 2025. We need to be more radical in reducing costs and raising revenue   Marketing from train operator Greater Anglia during this year’s ‘Great British Rail Sale’   In announcing the trajectory towards rail renationalisation on September 3, one footnote towards the end of...