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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What’s the future for ticket offices?

What’s the future for ticket offices?

  My former boss, ‘Sir’ Michael Holden, recently caused a stir by suggesting they could be closed. A rethink is certainly required   Ticket offices aren’t always as bright and appealing as this one   That Workplace Reform discussion, which I wrote in the last issue won’t go away. My first-rate, former gaffer, Michael Holden...
Stagecoach boss planning revolution

Stagecoach boss planning revolution

Stagecoach UK managing director Carla Stockton-Jones told the Young Bus Managers Network about her strategy for the future. Andrew Garnett reports   Carla Stockton-Jones joined Stagecoach from Sky in 2020   It has been something of a baptism of fire for Carla Stockton-Jones since her appointment as Stagecoach’s UK managing director in October 2020. The...
Cornwall launches bus fares revolution

Cornwall launches bus fares revolution

Pioneering trial backed by £23.5m from the UK Government will see bus fares slashed for an initial four-year period across Cornwall’s bus network   Left to right: Linda Taylor, Simon Goff and Richard Stevens launch the bus fares pilot   Cornwall Council is promising a revolution in its bus services after the launch on April...
Wales moves to take control of bus services

Wales moves to take control of bus services

The Welsh Government is bringing forward legislation for bus franchising to create an ‘easy to use’ bus network that can challenge car dependency   Lee Waters wants to turn the tide in favour of buses   “For more than 70 years we have made it easy to travel by car and harder to travel by...
Go-Ahead strategy favours bus expansion

Go-Ahead strategy favours bus expansion

New chief executive Christian Schreyer reveals ambitious new strategy but brands existing German rail contract ‘a mistake’. Andrew Garnett reports   Schreyer: Focus on improving the next billion journeys   Recently installed Go-Ahead chief executive Christian Schreyer aims to move on from the debacle of the Southeastern rail franchise and problematic overseas contracts with an...
Another nudge in the wrong direction

Another nudge in the wrong direction

  By helping motorists and ignoring public transport users, the chancellor continued a long tradition in his Spring Statement   Chancellor Rishi Sunak was feeling so generous towards motorists that he even had himself photographed filling up the Kia car of a Sainsbury’s employee   The highlight of the recent Spring Statement was the 5p...
Workplace Reform - can we really do it?

Workplace Reform – can we really do it?

  The railway is talking about Workplace Reform, the post-Covid world demands it. But what will it look like and will it happen?   The railway needs the right people in the right place at the right time   ‘Workplace Reform’ are the two words that are on the lips of every rail industry bigwig...
‘£5bn fuel duty cut will hit public transport’

‘£5bn fuel duty cut will hit public transport’

The chancellor this week announced the biggest ever reduction in fuel duty to help motorists – but public transport campaigners are not impressed   Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a 5p a litre cut in fuel duty in this week’s spring statement   Chancellor Rishi Sunak was accused of having “pulled the rug from underneath public...
Warrington’s buses to become solar showcase

Warrington’s buses to become solar showcase

Is this the most exciting green bus project in the UK? A new depot and a new fleet of 120 electric vehicles powered by a renewable source of energy   Warrington’s Own Buses will move into a purpose built all-electric bus depot by the end of the year, with a new fleet of 120 vehicles...
Bus safety shouldn’t be an afterthought

Bus safety shouldn’t be an afterthought

  England’s National Bus Strategy dragged poor practice into the spotlight but left the bus safety regime to stagnate in the margins   Edinburgh is the only city I can think of, other than London, where the bus feels like a mass transit system used by all   The National Bus Strategy for England has...
Majority of public back bus priority measures

Majority of public back bus priority measures

New research undertaken for CPT shows local authorities that they can be bold with plans to improve bus services, while toolkit offers helpful advice   A clear majority (54%) of the general public support bus priority schemes while only 15% oppose them   Most people support measures which give buses greater priority on roads, according...
Is it still possible to ‘bus back better’?

Is it still possible to ‘bus back better’?

Matt Gamble and Neil Davies of Atkins consider how England can deliver BSIPs, Enhanced Partnerships and ZEBRAs   The welcome announcement of an extension of the Bus Recovery Grant buys some much-needed breathing space for buses   Since the original commitments and ambitions outlined in the Department for Transport’s Bus Back Better strategy, published in...