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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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)....
Driven by its head of marketing, Laura Sharp, Go North East’s ‘Get your bum on board’ campaign aims to boost the bottom line Go North East’s ‘Get your bum on board’ campaign I’ll be honest, the bum has always fascinated me. It imbues trust, a reliable protective part of the body that...
Bus franchising looks set to be rolled out in new areas, but time and due process could yet prove to be the enemy of radical reform The election of Richard Parker (centre) as the new mayor of the West Midlands means that all the combined authorities in England’s conurbations are committed to bus...
BYD has launched the ‘viable’ BD11 double decker in a move that will see the Chinese manufacturer launch a full-scale assault on the UK market London is the first target market for the BYD BD11 BY Andrew Garnett Every now and then, a new vehicle will be introduced to the industry that ostensibly...
If metro mayors deliver on their manifesto pledges, almost three-quarters of bus journeys in England will be on publicly-controlled bus networks From left: Pete Bond, TfWM director of integrated transport services, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Cllr Stephen Simpkins, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council and WMCA Board member This autumn it...
Group plots return to High Wycombe 24 years after sale Go-Ahead’s Carousel Buses operation will step in on most of the routes Arriva is proposing to withdraw Go-Ahead looks set to benefit from a rival operator’s retrenchment following the news that Arriva is consulting on proposals to close its depots in Aylesbury and...
It’s time for bold and fresh thinking about how we design public transport to best serve a changed market in changing times There is nothing ‘off the shelf’ about the interiors of the new Danish IC5 trains A draining Covid epidemic and the ungainly pirouettes of government policy on public transport from...
We keep hearing that the railway is short of money, but have we made the most of the commercial opportunities in front of us? Are we making the most of our amazing station infrastructure? I’m getting a little tired of hearing that the UK rail industry has big financial issues, particularly post...
Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, pictured on a visit to Hitachi When the new South West Trains and Great Western franchises commenced on February 4, 1996, they became the first private sector-operated rail franchises...
Headwinds see bus industry entering a defining new phase Martin Dean According to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus, Britain’s bus networks are moving into a new and potentially unsettling era. Speaking at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire, Dean hypothesised that bus deregulation had gone through three phases since...
Labour has hailed its new plan for Britain’s railway as ‘the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation’ – but can it deliver? Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh You wait ages for a transport policy from Labour then two come along at once. Hard on...
Labour has promised to phase out all of Britain’s much maligned – often unfairly in my view – franchised train operators Labour is planning to nationalise the railway The headline that Labour is planning to nationalise the railway if they get into power didn’t really arouse me as it would have in...
Welcome to The ALBUM Report 2024, a publication from Passenger Transport devoted to Britain’s independent and municipal bus companies. Returning for an eighth year, this year’s report also incorporates the Conference Workbook for the ALBUM Conference 2024, hosted by Warrington’s Own Buses at Carden Park Hotel on April 23-24. We hope you find it an...
Sharp thinking to get bums on buses