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)....
Latest entries
Nine bidders in line for first GM bus franchises

Nine bidders in line for first GM bus franchises

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham announces 50-bus order as bids from nine operators are evaluated ahead of award of first franchises   Bee Network will launch on September 17, 2023   Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has announced an order for 50 new double deck electric buses and revealed the Bee Network brand that will...
Lessons from Germany's 9 Euro ticket

Lessons from Germany’s 9 Euro ticket

  Germany’s 2.5bn Euro public transport pricing experiment has ended. What have we learnt from it?   Germany’s 9 Euro Ticket offered unlimited travel on local and regional public transport for just nine euros a month during June, July and August   BY Marc Bichtemann It’s been dubbed a huge success all round, and as...
Pay-as-you-drive could be popular

Pay-as-you-drive could be popular

  We must replace fuel duty as we transition to electric cars but politicians are afraid to support road pricing. They shouldn’t be   At present, people generally will fill up their tanks and not then think too closely about how far they are travelling   Last week saw the release of a ground-breaking report...
Rail is trapped in a state of paralysis

Rail is trapped in a state of paralysis

  Perennial political uncertainty is used as an excuse to do nothing while civil servants gleefully shut the door on entreprenuers     They often say the best time to invest in shares is when the market has crashed and is at rock bottom. This was broadly my sentiment when, on Friday, just after having...
Uber gets on board UK public transport

Uber gets on board UK public transport

Having transformed taxis, Uber has teamed up with National Rail, National Express and Megabus to ‘take the hassle out of booking travel’   Uber users who make coach or rail bookings on the Uber app will receive 10% of the cost of their booking back as Uber Credits   Uber has this month integrated UK...
Major improvement in public transport apps

Major improvement in public transport apps

In 2019 we researched which apps were available for public transport users and how highly they were rated – three years later things have got better   A good app cements the role of a service provider in your life and builds loyalty   BY Robert Jack How many apps do you have on your...
Lessons we can learn from Scandi cities

Lessons we can learn from Scandi cities

  Scandinavian cities are the places to go to find out what it takes to be a ‘next level’ city on climate. Here’s what I learnt in Malmo   A snapshot of a residential area of Malmo   Scandi cities like Malmo are the hope of the world on climate. Sure they are doing all...
I’m the proud father of a young bus user!

I’m the proud father of a young bus user!

  My youngest child, Sienna,has embraced the bus as the tool to help her expand her horizons. I hope it becomes a lifetime habit   We need to find more young bus users, and keep them   We may have finally cracked it! My 16-year-old daughter Sienna is a bus convert! Last week she passed...
Taking public transport in a new direction?

Taking public transport in a new direction?

Boris Johnson put public transport at the heart of his domestic agenda. Liz Truss and her new transport secretary are being urged to keep up support   Anne-Marie Trevelyan, pictured at the wheel of an Alexander Dennis bus at last year’s COP 26 climate summit   Anne-Marie Trevelyan was this week appointed as secretary of...
McGill’s buys First Scotland East business

McGill’s buys First Scotland East business

UK’s largest independent bus group expands again   McGill’s was already the largest independent bus operator in the UK   First Bus has agreed to sell its First Scotland East business and all its routes in the region to McGill’s Group. The sale, which will complete later this month, includes all First Bus depots in...
‘Sustainable travel zone’ to fund better buses

‘Sustainable travel zone’ to fund better buses

Greater Cambridge Partnership reveals plans for expanded bus network and capped fares that would be funded by a new congestion charge   Greater Cambridge Partnership plans more frequent bus services   The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) has published ambitious proposals for congestion charging to help fund a range of significant improvements to local buses. GCP...
A chill wind for public transport?

A chill wind for public transport?

  The wait is over and we now have a new prime minister and a new secretary of state. What does this mean for the transport agenda?   Liz Truss speaking outside Downing Street after becoming prime minister   So we do indeed have Liz Truss as the new prime minister, as I predicted in...