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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If you come at King Car, you'd better not miss

If you come at King Car, you’d better not miss

  People are increasingly willing to hear the case for car constraint, but wishful thinking and factual argument won’t be enough   Oxford has radical plans for traffic restraint   On September 8, 2000, the Stanlow Refinery in Cheshire was blockaded by Farmers for Action protesting about the cost of fuel. Two days later fuel...
The great scenic journey opportunity

The great scenic journey opportunity

  Last month I set up ‘Great Scenic Journeys’, which will be a single, multi-modal portal to market and accredit scenic transport routes     As we brace ourselves for the coldest snap in recent memory and with rail and other strikes paralysing our nation, a travelling salesman, spiv, Del Boy or south London barrow...
Public transport is the ‘bright light of the city’

Public transport is the ‘bright light of the city’

Next June, Barcelona will host the first UITP Global Public Transport Summit in four years. We asked UITP’s secretary general, Mohamed Mezghani, about what visitors can look forward to   Mohamed Mezghani: “The sector is rebuilding … But we also know that it is redefining itself”   The UITP Global Public Transport Summit is heading...
Southampton retreat could be a ‘watershed’

Southampton retreat could be a ‘watershed’

Decision by First Bus to close its loss-making operation in the city is seen as a sign that the post-Covid era is forcing operators to act differently   First Bus is no long willing to tolerate CityRed being in the red   The announcement this week by First Bus of its intention to close its...
Stagecoach avoids penalty with free buses

Stagecoach avoids penalty with free buses

£190k penalty results from staff shortages and reliability issues     West of England traffic commissioner Kevin Rooney has ordered Stagecoach South West to provide free travel in Exeter for two weekends before Christmas at a cost of £120,000 and make provision for staff to assist and maintain information displays at the city’s bus station...
A challenging in-tray for Mark Harper

A challenging in-tray for Mark Harper

  So, we know the new transport secretary is a fan of new schemes. But will he succeed in making the case for bus and rail funding?   Mark Harper: honest, straight-talking and competent   Mark Harper’s return to ministerial office after six years in the wilderness, punctuated only by an embarrassingly unsuccessful attempt to...
Rail is reeling, but where are the buses?

Rail is reeling, but where are the buses?

  Rail strikes recently required me to search for a bus and coach alternative, but I was surprised by the paucity of available options   I’ve had nothing but positive experiences on long distance coach services   I’d never been before and had been looking forward to attending for over three years, with the pandemic...
Ignore your employees at your own peril

Ignore your employees at your own peril

What the rail industry can learn from the Yorkshire Cricket Club crisis     BY Nafisa Nathani November marks Islamophobia awareness month and with 45% of all recorded religious hate crimes offences in the UK targeted against Muslims, I thought this would be an ideal time to discuss the Yorkshire Cricket Club (YCC) scandal. Cricketer,...
Relief as Hunt commits to transport spending

Relief as Hunt commits to transport spending

The worst fears of transport professionals did not materialise this week when chancellor Jeremy Hunt made his cost-cutting Autumn Statement   Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will not be “cutting a penny” from the UK’s capital budgets over the next two years   There was tangible relief in transport circles this week when chancellor Jeremy Hunt avoided...
Blackpool wins Bus Operator of the Year

Blackpool wins Bus Operator of the Year

Council-owned operator wins coveted prize and Stagecoach tops the medal table as UK Bus Awards returns for first in-person presentation since 2019   Koli Begum, of Go-Ahead London was the gold winner for the Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver, sponsored by The Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust and TfL   Blackpool Transport is...
Zero-emission buses need a bigger plan

Zero-emission buses need a bigger plan

  It’s been a long time coming but the bus fleet is decarbonising.This transition needs all key parties to think bigger and act faster   Coventry’s buses are going all-electric   Berlin, 2013 Nine years ago I was at an event in the Schoenberg district of Berlin, in what was a gas holder and is...
There can be no refuge for bullies

There can be no refuge for bullies

  Sir Gavin Williamson stepped down this month amid accusations of bullying behaviour. Do bullies exist in the transport sector?     A week wouldn’t be a week if we didn’t have a member of parliament needing to resign for some kind of unedifying behaviour. Arise, Sir Gavin Williamson who this week fell on his...