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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Hunt is urged to show public transport love

Hunt is urged to show public transport love

Coalition of 15 charities, business and transport group writes to chancellor to make case for bus, rail and active travel ahead of next month’s budget   Alice Ridley and Michael Solomon Williams deliver the letter   A coalition of 15 charities, business and transport groups has written to chancellor Jeremy Hunt to urge him to...
Waters wanted £1 bus fare to sugar roads pill

Waters wanted £1 bus fare to sugar roads pill

Minister wanted to offer a flat fare to counterbalance his radical reshaping of roads policy, but says ‘the Truss budget has blown that out of the water’   Welsh bus passengers are witnessing further service contraction, including the loss of the C8 in Cardiff in April   Lee Waters, the Welsh Government’s deputy climate change...
Everything’s going yellow

Everything’s going yellow

  In our city regions the public sector’s natural inclination to innovate for the public good is finding an outlet in transport again   ‘Designed by you, Owned by you’.Merseyrail’s new trains   There was something different about this normally routine journey from Liverpool Central to Kirkby. Not just that it was a new train...
Buses are heading in the right direction

Buses are heading in the right direction

  It’s easy to grumble and I’m normally worse than most, but I’ve never felt so good about the bus sector in the UK – and here’s why   Electric buses in Inverness   A couple of weeks ago, I was having a few chinwags with folk from outside of the transport sector, finance bods...
Ticketing and mobility experts gather in London

Ticketing and mobility experts gather in London

Fourteenth annual Transport Ticketing Global event takes place on March 7-8     Transport Ticketing Global 2023, the world’s largest public transport event for smart ticketing and mobility professionals, returns to Olympia, London, on 7 and 8 March 2023. With a host of new speakers, interactive formats and new exhibitors, the event will showcase the...
Operators don’t favour ‘integrated contracts’

Operators don’t favour ‘integrated contracts’

MPs told suitable regulatory tools are already available   Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said he felt there was a greater role that central government could take in defining the minimum standards people could expect   Transport operators rejected suggestions from MPs on the Parliamentary Transport Select Committee last week...
Has Harper got rail on the right track?

Has Harper got rail on the right track?

  Amid all the doom and gloom, transport secretary Mark Harper outlined his positive vision for a growth-orientated railway   We have had a pilot of single leg pricing in place on some LNER journeys since 2020, and the promise is only to extend this to other parts of the LNER network   I can...
Northern gives fare dodgers the red card

Northern gives fare dodgers the red card

  I had a behind-the-scenes look at how the TOC works with Carlisle Group to clamp down on fraudulent travel across its network   Me with the Carlisle team and Jason Wade   I’m not going to lie, I knew I was on a yellow card when I was invited by Northern to spend a...
Celebrating apprenticeships

Celebrating apprenticeships

It’s National Apprenticeship Week and the passenger transport sector has been showcasing its success in delivering apprentices   Megan Cooke   As the country marks National Apprenticeship Week, key players in the passenger transport sector shed light on some of the work they have been doing to attract new talent and develop their skills. This...
A key part of our pathway to net zero

A key part of our pathway to net zero

Tracey Smyth, head of people services and talent for Stagecoach, explains the benefits of investing in the sector’s future workforce – and its role in ensuring a greener future   Former engineering apprentice James Rostill urges anyone who is thinking of making the leap into an apprenticeship to ‘just go for it’   Over the...
‘There isn’t a typical apprentice’

‘There isn’t a typical apprentice’

Amy Moore, head of apprenticeships at The Go-Ahead Group, on training the next generation   Chelsea Dash   When you hear the word ‘apprentice’, there’s a tendency to picture a recent school leaver opting for an alternative to university. But if you look around Go-Ahead’s bus and rail training academies, or visit our head office,...
Invitation to Tender: Supply of Parts for Buses and Coaches

Invitation to Tender: Supply of Parts for Buses and Coaches

  Invitation to Tender: Supply of Parts for Buses and Coaches   Rotala provides a range of transport solutions for businesses, local authorities, the public and private individuals. Rotala is running a tendering process this year for its £6m per year worth of parts it spends on maintaining its 650 vehicle fleet across its 8...