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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A car-free future for visitor attractions

A car-free future for visitor attractions

  Not owning a car, or not wanting to use one, can make it difficult to get to tourist destinations. Good Journey wants to change that   Good Journey is bridging the gap between the public transport sector and visitor attractions   Is this the ultimate no brainer? Everyone agrees that leisure traffic is the...
Should transport control its Linekers?

Should transport control its Linekers?

  It’s a balancing act between transport employees respecting their employers online but not being limited to a corporate sales pitch   What do you lot make of the Gary Lineker shenanigans this month? I’ll be honest, there’s times when I think he’s like one of those smug old school rail bigwigs that have outstayed...
On-track for continued growth

On-track for continued growth

LNER has plans to welcome even more customers back to rail and continue passenger growth   Over the six months between April and September LNER carried 6% more passengers than in the same months in 2019   By David Horne Figures published last week by the Office of Rail and Road showed that the number...
A twin-track approach for success

A twin-track approach for success

We must ensure that the long-term rail reform agenda stays on course while taking immediate action to bring customers back   It’s no coincidence that operators like Grand Central have been more successful than their contracted counterparts in winning customers   By David Brown The railway finds itself at a critical point and it has...
Burnham - make fares  a general election issue

Burnham – make fares a general election issue

Greater Manchester mayor wants more recognition of the huge societal benefits that public transport offers, and the case for providing subsidy   Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham at this week’s Transport for the North annual conference in Newcastle   Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has urged all political parties to make the cost of using...
Liverpool City Region pushes franchise plans

Liverpool City Region pushes franchise plans

Combined authority members ratify plans by mayor Steve Rotheram to launch a consultation over the summer into plans to franchise region’s buses   It is proposed the first franchised bus services could commence in September 2026   Members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last week approved a formal public consultation launch after May’s...
Rail travel - the  price is not right

Rail travel – the price is not right

  Rail fares must be as affordable as possible, and airlines should be required to display their ‘true’ journey times and CO2 impact   Domestic aviation produces 80g of CO2 per mile whereas the equivalent figure for rail is 24.6g   Another year, another big hike in rail fares. This year’s hike of 5.9% is...
The pros and cons of consultancy

The pros and cons of consultancy

  Invaluable professional help or con artists charging extortionate day rates? Our sector needs consultants, but they must play fair   When I first started undertaking consultancy 12 years ago, a wise old lag in the same game, told me that the “market for free consultancy is endless” and that, as a consultant, “you’ll get...
A mission to advance women in transport

A mission to advance women in transport

Since 2005, Women in Transport has grown from a small group to one that now has 1,200 members     By Sonya Byers Women in Transport is a non profit with a mission to advance women working in transport – but we’re open to everyone. In 2005, a small group of passionate volunteers created a...
We need to widen our perspectives

We need to widen our perspectives

Deprioritising the perspectives of minority women to a footnote in the story of female gender empowerment can feel stifling   Rezwana Khanom is training to become a driver with Southern   By Nafisa Nathani The Interational Women’s Day 2023 campaign theme - #EmbraceEquity – seeks to get the world talking about why “equal opportunities are no longer enough” – and...
Coming together to ‘get things moving’

Coming together to ‘get things moving’

Women in Transport’s Diversity & Inclusion Bus Group continues to grow – and so does its solid progress in making change happen   Go-Ahead London is doing excellent work with its apprenticeships. Pictured: trainee driver Chelsea Dash   By Chloe Leach-O’Connell Let’s go back to 2019, to this very publication, Passenger Transport, when I wrote...
Supporting women to achieve their goals

Supporting women to achieve their goals

Abellio is making a real difference within the industry by helping women to become leaders at every level of the business   Women represent over 30% of Abellio’s operations management teams, and 50% amongst the senior operations managers   By Lorna Murphy On International Women’s Day it is incredibly exciting to celebrate the contribution of...