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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Go-Ahead is latest to fall in bidding frenzy

Go-Ahead is latest to fall in bidding frenzy

A consortium that includes the parent company of Stagecoach’s former bus operations in New Zealand has announced a £650m takeover of Go-Ahead   The new order: a Kinetic bus in Melbourne   Go-Ahead Group this week accepted a £650m takeover bid from a consortium made up of an Australian and New Zealand bus operator and...
Coaches must grasp opportunity to shine

Coaches must grasp opportunity to shine

  I have always believed that coaches are a hugely under-rated part of the transport mix. Could a wave of rail strikes change that?   I’ve been celebrating coaches since I launched Greyhound UK in 2009   Back in 2009, I dreamt up and launched Greyhound UK with a vision of creating a nationwide, high...
How do you solve a problem like priority?

How do you solve a problem like priority?

Lancashire County Council has adopted digital bus priority as a means of improving journey times without the need for expensive infrastructure   Alchera Technologies has used pinch point analysis technology to build a business case for bus priority improvements in Lancashire   By Andrew Garnett Could there be an easier, cheaper and more effective way...
A welcome return to Paris for Euro Mobility Expo

A welcome return to Paris for Euro Mobility Expo

    By Andrew Garnett The biennial Transports Publics show was always something of an eye opener to UK eyes and a great place to see the latest European developments with a distinctly French flavour. The successor to that show, the European Mobility Expo, was sadly forced to go online in 2020 as a result...
Minister at Transport Ticketing Global event

Minister at Transport Ticketing Global event

Transport ticketing specialists will come together from across the world later this month in London   Wendy Morton MP, UK Minister of State for Transport   Transport minister Wendy Morton will present the keynote opening address live at Transport Ticketing Global in London later this month. This address follows last year’s release of the Williams-Shapps...
TfL announces major London bus shake-up

TfL announces major London bus shake-up

Plans would affect around 78 bus routes in inner and central London and see 16 completely withdrawn in response to Covid-19 emergency funding   End of the road? Route 12 is one of 16 routes facing complete withdrawal   Transport for London has announced a substantial shake-up of the capital’s bus network in central and...
Rail unions striking the wrong note

Rail unions striking the wrong note

  I want to see the jobs of rail workers protected and their pay enhanced, but the way to get there is by embracing change   An eerily quiet concourse at London Victoria. It may well be that the chill of half empty commuter trains is proving a reality check for rail workers at TOCs...
Over-budget, overdue - I’m already over it

Over-budget, overdue – I’m already over it

  The promises were broken but it’s hard to stay mad about the Elizabeth line now that it’s finally open. It really is magnificent   A quick selfie at Abbey Wood   ‘We got away with it!’ was the headline in the Metro two days after Crossrail opened, reporting on the comment by Martin Reynolds,...
Sprint at the heart of a car restraint revolution

Sprint at the heart of a car restraint revolution

The first phase of the Sprint Bus Rapid Transit corridor in the West Midlands is almost complete, and it promises to change travel behaviour   24 trambus-style hydrogen-powered vehicles will be introduced with the second phase of Sprint   By Andrew Garnett The second BRTuk Lunchtime Masterclass heard from Tom Skidmore, senior development manager Sprint...
Portsmouth becomes bus strategy showcase

Portsmouth becomes bus strategy showcase

Supported by £48m from the Department for Transport, the Bus Service Improvement Plan will fund new tickets, cut fares and speed up journeys   There will be lower fares for certain groups, valid on all First and Stagecoach buses   The city of Portsmouth could become the poster child of the government’s National Bus Strategy...
Covid recovery speed varies around world

Covid recovery speed varies around world

Building back after the pandemic was a consistent theme at last week’s IT-TRANS show, which was addressed by the boss of the Kyiv Metro   Viktor Braginsky, CEO of Kyiv Metro, gave a special address on the first day of the show   One of the first major gatherings of public transport professionals since the...
Rotala appeals GM judicial review decision

Rotala appeals GM judicial review decision

Bus group says it will challenge the rejection of its judicial review as company chairman John Gunn says it has acted to protect its business   Rotala has ‘most modern bus fleet in Greater Manchester’   Rotala has been granted leave to appeal the rejection of certain elements of its judicial review into plans by...