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)....
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Toon Tour wins inaugural UK Open Top Bus Cup

Toon Tour wins inaugural UK Open Top Bus Cup

‘The team work hard to make this service a success and I think it’s a fantastic way to see the area’     Toon Tour, the sightseeing bus service across Newcastle and Gateshead has become the winner of the inaugural UK Open Top Bus Cup, sponsored by Ticketer. This follows its victory in the Final...
TfL records highest ridership since Covid

TfL records highest ridership since Covid

August Bank Holiday Weekend saw a near 10% increase in bus travel on the equivalent weekend last year, with Tube journeys seeing a near 6% rise   TfL is now hoping to maintain upward momentum as autumn approaches   New ridership figures from Transport for London have revealed a record number of public transport journeys...
20mph limit sees Welsh operator ditch Euro 6

20mph limit sees Welsh operator ditch Euro 6

Vehicles sold because of concerns over particulate traps   A Phil Anslow bus in Cwmbran   A bus operator is selling two of its Euro 6 buses because of concerns over the vehicles’ particulate traps when 20mph becomes the default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales. However, an experienced bus engineer told Passenger Transport...
PM is weaponising transport policy

PM is weaponising transport policy

  Rishi Sunak seems to have concluded that adopting macho anti-environment policies across the board could be a vote winner   Last week the PM took a helicopter to Norwich to meet housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and announce that water protection measures need to be swept away   Opportunist. Unprincipled. Shameful. Shameless. Desperate. Choose your adjective...
It’s not bad, but it’s far from polished

It’s not bad, but it’s far from polished

  Sometimes we hear that transport is in a dire state, other times the sector is hailed as heroes.The truth is somewhere in between   I’ve had a right royal shindig of a past month or so, on and off trains and buses, in all parts of the UK. I’ve clocked up more miles than...
‘TfW 2.0’ will manage bus services in Wales

‘TfW 2.0’ will manage bus services in Wales

Initially set up to procure the Wales and Borders rail franchise, Transport for Wales will be tasked with nurturing a ‘multi-modal culture in Wales’   TfW headquarters in Pontypridd   Transport for Wales has a new remit which will eventually include procuring and managing bus services. TfW’s future bus role is set out in a...
Rotheram’s bus plans ‘not fit for purpose’

Rotheram’s bus plans ‘not fit for purpose’

Former Stagecoach UK bus boss criticises Liverpool City Region’s bus franchising plans, citing ‘fundamental errors’ and concerns over funding   Montgomery criticised ‘19 fundamental errors’ in the bus franchising plans   Former Stagecoach UK Bus managing director Robert Montgomery has voiced strong criticism of the bus franchising plans for the Liverpool City Region, describing them...
Words matter when we debate transport

Words matter when we debate transport

  In the run up to the next general election, I ask politicians to think carefully about what they say and have a proper debate   The prime minister is allying himself with motorists   After years of wrangling, I have decided – rather boldly – to use my first Passenger Transport article to come...
End the Travelcard? What a travesty!

End the Travelcard? What a travesty!

  London’s Travelcard liberated transport users. It’s withdrawal joins ticket office closures as a big backward step by today’s politicians   This beautiful, freedom-loving ticket product must be saved   There are four things in life I’ve always found tedious and shown no interest in. The first are curtain and blinds shops, followed by horse...
‘Train beats plane on key domestic routes’

‘Train beats plane on key domestic routes’

‘Majority’ of popular domestic air trips could be completed by train more quickly and cheaply, new Campaign for Better Transport report reveals   Campaign for Better Transport says that switching just a quarter of the domestic flights featured in its report to rail would save 171,377 tonnes of carbon   The majority of the most...
Flights of fancy are fanning the flames

Flights of fancy are fanning the flames

  Aviation is becoming a real climate change problem but the government clings to the ‘jet zero’ fantasy. We need fewer flights   A forest fire in Rhodes. Scientists predict that if the world heats by 2C, these brutal heatwaves and wildfires will happen every two to five years   Many roams lead to Rhodes,...
Closing ticket offices creates challenges

Closing ticket offices creates challenges

  It’s seen as a quick financial fix, but the experience of the London Underground reveals the true cost of closing down ticket offices   We would be better off re-designing ticket offices so that they become beacons not just of the station but of the wider area   A fortnight ago it was revealed...