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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Understanding the role of immigrants

Understanding the role of immigrants

It is impossible to think about or even talk about diversifying our industry without broaching the sensitive subject of immigration   Siggy Cragwell, 83, has worked on the railway for 61 years after coming to the UK as part of the Windrush generation in 1962   By Nafisa Nathani With any discussion around diversity, we...
Go-Ahead London to run Kent’s Fastrack

Go-Ahead London to run Kent’s Fastrack

Group sees 15-year deal to operate Bus Rapid Transit system as springboard for further expansion into Kent, and plans to build a new all-electric depot   Go-Ahead is in talks to deploy a fleet of 28 brand new Irizar ie Trams on the network   Go-Ahead Group has plans to develop a network in Kent...
Railway legislation delay feels like ‘CBA’

Railway legislation delay feels like ‘CBA’

  The railway is trapped in limbo as planned reforms are held up. Meanwhile, turning around TransPennine Express is a huge task   The TPE franchise has been a poisoned chalice since Day 1   Doom and gloom, I know and yes, I’ve documented the ills of the current set-up in UK rail at length...
Intercity TOCs lead post-Covid recovery

Intercity TOCs lead post-Covid recovery

East Coast intercity operator LNER was among four TOCs to exceed 2019 patronage levels in the first quarter of 2023, but others are lagging behind   LNER, which has topped the table for franchised operators for two years running, carried 111% of the passenger numbers it did during the same period of 2019   East...
Schreyer admits Brexit impact

Schreyer admits Brexit impact

Post-Covid recruitment hindered by EU exit   Schreyer: ‘We need to attract more talent and then retain that talent’   Go-Ahead Group chief executive Christian Schreyer emphasised the effect Brexit had had on the group’s operations in the UK at last week’s UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona. He said transport operators faced similar...
Net Zero targets ‘offer huge opportunities’

Net Zero targets ‘offer huge opportunities’

Transport analyst Chris Cheek sees opportunity for enormous growth as efforts to reduce car use prompt modal shift towards public transport   Each 1% of modal shift from car to bus could bring an 1.3 billion extra bus passenger journeys   Net Zero targets offer huge opportunities for bus operators from modal shift. That was...
Let’s shout about public transport!

Let’s shout about public transport!

  Better Transport Week is a chance to celebrate the good work and enthusiasm from those involved in delivering public transport   The creation of a wonderfully updated St Pancras station, officially reopened in 2007, offered a powerful and confident statement about the future of the railway and its place in society   This year...
Ditch Wi-Fi? Their brains are buffering

Ditch Wi-Fi? Their brains are buffering

  Media reports suggesting that free Wi-Fi is set to be scrapped on trains make me question if anyone cares about business travellers   ‘Free Wi-Fi is seen as a human right’   Having written a column in this esteemed mag for 12 ½ years, you’ll understand that every now and again, the print deadline...
20 years of collaboration on the road to Zero

20 years of collaboration on the road to Zero

After two decades of hard work to decarbonise UK road transport, there’s a great deal to be proud of   There are around 2,000 zero emission buses in service in the UK today, representing around 5% of the UK’s total fleet   BY Andy Eastlake Though I’ve become less focused on birthdays (especially as I’ve...
Zemo’s work is more important than ever

Zemo’s work is more important than ever

Parliamentarians, senior civil servants, local leaders and industry say the priority now for net zero must be delivery. Zemo can help   The technology roadmap for zero emission local bus was a significant step forward   BY Claire Haigh Earlier this year the International Panel on Climate Change issued its final warning for a critical...
Setting the Net Zero standard for SMEs

Setting the Net Zero standard for SMEs

The passenger transport sector can operate at Net Zero, regardless of the size of the operator. Newport Transport is showing the way   Over the past two years, Newport Transport’s EV fleet has more than tripled in size, growing from the original 14 buses to a total of 44   BY Scott Pearson At Newport...
A route to decarbonising depots

A route to decarbonising depots

Janus Architecture has found itself at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise passenger transport     As an architectural practice with over two decades specialising in bus depots, Janus Architecture has now found itself at the forefront of the efforts to decarbonise passenger transport and introduce “cleaner bus” integration across the UK. Working with several...