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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Levelling Up Fund gives £645m to transport

Levelling Up Fund gives £645m to transport

26 transport projects, including bus and rail schemes, received support from the second installment of the government’s Levelling Up Fund   Prime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt highlighting levelling-up investment last week   Initiatives to improve public transport were among the beneficiaries of up to £2.1bn of levelling up funding announced by the...
One in 10 buses lost as further cuts announced

One in 10 buses lost as further cuts announced

Research has found that almost one in 10 bus services were axed last year as authorities in Kent and the West of England revealed plans for more cuts   Kent County Council has scrapped some its its feeder services launched in 2019   Research by The Guardian that was published this week has found that...
A breakthrough that has taken 20 years

A breakthrough that has taken 20 years

  Over the past two decades I have witnessed urban transport policy slowly moving in the right direction. Campaigns take time   The Bee Network: The single biggest and most progressive change in local transport outside London in the last 20 years   As the clock winds down to zero on my time at Urban...
Why procurement can be problematic

Why procurement can be problematic

  Rigid processes that exclude smaller suppliers, aloof bureaucrats, the rail replacement stitch-up, timewasters – it all needs fixing   What should procurement look like at Great British Railways?   “What should procurement look like at Great British Railways?” was the question posed in a press release by its transition team last week as it...
A new direction for mobility in cities

A new direction for mobility in cities

  The way we travel is changing, accelerated by the pandemic. What are the statistics telling us and what does this mean for cities?   Change is happening in London   Many articles have been written about the future of mobility, post pandemic. Themes include: The nature and rationale of work has changed. For some...
£2 fare cap already used for millions of journeys

£2 fare cap already used for millions of journeys

Government-backed fares initiative has been embraced by more than 130 bus operators and is proving especially popular on some inter-urban routes   Stagecoach promoting the £2 fare cap   Bus users in England have already benefitted from the £2 fare cap to make millions of bus journeys following the launch of the scheme on January...
All change as franchise winners are revealed

All change as franchise winners are revealed

Go-Ahead subsidiary Go North West has been named as the winner of the first two major contracts to franchise bus services in Greater Manchester   Andy Burnham reveals the first franchise winners   The first step towards dismantling deregulation in Greater Manchester took place on December 23 when Andy Burnham, the region’s mayor, announced the...
Visit the West Midlands Rishi, but don’t fly

Visit the West Midlands Rishi, but don’t fly

  Chartering a private jet to travel from London to Leeds suggests that our airborne PM is not grounded on transport priorities   Rishi Sunak boards an RAF plane as he heads to visit a healthcare centre in Leeds   How the other 0.001% live. On Tuesday this week, we learned that the prime minister...
Railway continues to flirt with irrelevance

Railway continues to flirt with irrelevance

  Whether or not those who work in the sector know it or care, our troubled railway is fast slipping out of nation’s consciousness   A scene of pre-pandemic commuters – how many of these people still regularly use the railway?   Last year, I questioned whether there would be a time in the not...
Awareness and action will lead the change

Awareness and action will lead the change

CMAC Group has always championed women within the sector, and has conducted a selection of interviews to bring awareness to this important topic. We begin with Charlene Wallace, customer and freight director for Network Rail   Charlene Wallace   How long have you worked in the transport sector? I have worked for over 30 years...
UK Bus Awards 2022 'Big Book of Big Winners'

UK Bus Awards 2022 ‘Big Book of Big Winners’

The UK Bus Awards 2022 presentation ceremony took place in London in November, and you can read all about the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in this official Souvenir Brochure. Click on the image below to view The Big Book of Big Winners 2022.   If you are viewing the site on a tablet or...
Go-Ahead set for GM bus franchise success

Go-Ahead set for GM bus franchise success

London-based group is understood to be a big beneficiary from the first round of contracts that will see Greater Manchester’s buses franchised   The introduction of the first franchised bus services in Wigan, Bolton and Salford is expected to take place on September 17, 2023   As Passenger Transport went to press, it was understood...