Passenger Transport: February 23, 2024

FO EV RT ER NI Y GH T

ISSUE 307 23 FEBRUARY 2024

NEWS, VIEWS AND ANALYSIS FOR A SECTOR ON THE MOVE

North-south divide in bus network recovery

DfT figures show bus use recovering fastest in the South East and East of England - contrasting with weaker growth, and even decline, in the North Analysis of the latest bus statistics for England from the Department for Transport shows a north-south divide is emerging in the post-pandemic recovery of local bus networks.

The statistics go up to the end of March 2023 so they do not show the full impact of the goverment-funded £2 fare cap introduced across England (outside of London) in January 2023, a policy intended to attract more people to use bus services.

However, they reveal stark differences in the fortunes of local bus services in different parts of the country.

In the year to March 2023, the

biggest increases in bus use were in local authority areas in the South East and East of England.

In contrast, the three areas that saw bus use fall over that period are all in the North.

This contradicts the ambitions HIGHEST GROWTH: Thurrock (+47.1%), Cambridgeshire (+39.5%), Surrey (+39.4%), Central Bedfordshire (+36.4%), Herefordshire (+36.4%) LOWEST GROWTH: Blackburn with Darwen (-7.1%), East Riding of Yorkshire (-6.7%), Durham (-3.4%), Rutland (0.0%), North East Lincolnshire (+3.8%)

of the government’s National Bus Strategy for England, published in March 2021, which then prime minister Boris Johnson declared: “As we build back from the pandemic, better buses will be one of our major acts of levelling-up.”

Across England as a whole, passenger journeys on local bus services increased by 19.3% over the year to March 31, 2023, but numbers were still 21.5% below pre-pandemic levels.

The strongest growth was in the East of England (+25.5%) and the South East (+23.5%) whereas the weakest growth was in the North East (+13.7%) and Yorkshire and Humber (+15.1%).

NEWS

Draft Rail Reform Bill is finally here

06

Legislation published - but is it too late?

NET ZERO

Trial ‘could transform UK railway’

11

GWR’s FastCharge begins new test

INNOVATION & TECH

Passenger aims to fix bus fares mystery

12

Fares finder added to mobile app product

TRANSPORT TICKETING

The Transport Ticketing Revolution

18

The projects that are transforming travel

ONES TO WATCH 2024

LOST Group’s ‘Ones to Watch’ ELECTRIFYING VISIT Prime minister Rishi Sunak welcomed progress towards transitioning to government-backed zero emission electric buses during a visit to The Harrogate Bus Company, a subsidiary of Transdev, on February 12

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24

A look at some of the industry’s top talent

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CONTENTS

PASSENGER TRANSPORT PO Box 5496, Westbury BA13 9BX 020 3950 8000 editorial@passengertransport.co.uk

Big challenges to revive stalling public transport It seems unlikely that public transport will be a very important issue for the forthcoming general election, which we expect to occur some time this year, but this will be a very important election for public transport. Key agendas to reform and revive Robert Jack buses and trains appear to be stalling and this may Managing Editor be another year of treading water.

This week saw the government finally present its Rail Reform Bill.

Rail minister Huw Merriman gave a good performance at this week’s George Bradshaw Address in London, appearing alongside shadow rail minister Stephen Morgan. But he looked uncomfortable when challenged about whether this legislation will be enacted this side of the yet-to-be-declared general election. No-one seems to think it will.

Meanwhile, analysis by Passenger Transport of the latest bus statistics from the Department for Transport suggests that buses have not been one of the government’s “major acts of levelling-up”, as promised by the National Bus Strategy for England. In fact, a divide appears to be opening up between buoyant bus networks in the affluent south (a good news story, of course!) and those in many ‘Red Wall’ areas. The prime minister visited Harrogate earlier this month to see the progress towards zero emission buses - but the problem for a growing number of places is that they have zero buses.

The reasons for this are many and varied, and there are no easy fixes.

The next government faces enormous challenges.

HAVE YOUR SAY Contact us with your news, views and opinion at: editorial@passengertransport.co.uk PASSENGER TRANSPORT editorial@passengertransport.co.uk forename.surname@ passengertransport.co.uk Telephone: 020 3950 8000 Managing Editor & Publisher Robert Jack Deputy Editor Andrew Garnett Contributing Writer Rhodri Clark Directors Chris Cheek, Andrew Garnett, Robert Jack OFFICE CONTACT DETAILS Passenger Transport Publishing Ltd PO Box 5496, Westbury BA13 9BX, UNITED KINGDOM Telephone (all enquiries): 020 3950 8000

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IN THIS ISSUE 04

BEE NETWORK USERS ASKED TO BE PATIENT

Greater Manchester transport commissioner Vernon Everitt has urged bus users to remain patient as the second phase of the Bee Network launches on March 24. He said it would take time for the new regime to ‘bed down’.

ORGANISATION

PAGE

Adventure Travel 9 Arriva London 7 Brighton & Hove Buses 5 Bus Users UK 5 Cardiff Bus 9 CMAC Group 5 ComfortDelGro 5, 9 Diamond Bus 4 Eastbourne Sightseeing 5 Edwards Coaches 9 Eve Coaches 5 First Cymru 9 First Manchester 4 Go-Ahead Group 5 Great British Railways 6 Harris Coaches 9 Harrogate Bus Company 1 Keepings Coaches 9 London Overground 7 Lothian Buses 5 Metroline 7 Newport Bus 9 Peter’s Minibus Hire 9 Phil Anslow Travel 9 Rail Partners 6 Railway Industry Association 6 Rotala 4 SPT 8 Stagecoach East 5 Stagecoach London 7 Stagecoach Manchester 4 Stagecoach South Wales 9 Thomas of Rhondda 9 Transdev Blazefield 1 Transport for Greater Manchester 4 Transport for London 7 Transport UK London Bus 7 Young Bus Professionals 5

14

OUR INDUSTRY BOASTS A WEALTH OF TALENT

16

THE SHOP WINDOW FOR BETTER BUS TRAVEL?

33

COMMITTEE USED AS DELAYING TACTIC

This edition features LOST Group’s ‘Ones to Watch 2024’. Alex Warner says it was exhausting to put the list together - but the end result is inspiring. “This industry, despite its current travails, is bulging with talent,” he adds.

Improvements to the bus stop user experience are welcome, but some new designs have the potential to create problems says Nick Richardson. “The humble bus stop varies in quality from being attractive as well as functional to awful and neglected,” he adds.

Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the Department for Transport.

“The committee process could all too easily take us well into the summer before anything is concluded.”

REGULARS NEWS NET ZERO INNOVATION & TECH COMMENT GRUMBLES CAREERS DIVERSIONS

04 11 12 14 33 34 36

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NEWS ROUND-UP

Bee Network users asked to be patient Vernon Everitt asks passengers to ‘bear with us’ ahead of launch REGULATION

Greater Manchester transport commissioner Vernon Everitt has urged bus users to remain patient as the second phase of the franchised Bee Network is set to launch on March 24.

This phase will cover Oldham, Rochdale, and parts of Bury, Salford, and north Manchester and affects a total of 136 local bus routes. The majority of these routes will be operated by Stagecoach Manchester, while First Bus and Rotala’s Diamond Bus operation will handle a smaller number of contracts.

With the addition of these routes to the existing 188 from phase one, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) estimates that 50% of the region’s buses will be franchised and managed as part of the Bee Network.

STOCKPORT OPENING DATE

New interchange offers significant improvements

Bee Network’s next phase launches on March 24

Phase two of the Bee Network brings key improvements, including integrated ticketing, expanded early and late services, and enhanced connections to first and last trams. TfGM has committed to reversing frequency reductions introduced by commercial operators over the past year. Additionally, plans are underway to enhance routes with performance issues through

New interchange scheduled to open on March 17

measures such as extra buses on standby, timetable adjustments, and reviews of road junctions and traffic light phasing to optimise bus flow at key junctions. A total of 50 new zero-emission buses and 84 new Euro 6 buses will be introduced in phase two areas in the coming months.

Everitt, mindful of the disruption encountered during the first phase rollout, has asked

passengers to be patient.

“Overnight changes of this magnitude involving the handover of numerous routes, vehicles and depots between operators is a complex process, so we also ask passengers to bear with us in the early days while the new arrangements bed down,” he said.

Everitt added TfGM is considering the introduction of night bus services on a pilot basis.

These services aim to support individuals working in the nighttime economy or those with shifts starting or ending in the early hours of the morning.

“It’s important people have a safe and cost-effective way of getting to and from work when they need it. Greater Manchester is a 24-hour city and should have a public transport system to match that,” he added.

Everitt acknowledged that there is still work to be done to enhance the performance of phase two services. “Next month marks the beginning of a journey of continuous improvement, which will be the primary focus for Transport for Greater Manchester and our new bus operators in the months ahead,” he added.

FUNDING REQUEST FOR NEW BUSES TfGM plans a further 94 zero-emission buses

FACILITIES

FUNDING

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced Stockport’s new transport interchange will open on March 17. The improved facility has 18 bus stands and the capacity for 164 bus departures each hour.

The project has been delivered by a partnership of TfGM, Stockport Council, Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation, the combined authority, Homes England and private sector partners.

Transport for Greater Manchester was this week seeking approval from the combined authority’s Bee Network Committee to draw down £20.8m from the region’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement allocation to purchase a further 94 zero-emission buses.

The buses will replace conventional diesel buses being run by the operators of the first two tranches of Bee Network contracts.

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www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“This problem will exist whatever model is used to deliver bus services”

Operators highlight congestion impact CP Bus Alliance chair calls for effective partnership working RELIABILITY

Bus operators in the east of England have raised concerns about the detrimental impact of congestion on the region’s bus services, with Cambridge and Peterborough being particularly affected.

David Boden, Stagecoach East’s business development director and chair of the CP Bus Alliance, stressed the difference between reliability and punctuality. While bus operators ensure reliability by providing buses and drivers, punctuality is hindered by increasing traffic congestion.

“Congestion also forces us to make the very reluctant decision to cancel journeys in order to

COMFORTDELGRO BUYS CMAC GROUP Deal aims to expand group’s global presence ACQUISITIONS

CMAC Group has been acquired

by ComfortDelGro through its subsidiary CityFleet Networks. CMAC operates in six European countries, managing journeys for nearly three million travelers annually and providing transfers through its Suntransfers brand.

The acquisition aligns with ComfortDelGro’s strategy to expand its point-to-point mobility services, increasing its global presence to 12 countries. CMAC will maintain operational independence under its current leadership, including CEO Peter Slater. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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get buses back on time, which challenges the confidence which loyal customers have in our collective efforts: elected officials, council officers and bus operators,” he said.

“This problem will exist whatever model is used to deliver bus services: enhanced partnership or franchising. And, if we cannot get real progress on this soon, it puts at risk all of the hard work we are all doing, and will do nothing to attract new customers to use bus services.”

Boden said it was clear congestion was having a marked effect on the reliability of public transport locally.

He continued: “Last week I happened to be following the progress of our Route 8 service from Cottenham to Cambridge during the afternoon rush hour.

This ought to take just 33 minutes to complete its journey - in the end it took 73 minutes.

Likewise, one of our Route 13 services from Cambridge to Haverhill, which should have taken 52 minutes actually took over an hour and a half.”

Boden claimed other operators in the CP Bus Alliance would have similar stories to tell and called on elected officials to do more to tackle the problem, in particular improved collaboration with utility companies and more effective parking enforcement.

“Success in bus operations is achievable... where bus operators and local authorities work together for those twin goals of high quality bus service delivery, supported by public policies that are designed to promote, encourage and support bus use,” he said.

Bus Users launches Manifesto for Buses Call for communities to be at heart of planning GENERAL ELECTION

With a General Election on the horizon, Bus Users UK has urged whichever party is elected to prioritise bus services.

Its new Manifesto for Bus Services calls for communities to be placed at the forefront of transport planning, backed by sustainable, long-term funding.

Key manifesto elements include greater bus priority, improved accessibility, integration with other transport

modes, and alignment of routes with housing, education, employment, and healthcare.

Additionally, Bus Users has called for simplified fares, lifting restrictions on concessionary passes and placing socially necessary bus service provision on a statutory footing.

Claire Walters, chief executive of Bus Users, said bus services had been failed by transport policy that “consistently favours the private car regardless of the social, environmental and economic cost”.

IN BRIEF LOTHIAN PATRONAGE GROWTH Patronage at Lothian Buses surged by over 17%, reaching 110 million last year, from 94 million in 2022. Managing director Sarah Boyd said she was pleased by the increase in passenger numbers despite facing continued operational challenges across the network.

LOTHIAN ACQUISITION Lothian Buses has acquired East Lothian coach operator Eve Coaches, based in Dunbar, to enhance its coach and tours operation. Post-acquisition, Lothian plans to maintain the Eve Coaches brand, operating its various services including local bus services, private hire work and school routes.

GO-AHEAD’S OPEN TOP BUY Go-Ahead agreed to acquire Eastbourne Sightseeing, an operator of scenic bus tours in Eastbourne, Beachy Head, Birling Gap, and nearby areas. Following the transaction, the business will become part of Brighton & Hove, expanding the group’s presence in the East Sussex area.

Eastbourne Sightseeing runs nine open-top vehicles from a base at Ringmer, near Lewes.

YOUNG BUS PROFESSIONALS Young Bus Professionals, formerly known as the Young Bus Manager’s Network, has announced its next conference will be held in Glasgow on March 21-22. Speakers include McGill’s chief executive Ralph Roberts; Andrew Jarvis from First Bus; Fiona Doherty from Stagecoach West Scotland; and Simone Smith from Scottish Citylink and Megabus. More details at youngbusprofessionals.org.uk.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

Draft Rail Reform Bill is finally published Government presents draft bill which would pave the way for sector’s ‘guiding mind’ but it remains to be seen whether it will progress GREAT BRITISH RAILWAYS

The government this week presented a draft bill outlining the future of the railways. It seeks to pave the way for Great British Railways (GBR), which will act as the ‘guiding mind’ envisaged in the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail.

The Rail Reform Bill proposes to transfer powers to let contracts - or franchises as the document refers to them - from the secretary of state to the new arms-length Integrated Rail Body (IRB), or GBR. The Bill envisages that rather than creating a new entity, Network Rail will become GBR and GBR’s responsibilities will be transferred to it.

The government said GBR will bring together responsibility for both rail infrastructure and services. It continued: “This will provide clearer lines of

accountability and help build a more modern and financially secure sector and a network that is more adaptable and more efficient.”

Ministers said this would create a “whole-system approach that will drive financial efficiency” and the reforms will improve connectivity and choice for passengers, including by encouraging private sector openaccess operators.

Scottish and Welsh ministers will retain their existing devolved responsibilities. However, they have the option to delegate contracting authority to the GBR to integrate track and train services across Great Britain if they choose to do so.

“It’s been nearly 200 years since the birth of the British railways and with travel patterns

Industry welcomes Draft Rail Reform Bill Broad support but calls for accelerated process The rail industry has broadly welcomed the publication of the draft Rail Reform Bill.

Andy Bagnell, chief executive of Rail Partners, said it was a usefiul step forward and he welcomed the draft legislation as it clearly recognised that train operators add significant value to passengers and freight.

“Rail reform doesn’t have

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to be a binary choice between a monopoly railway in public hands and franchising,” he said.

“We must embrace the ‘best of both worlds’, focusing the system outwards on customers by empowering operators to meet their needs, but also creating a single accountable body so the public knows who is in charge.

“While not a substitute for

having significantly changed over the last few years, it is now more important than ever that they keep up with the changing times,” said transport secretary Mark Harper. “This draft bill demonstrates our commitment to reforming the railways - working with industry, we will move towards a more modern and financially secure rail network that delivers for passengers for the next 200 years, too.”

The draft Rail Reform Bill will now undergo pre-legislative scrutiny, but it remains to be seen whether it progresses anywhere before the general election.

As Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary noted: “It is fitting that the Conservative’s flagship rail reform plan has arrived so late, it has no prospect of ever becoming law.”

legislation, the draft bill kicks off an important process to identify areas of consensus and disagreement between the political parties ahead of a general election.”

Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association, urged the government to “accelerate the legislative process”. “The faster the government pushes on with rail reform the faster we can remove uncertainty and get on with building a vibrant and world-class railway,” he added.

INDUSTRY SEEKS ‘BEST OF BOTH’

‘Manifesto for Rail’ sets out five-point plan for politicians STRUCTURE

Rail Partners has unveiled a comprehensive Manifesto for Rail, targeting the post-Covid recovery of rail and continuing uncertainty surrounding the structure of the industry ahead of the forthcoming general election.

The document sets out a ‘best of both worlds’ approach to rail reform - giving private train operating companies the ability to respond to passenger and freight customer needs, as well as ensuring a single point of public accountability for the railway’s performance.

The five elements of the plan outlined in the manifesto are: Empower rail operators to prioritise customers and financial sustainability by revamping contractual models and removing commercial decisions from Whitehall; Foster competition among operators to enhance connectivity, particularly on long-distance routes, including open access operations that stimulate intercity competition and drive down fares; Streamline fare structures to offer customers optimal value, implementing user-friendly digital ticketing systems and expanding ‘tap-in-tap-out’ capabilities; Promote rail freight as the environmentally friendly choice by investing in infrastructure and incentivising its use over road; and Establish a transparent, publicly accountable railway oversight body to ensure customer-centric decisionmaking and operational efficiency.

Rail Partners chief executive Andy Bagnall said: “Our Manifesto for Rail is a five point plan. It gives whoever forms the next government a clear set of priorities to deliver reform and put the railways back on track to growth.” www.passengertransport.co.uk

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ut ns

Stagecoach set to quit biggest bus garage Operator confirms it is in discussions to quit West Ham Garage FACILITIES

Stagecoach London has announced it is considering the closure of its West Ham Garage, confirming longstanding industry rumours. Confirmation of the plans came through a message on Stagecoach’s internal Blink employee app regarding Transport for London tender awards.

Informed sources have suggested that the purchase of HCT Group’s London bus operations and Tower Transit’s Lea Interchange facility in recent years, coupled with the rent levied by landlord Transport for London to use the garage, have hastened the decision to quit.

A spokesperson for Stagecoach London confirmed to Passenger Transport that closure was on the cards. “We are in discussions with the trade union on plans to move

NAMES CHOSEN FOR OVERGROUND Move aims to make it easier to navigate network BRANDING

Transport for London has announced the six London Overground lines are to be given a unique name and line colour on the TfL map. The change aims to make it easier for passengers to navigate the transport network while the name also celebrate “the city’s diverse culture and history”.

Each of the new names has been chosen following engagement with stakeholders, customers, historians, industry experts and communities. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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our operation from West Ham garage to Lea Interchange in the near future,” they said. “These are ongoing discussions however, in the meantime individual routes may move between locations.

“We do not plan to make job cuts and there will be no service changes to customers.”

West Ham Garage opened in early 2008, replacing Stagecoach London’s Stratford and Waterden Road garages, which closed for the redevelopment of their

West Ham Garage opened in 2008

The new names are: Lioness Line: Euston to Watford Junction. Honours the England women’s football team, inspiring women and girls in sport; Mildmay Line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction.

Honours the charitable Mildmay Hospital in Shoreditch, its role in the HIV/AIDS crisis and the respect it has amongst the LGBT community; Windrush Line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon.

Honours Caribbean communities in Dalston, Peckham Rye, West Croydon, and the Windrush generation; Weaver Line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford.

sites for the 2012 Olympic Games. With a capacity for 350 buses, it stands as the most environmentally sustainable bus depot in the UK and is reputed to be one of Europe’s largest.

Despite this, Stagecoach London’s peak vehicle requirement at West Ham has dwindled to around 90 buses at present. The garage also serves as the operator’s head office and training school.

TfL has sought to repurpose surplus parts of the garage, relocating the famous lost property office from South Kensington in late 2023. It has also been used to store some new Docklands Light Railway rolling stock on a temporary basis prior to delivery.

TfL has not disclosed its plans for the garage following Stagecoach’s departure, but residential redevelopment of at least some of the site appears plausible.

Celebrates the textile trade and migrant communities in Liverpool Street, Spitalfields, Bethnal Green, and Hackney; Suffragette Line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside. Celebrates the East End’s suffragette movement, honouring Annie Huggett in Barking; and Liberty Line: Romford to Upminster. Celebrates the historical independence of Havering residents.

“These new names and line colours will simplify the maps and routes for our customers,” said London transport commissioner Andy Lord.

“It is also a great way to tell the stories of some important parts of London’s cultural diversity.”

IN BRIEF TENDER RESULTS Transport for London has awarded new contracts for four bus routes in the capital. Metroline retains contracts for Routes 90 (Northolt - Feltham), 222 (Uxbridge - Hounslow), and H13 (St Vincent’s Park - Ruislip Lido), while Stagecoach retains the contract for Route 323 (Canning Town Station - Mile End). Route 90 will feature new electric double deckers, with the remaining routes using existing vehicles.

MORE STEP-FREE TUBE ACCESS Transport for London will resume work to make Northolt station on the West Ruislip branch of the Central line step-free, paused during the pandemic.

Additionally, design work will begin to make North Acton on the Central line and West Hampstead on the Jubilee line step-free, addressing capacity constraints.

YOUTH REPRESENTATION This week, Transport for London became one of the first UK transport organisations to regularly include individuals under 25 in senior meetings. A member of the TfL Youth Panel now represents young Londoners’ views at quarterly Safety, Sustainability, Human Resources Panel (SSHRP), and Customer Service, Operational Performance Panel (CSOPP) meetings.

TRANSPORT UK ON THE 133 Transport UK London Bus (formerly Abellio) has taken over Routes 133 and N133, previously operated by Arriva London. The routes will operate from the Battersea depot using existing vehicles initially, with new Wrightbus Electroliners scheduled to be introduced by summer.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

Bus Partnership Fund not dead yet - minister Scottish Government decided not to allocate any money to fund in 2024/25 but minister hopes to support it in future years. Rhodri Clark reports FUNDING

A Scottish Government minister has generated fresh hope that the Bus Partnership Fund has not been killed off, despite the government allocating no money to the fund for 2024/25.

The Bus Partnership Fund was launched to acclaim in 2020 as a £500m programme of improving bus priority across Scotland. So far only about £27m of it has been spent. One of the early beneficiaries is Aberdeen, where new bus gates and associated changes to road layouts improved bus punctuality for a million passengers in only the first two months.

Bus operators were dismayed when the government revealed there was no money for the BPF in its budget for the next financial year (PT305). Recently MSPs have been highlighting the situation and the government’s removal of capital funding for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport.

On February 8, Conservative MSP Graham Simpson said in the Scottish Parliament that the SPT cut would affect Glasgow Subway modernisation, the park and ride element of the East Kilbride rail enhancement and the Lanark transport interchange.

“The Scottish Government’s budget will impact on our ability to improve public transport and to get people out of their cars and on to it,” he continued.

“There are other examples. The Bus Partnership Fund is being cut - again to zero. That is the 08 | 23 February 2024 PT307p04-09.indd 8

fund that pays for infrastructure, thereby allowing buses to move around more easily and quickly.

“The Scottish Government says that it wants to cut the extent to which we travel in cars.

Well, it could have fooled me.”

Màiri McAllan, cabinet secretary for transport, net zero and just transition, was asked about “zeroing” the fund’s budget at a recent Holyrood committee session. She replied: “Given the settlement that I faced, my responsibility to the transport network had to be, first and foremost, to keep services running, to keep the network reliable and to keep it safe. To a degree, funds such as the Bus Partnership Fund are additional to the question of keeping the

transport system running.

“Although we were able to allocate funding to important parts of the bus network - concessionary fares, the Network Support Grant and the Community Bus Fund regrettably I was not able to fund the Bus Partnership Fund in this financial year.

“That is not to say that I will not continue my support for it in future years, because I absolutely acknowledge its value. I clarify that we will continue to fund any projects that are currently under construction, and we will complete any appraisal work that could lead to future investment. However, for this year, with this settlement and, principally, a near 10% cut in my capital budget from the UK Government, I cannot afford it.”

“This is a pause. I will work as hard as I can to return sums to the fund in future years”

Màiri McAllan, cabinet secretary for transport

Aberdeen’s new bus gates have improved bus punctuality

Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden was dissatisfied with her answer. “It is not just about keeping the lights on and keeping things running,” he said. “It is about making public transport better in order to encourage more people to use public transport, which will create the modal shift that we are all looking for. By cutting those types of budgets, we will go backwards.”

Green MSP Mark Ruskell asked whether authorities should continue to develop Bus Partnership Fund schemes, and commented that it had taken them time to work through NIMBY objections. McAllan said: “This is a pause. I will work as hard as I can to return sums to the fund in future years.

“I mentioned that we will continue to fund appraisal work, which could lead to those investments in future. I think that that is partly what you are talking about. To the extent that local authorities are able to continue to do that work, I would of course welcome that, but I understand that the fund was important to them in that respect.”

The budget leaves SPT having to cover its Subway modernisation obligations next year from its own sources, while hoping that the government will keep to its side of the bargain after 2024/25. The overall modernisation project is estimated to cost £288m, of which the government is expected to provide £246m. The Subway’s first new trains entered service in December but more work is needed on the infrastructure.

Questioned in Holyrood about the Subway funding, transport minister Fiona Hyslop said: “The Scottish Government has provided £154.3m to date, and it remains committed to providing £246m of funding towards the programme.” www.passengertransport.co.uk

21/02/2024 15:18

Welsh SMEs fear pre-franchising purge Smaller operators accuse larger rivals of consolidating territory FRANCHISING

There are new fears for the future of family-owned bus companies in Wales because larger rivals are benefiting from a major recast of bus services.

The Welsh Government has previously said that its plans for the public sector to control buses - eventually through London-style franchises - would support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enable them to grow, keeping profits in the Welsh economy.

The first stage in that process is the transition on April 1 from the government’s pandemicera emergency support to the new Bus Network Grant, administered by the 22 unitary authorities. Many services which operated commercially before the pandemic now require BNG support, due to rising costs and reduced passenger numbers.

Councils have also re-tendered services which were already subsidised before 2020.

Details of the new contracts have not yet emerged for all areas, but Stagecoach South Wales will take over services currently provided by various companies, including Phil Anslow Travel, Harris Coaches, Peter’s Minibus Hire, Thomas of Rhondda and Keepings Coaches.

In West Wales, Bysiau Cwm Taf will disappear from several routes on March 31, including those from Haverfordwest to Carmarthen, Tenby and Pembroke Dock. First Cymru has won at least two of the www.passengertransport.co.uk

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contracts.

Bucking the trend, Adventure Travel - owned by Singapore’s ComfortDelGro - has lost many routes in the Welsh tendering process, some to Stagecoach, First Cymru, Newport Bus and Cardiff Bus but also six to family-owned Edwards Coaches and Harris Coaches.

The Coach and Bus Association Cymru (CaBAC), representing smaller operators, claims that large companies may have submitted low-priced bids in order to consolidate territory ahead of Wales-wide franchising of bus services, which the Welsh Government is committed to introducing.

Bev Fowles, vice-chair of CaBAC, said of the large companies: “They’ve got massive resources and are giving

“We were given assurances that small operators would be given protection.

Fat chance” Bev Fowles, CaBAC

Stagecoach will replace Harris Coaches on route H, Caerphilly to Graig-y-Rhacca

everybody a caning. They can take the contracts by the scruff of the neck - it’s only three years of living with it all and then nobody will be around to put in [rival bids] for the franchise.

“The Welsh Government knew this would happen. They were warned about it by CaBAC. We were given assurances that small operators would be given protection. Fat chance.”

He said that family-owned companies could not afford to take risks by offering low prices for contracts which could become loss-making over the next three to five years. He claimed that deep down, people in the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales wanted the big companies to be more dominant. “It’s easier for them to deal with a small number of large operators.”

Fowles, who earlier in his career was involved in London bus franchising, said it was always easier to win franchise contracts on home soil than to break into new markets. “If you can annihilate your competitor in the first round [of bidding], he’s not there for the later rounds.”

Passenger Transport asked the Welsh Government whether it accepted these claims, why it did not put in place SME safeguards for the tendering process, and what measures it would implement to help SMEs survive until bus services are franchised.

The government responded: “It is the responsibility of local authorities to tender for bus services. We will continue to engage with the industry on the details of our plans for bus franchising.”

ANOTHER WELSH RURAL BUS ROUTE GOES ELECTRIC T22 TrawsCymru route follows T1 switch ZERO EMISSION BUSES

Another rural bus route in Wales has received Yutong electric vehicles, with the launch on February 12 of the T22 TrawsCymru service between Blaenau Ffestiniog, Porthmadog and Caernarfon. The T22 offers a much improved timetable compared with the previous services. The innovation follows strong passenger growth since the introduction of electric buses on the T1 TrawsCymru route between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen last year.

The T22 was announced by the Welsh Government in October 2020.

Difficulties with securing a suitable site for a depot were eventually resolved by fencing off part of a Porthmadog car park and installing two chargers. Two of the six electric buses announced for the Blaenau Ffestiniog area in October 2020 have been transferred to the T7 Chepstow to Bristol route, where the stop-start running through Bristol’s streets and Clean Air Zone is more typical of the areas where electric buses are usually deployed.

The T1 order included additional vehicles because the battery range is insufficient for more than one return trip. The T22 route is considerably shorter than the T1 route and TfW expects the T22’s Yutong vehicles to perform at least two return trips on a single charge. Despite the higher cost of electrifying long-distance bus routes compared with urban ones, the Welsh Government will focus its zeroemission bus funding on the rest of the TrawsCymru network as a priority.

Its targets are to cease TrawsCymru diesel operation by 2026, and then convert the “worst 50%” of Welsh services to zero emission by 2028 and 100% by 2040.

23 February 2024 | 09

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21/02/2024 15:51

“Each branch line will vary but this is an incredibly exciting innovation”Dr Simon Green

NET ZERO

FastCharge trial ‘could transform UK railway’ GWR-led trial could offer solution to UK’s branch lines DECARBONISATION

Great Western Railway says that its FastCharge technology can transform the UK’s railway as it begins a battery trial designed to help the future decarbonisation of branch line services.

FastCharge has been developed over the past three years to solve the problem of delivering reliable, battery-only trains capable of fulfilling timetable services on branch lines, eliminating the use of diesel traction.

At West Ealing, where the technology will be trialled in a real-world environment for the first time this spring, the train will charge for just three and a half minutes before restarting its journey on the Greenford branch line. It will run in non-passenger service alongside scheduled passenger services.

STAGECOACH WINS ‘A-’ RATING Significantly above the average for the sector BENCHMARKING

Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator, has ranked higher than any other in the road transport group globally in the latest external assessment of company performance on addressing climate change.

The operator achieved an ‘A-’ rating from CDP, significantly above the average for the road transport sector, which was classed as ‘D’. The A- rating is an improvement on last year’s ‘B’ rating and places Stagecoach in the www.passengertransport.co.uk

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The battery train involved in the trial

technologies, the FastCharge system can be installed between the running rails in a matter of hours. It uses short charge rails which are fully covered by the train and are only live when the train is charging. This is very different to third-rail systems where the rail is live all the time.

The train charges from the charge rails using retractable shoegear (electrical contact pads) fed by two track-side battery banks. These are continuously ‘trickle-charged’ from the grid.

After more than 1,500 hours of testing at Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, GWR’s Class 230 battery train began a series of test runs on the network this month. The train quickly demonstrated its capability by travelling a UK record of 86 miles on battery power alone and without recharging.

In February 2022, GWR signed a deal with Vivarail to trial new battery-charging technology. After Vivarail entered administration in December 2022, GWR agreed contracts to buy intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the FastCharge technology.

The use of batteries for extended operation has typically been constrained by their range and meant widespread implementation has, until now, not been possible. It also negates the need for overhead electric lines.

It is hoped the technology could one day see battery-powered trains in operation across the UK’s approximately 2,000 miles of 80-plus branch lines.

GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green commented: “Only now has there been a

combination of battery capability and charging technology that enables a branch line train to operate to the same timetable as a diesel unit, and yet still charge safely and with minimal impact on the local grid power supply.”

Green added: “Each branch line will vary but this is an incredibly exciting innovation and I’m proud that GWR is at the forefront of the railway’s commitment to phase out diesel-only traction by 2040.”

Unlike other charging

Leadership band, and the top 6% of businesses participating in the road transport group.

CDP is an independent not-for-profit organisation running the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. An ‘A-‘ score is given by CDP to those organisations who are implementing best practice on climate issues.

Sharon Vye-Parminter, health, safety and environment director for Stagecoach, said: “It recognises a lot of hard work and investment across our business to improve our environmental performance.”

SILVER SUCCESS Alexander Dennis will build 12 new battery-electric Enviro500EV double deck buses for US customer Foothill Transit. The buses will be used on its flagship Silver Streak route to downtown Los Angeles 23 February 2024 | 11

21/02/2024 15:52

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

Passenger hosted workshop events with bus operator partners to develop the new service

Passenger aims to solve the bus fares mystery Technology firm has worked closely with bus operators to launch a new fares finder in its ‘white-label’ mobile app product used by 35 companies BODS

Bus fare information, or the lack of it, has always been perceived by many within the sector as one of the greatest barriers to bus use by non-users. Indeed, according to watchdog Transport Focus, 33% of non-users - people who don’t know much about their local bus services - would like to know more about what fare they are likely to be charged before boarding a bus.

Now, technology company Passenger is aiming to solve some of the mystery surrounding bus fares with the launch on February 12 of real-time bus fare information in its ‘white-label’ mobile app product which is used by over 35 bus operators for ticket sales and travel planning.

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The first operators to launch the new service are Go-Ahead subsidiaries Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus along with municipal operators Nottingham City Transport, Reading Buses and Warrington’s Own Buses.

The new feature enables bus passengers to determine their journey’s cost before boarding, a first for the app. Alongside information about the tickets that can be purchased on the bus, there are also details about alternative products that are

available for the journey such as mobile tickets or other fare promotions, and operators have the option of allowing passengers to buy those tickets directly within the app.

The initiative is the first to utilise the NeTEx fares dataset, which is publicly accessible through the Department for Transport’s Bus Open Data Service (BODS).

The launch of Passenger’s new service marks the culmination of several months of

“As we break down the traditional barriers, trying the bus for the first time has never been easier” Tom Quay, Passenger

work where the Bournemouthbased technology firm has worked closely with partner operators at workshop events hosted last summer to not only develop the look and feel of how the fares data is presented in the app but also to create new tools that will allow operators to review their fares data before the information goes live.

More importantly, those tools also support operators in becoming BODS compliant by bringing the data to life - an important factor to consider when BODS launches a hard block on all non-compliant data later this year.

Before the launch of the new service, Passenger said it took significant effort and cost for operators to see errors in their NeTEx datasets easily. With many bus operators investing significant resources in publishing data via the BODS platform, the project is also a highly visible return on that investment. Passenger added the app update is based on the currently available data and as BODS evolves, more complex ticket products, such as time-based capped fares may be included in the app.

“The introduction of fare information to the Passenger app, and simultaneously to operator websites, is a huge milestone,” said Tom Quay, Passenger’s chief executive. “When the DfT announced it was adopting the NeTEx standard for BODS, it was widely unknown in the UK. We’ve seen first-hand how much time and effort operators have invested in getting to this stage with BODS, so we’re delighted to be delivering a return on that and one that has the potential to be game-changing for customers.

As we break down the traditional barriers, trying the bus for the first time has never been easier.” www.passengertransport.co.uk

21/02/2024 15:52

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21/02/2024 15:52

COMMENT

ALEX WARNER

Our industry boasts a wealth of talent

This edition features LOST Group’s ‘Ones to Watch 2024’. It was exhausting to put this list together - but the end result is inspiring Hooray! A good news story! For all the doom and gloom in the industry, it was a real antidote to the January blues to be part of the judging panel for the ‘Ones to Watch 2024’ feature (see pages 24-31), which was organised by LOST Group, the dynamic, disruptive technology company that I co-founded as an antithesis to traditional recruitment. It’s been a lot of sweat and hard work putting this together with my colleagues, considering the various nominations, submitting my own thoughts, and obviously receiving counsel from others on the judging panel. There was plenty of debate too and maybe a bit of controversy thrown in to liven it up even further. As my business partner John McArthur likes to say: “If two people in a business agree on everything you probably have one person too many!”

We initially thought we’d go for a list of 50, then it crept up to 55 because we simply couldn’t prune five off the list - they were so good. What balanced the stress though was devouring the draft that our editor sent through and being reminded again just how this industry, despite its current travails and almost constant state of flux and adversity, is bulging with talent.

We could have, of course, written a book with name after name and our 55 barely scratches the surface of the wealth of high performing stars across public transport.

Let me take this confession a step further, I had sleepless nights in a state of angst about names who missed out but were also worthy 14 | 23 February 2024 PT307p14-15.indd 14

of recognition. This was supposed to be a fun exercise, but it felt as stressful as many other tasks in my three-decade long career!

So, what did I learn during the process?

Well for starters, I was a bit surprised how instinctively folk thought that the ‘Ones to Watch’ was all about youngsters - “isn’t it about graduates?” emailed one person at a TOC last week on hearing we were including one of her colleagues. Maybe we misled in using the phrase ‘Rising Stars’ on a few occasions in our promotion of the feature - but, for me, there’s no rule that says you must only be “rising” or a “star” at the beginning of your career. You can be these at various points during your time in employment. If I plotted a graph with a dispassionate view of my career trajectory, it would be more rollercoaster than Crystal Palace’s form chart over the past few decades.

The longer the ‘Ones to Watch’ adventure went on, the grumpier I became about this whole misconception that only young folk can be worthy of recognition. Even some of those nominated instinctively remarked they thought they were too old or too senior to make the cut! That’s not just because I’m well into my sixth decade of life now, but it’s genuinely borne of looking around and seeing

“This industry, despite its current travails, is bulging with talent”

the vital contribution that years of experience brings among colleagues in the industry.

Many of those on the list are on the cusp of making the biggest impact in transport on a leadership, strategic and policy-making scale because they have garnered credibility, gravitas and a wide-ranging exposure and outlook over many years. They are also more measured, in many cases far more rational and empathetic through dealing with situations and challenges in different environments over time, and their perspective tends to be more composed and sanguine because they can see what has failed and succeeded in the past. They also see how quickly careers can pass in a flash and this gives them both impetus not to waste a minute and to make the biggest impact quickly as they can see the finishing line themselves.

For those at the beginning of their career, it is a ‘marathon not a sprint’ and if I’d have realised this then, I’d have put early failures and frustrations into perspective, not made knee-jerk decisions, realising that if I’d played my cards right at various points, then my long-term aspirations would be satisfied. In reflecting on the misconception that only the young can be rising, it reminded me also that training and development within organisations tends to instinctively focus on those at the earlier stages of their career. There seems to be a view that investing in them will give the greatest return, even though youngsters tend to be more adventurous and inclined to seek new pastures within other organisations.

If I was surprised by the number of times folk just assumed age was a barrier, this whole process was enlightening as well as reassuring in other ways too. On a positive, it reminded me of the breadth of skills and opportunities that public transport provides. One of the most stressful challenges was trying to pinpoint folk into a particular category as we had so many individuals with a multitude of skills, they could have been matched into several.

Another reassuring aspect was the gender balance. I first undertook a feature of this kind five years ago and then more recently in 2022 - whilst there was a reasonably good balance previously, I’ll be honest, the pool of females was far smaller. It really feels that huge strides have been made and this is a credit not only to the various groups such as Women in Rail and the fledgling Women in Bus & Coach organisation but to the industry as a whole. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“It certainly feels that candidates are more discerning and less inclined to seek new roles” What was informative, though, is that we still have a long way to go in terms of ethnicity.

Some time ago, I lamented the lack of a balanced ethnic mix in positions of seniority across transport and I feel that we’re still struggling in this area. This is, at some point soon, worthy of another article. It’s a complex, multi-faceted and deeply sensitive subject that can’t be skipped along in a few paragraphs here, but it’s a legacy inherited for many decades that hasn’t yet unwound itself.

It needs proper focus and prioritisation.

Another observation was the modesty of individuals, which I found reassuring in the ‘me, me, me’ era in which we reside. There are names on our list who are very low-key and avoid blowing their own trumpet. Any headhunter worth their salt will be able to unlock and cultivate the unsung heroes and quite often mentor those who aren’t particularly keen on shining a light on themselves, to recognise and exploit their own talents. Without revealing too much detail, the new technology that we are developing at LOST will sift out the spin from candidates’ career history and objectively give parity for those who are circumspect when it comes to self-promotion, as well as the shoutyshouty few. It was also heartening to advise folk they’d made our list and see their disbelief. I was also surprised how few nominated themselves.

Nothing wrong with that, but I was genuinely expecting an avalanche!

My experiences with LOST have reawakened my interest in helping companies find great people, even if it often seems more challenging than ever. I’ve been undertaking this task in various guises for nearly 13 years now and reflected recently on the changing landscape during this time. It certainly feels that candidates are more discerning and less inclined to seek new roles. The post-Covid environment with a greater emphasis on work versus life balance has led to less clamouring for roles and this reticence has, in my view, also created a more lethargic approach from candidates. Before moving into a more technology-based approach with individuals signing up to LOST and taking the time to evaluate their careers and preferences going forward (thus ensuring that they are genuinely serious about a future move), I was finding that candidates were slow to respond to emails or LinkedIn requests or even calls, or ponderous about sending their CVs, as well as sometimes www.passengertransport.co.uk

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inclined to change their minds about attending interviews. That lethargic approach can be reciprocated by recruiting companies.

The problem is that social media with its almost constant availability of jobs coupled with large recruitment gaps across the sector mean that candidates have become lazy, thinking, mistakenly so, that there’s always something out there for them that they could walk into on-demand when they so wish. It has also fuelled a misleading sense of self-worth and entitlement in an industry that, as regular readers of this column will know, I think is beset with arrogance on occasions. Companies can be just as bad with behaviours, stringing candidates along without ever genuinely having the intention to fill the role externally.

One element that’s not changed in the time I’ve been involved in recruiting folk, has been this desire for a perfect career narrative among candidates, putting undue pressure on themselves and feeling self-doubt or embarrassment if they suffer setbacks or their employment goes in a different, unforeseen direction. Peer pressure doesn’t help and once again, in the social media age of posting happy clappy pictures, there’s a constant desire to paint a picture of incredible bliss and this extends to careers. I’ll never forget the admiration I had for the MD of a TOC I was once working for, who admitted to me that he felt he didn’t do a particularly good job in one senior role, and it was a period he wasn’t really pleased with in terms of his performance. It’s so rare to come across folk who will proffer that there have been times when a job hasn’t gone too well, where they’d made the wrong career decision and maybe even admit they got fired.

In dealing with candidates, it’s ever more apparent there is a sense of modern-day frustration that their career hasn’t panned out with a logical sequence or in a way that looks neat and picture perfect with an unblemished positive narrative. We’d all like to have a trajectory that shows an appealing progression with each job transitioning nicely into the next step on the ladder then winding its way towards an inevitable happy ending in which one can look back on with pride and satisfaction, but there’s no shame when there are twists and turns that need explaining. At LOST we flag to clients career gaps or mystifying left turns, but they’re normally easily explained. Even if they might not represent a finest hour, life’s never

straightforward.

I’m also always at pains to stress that there’s no stigma to an enforced or ‘by mutual consent’ parting of ways with an employer, particularly at a senior level where it is part and parcel of the relationship journey with a company that pays your wages. I always say to candidates never to get too carried away, fawning at your employer and their brand because the honeymoon period never lasts and inevitably it will all end in tears.

A new boss or ownership arriving, or a major strategic change in direction, can quickly turn a hero into a zero. One person’s positive view on the merits of an employee is another’s negative - sadly it’s subjective and I’m also a great believer in ‘right place, right time’ for many.

All this leads me back to our ‘Ones to Watch’ feature which, whilst ultimately subjective in nature, was based on a consensus of opinion from a diverse range of transport specialists trying to apply objective criteria. I’m sure there will be some who will celebrate those on the list, whilst others might have their own views on those selected, maybe with a hint of cynicism or dare I say even ‘envy’? It’s easy, of course, to snipe from the sidelines and it’s impossible to please everyone. So, I would implore you to bathe in the joy that we have a sector so rich and diverse in its talent-base, despite all the challenges and setbacks it faces.

And if you think you could come up with a better list, then have a go, send it to me at alex@lost.careers or encourage those on it to register their details at www.lost.careers.

I’ll tell you what, it’s no easy task and more than a bit stressful, even if I feel very happy to see the 55 in all their glory elsewhere on these pages and feel that we’ve an eclectic, diverse mix of movers and shakers, at various stages of their careers all making a real difference to the industry that we love and certainly worthy of keeping an eye on during 2024 and beyond!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector.

He is co-founder of transport technology business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration.

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COMMENT

NICK RICHARDSON

The shop window for better bus travel?

Improvements to the bus stop user experience are welcome, but some new designs have the potential to create problems Bus stops are generally pretty unexciting.

However, some more recent layouts have attracted criticism by creating conflicts between different road users. Does the theory behind them work or are they a danger?

The humble bus stop, as the point of entry to the bus service, varies in quality from being attractive as well as functional to awful and neglected. To some extent this depends on their levels of use, but as the shop window for bus services, many are unappealing. Around the world, there are examples of exotic designs of shelter; I was given a book about Soviet bus stops which has many fine examples, mostly massive in scale but certainly making a statement, although some are sufficiently remote that there is no-one for whom a statement is relevant. In the UK, we are less excited about providing daring designs that evidence some relationship with their surroundings and generally opt for something simpler. One manufacturer of bus shelters was begrudging the fact that local authorities tend to go for the simplest design rather than any of the others in the catalogue; this is due to limited funding more than any lack of ambition to install something more dramatic.

However, some places have adopted planted roofs for shelters or other adornments as variations on a basic theme.

What to look for The bus stop symbol itself - an image of a single deck bus with the words ‘Bus Stop’ 16 | 23 February 2024 PT307p16-17.indd 16

beneath - is recognised widely across the UK outside London; in the capital, the Transport for London roundel reigns (inherited from London Transport’s historical style). For those who like detail, a designated stopping place for buses is defined by The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016, Schedule 11, Diagram 970. Some variations are permitted including the omission of the bus symbol, use of capital letters and the use of ‘Request Stop’ in conjunction with the image. Interestingly, the background and lettering need not be black on white but can be any contrasting colours. Provision is made for supplementary information such as routes, the location and a helpline reference.

In other words, there is a requirement to conform with the prescribed legislation although it isn’t a requirement! Some local authorities dispense with the bus image at stops and install their own design which is a long-held tradition in some places. This is fine if it is recognisable and consistently applied but possibly confusing to visitors or people with restricted vision who are used to the standard image. Curiously there is another signing option which I have never seen, described as ‘a stopping place for buses used

“As the shop window for bus services, many are unappealing”

for carrying tourists to allow passengers to take photographs’ which is the familiar image of a bus with the wording ‘Photostop only’ beneath and the time of operation, all on a brown background (Diagram 972).

Bus stops have gained something of a reputation in the media - reporting of incidents refer to harassment, murder and everything in between as taking place ‘at a bus stop’ as if something bad is an inevitability for anyone hapless enough to be there. Why not refer to events ‘in the street’ or a ‘public place’? It all contributes to the populist view that getting a bus is something unsavoury and to be avoided.

Missing the mark The location of bus shelters has also become something of a problem in that they are not always well-related to the boarding point.

I found a recent example in Abergavenny (Monmouthshire) in which a large and shiny new shelter was located several metres from the kerb, not ideal given the weather. This meant that it was hard to see the bus coming and a prime spot had been given to some planting areas. Even without the puddle of sick inside, the shelter has been put in the wrong place as if the local authority is embarrassed by it. Then there are numerous examples, many of them where buses are infrequent, where it is impossible to see the bus coming, or be seen by the driver, unless you stand outside the shelter.

Contrasting with this, there are examples of bus shelters that are loved - with cushions and other comforts provided by locals.

The most controversial arrangements are the ‘floating’ bus stops of which there are two variants. The first is where the bus shelter is adjacent to the kerb but a cycle route passes behind it, the intention being that cyclists give way to anyone going to or from the shelter. In principle this works fine except that cyclists tend not to want to stop so they are on a collision course with bus users. There are quite a few of these in place, not just in London but in Manchester, Brighton and elsewhere.

Regular users probably get used to them but anyone with a disability or sight/hearing loss finds themselves in a difficult position. From the point of view of some bus users, they are simply hazardous because cyclists are unexpected. The other type that Transport for London has implemented places a cycle route between the shelter and the kerb, a guaranteed www.passengertransport.co.uk

21/02/2024 15:53

IN ASSOCIATION WITH: www.ciltuk.org.uk Tel: 01536 740100 @ciltuk

In the UK, we tend to prefer simpler bus stop designs over bold ones that strongly reflect their surroundings

conflict between bus and cycle users. Even if people boarding the bus can see cyclists coming, people getting off the bus are unlikely to and if cyclists don’t stop as intended, then a collision occurs. This arrangement needs to be re-thought because practice shows that it doesn’t work, especially for anyone who, for whatever reason, doesn’t anticipate an impeding conflict. It’s not just disabled people - anyone with a pushchair is likely to wheel it in front of them when they get off the bus and literally put it in the path of an oncoming cyclist. Inevitably, these types of bus stop have been attributed directly to the mayor, Sadiq Khan, as if he designed them personally.

Step-free boarding The other regular problem is raised kerbing to enable level and step-free boarding and alighting. So often it is in the wrong place, usually where it can be hit by the front corner of an arriving bus. The idea is to minimise the gap between kerb and bus platform so www.passengertransport.co.uk

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drivers tend to judge how to achieve this but may hit the raised kerb. It is common to see holes in the front corners of buses because of this. A straight approach is required which means re-shaping the kerb line or adopting bus boarders where the kerb is built out into the carriageway at bus stops. For many users, level boarding makes the difference between a good journey experience or a problem. One of the advantages of bus use is step-free access but there is no point legislating for vehicle design to achieve this if bus stops are not installed properly. Part of the problem can be inappropriate parking on the approach to bus stops which is generally a matter of enforcement rather than design. More local authorities are acquiring powers to deal with such matters but it requires people on the ground to enforce the regulations, an unenviable role but one that is important to avoid on-street chaos.

Redefining the humble bus stop can be a useful component of a package of initiatives

that promote bus use. Simply leaving them untouched is unlikely to ignite any interest in bus use. Getting the basics right remains elusive in some places so highway designers need to be aware of the requirements and what works best for all concerned. In time, while the worst offenders could be improved, all bus stops could at least be clean and functional and at best could be an integral part of the street scene, reinforcing a sense of place and helping to improve the image of bus use. Even the time-honoured bus stop has something to offer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nick Richardson is technical director at transport consultancy WSP and chair of CILT’s Bus and Coach Policy Group and is a former chair of the Transport Planning Society.

In addition, he has held a PCV licence for over 36 years.

23 February 2024 | 17

21/02/2024 15:53

THE TRANSPORT TICKETING REVOLUTION

Excellence in ticketing Transport Ticketing Global will return on March 5-6, 2024, bringing together the global smart ticketing and mobility community. The event will take place at Olympia in London.

Returning for its 15th edition, the 2024 Transport Ticketing Global conference programme features insights from leaders and specialists delivering the most innovative ticketing projects around the world.

The accompanying exhibition will meanwhile see 75 exhibitors showcase cutting-edge smart ticketing and mobility technology solutions It’s an oportunity for those involved in planning and providing UK public transport to see how its operations compare with the world’s best.

The finalists of the 2024 Transport Ticketing Awards offer an opportunity to make that comparison, pitching the very best in UK transport ticketing against the best in the world.

It demonstrates that the UK is a testbed for successful and innovative technologies.

The ‘Ticketing Technology of the Year’ category is an example of this. At least four of the entries feature a UK interest. Among them is Go-Ahead Group teaming up with Google to introduce a new feature aimed at enhancing the customer experience for bus travel. In collaboration with Google and Littlepay, Go-Ahead’s Brighton & Hove Buses unveiled an industry-first initiative which simplifies the way passengers manage their mobile payments for bus journeys. The new feature, integrated with Google Wallet, provides them with greater visibility into their ride history and savings accrued through fare caps.

Also nominated in this category are SilverRail, Cammax and train operator East Midlands Railway and West Yorkshire’s MCard mobile app.

In the Digital Champion category, UK companies Stagecoach Bus and Virgin Trains Ticketing are up against finalists from India, Australia, Spain and elsewhere. Meanwhile, bus operator National Express West Midlands is among the finalists in the Best Smart Ticketing Programme category (200k+ Daily Journeys).

Finally, the best Mobility as a Service Initiative features two UK finalists: Hi-TRANS with Mobileo and Breeze (Solent Transport, Trafi, Unicard).

MORE ONLINE www.transport-ticketing.com 18 | 23 February 2024 PT307p18-19.indd 18

Go-Ahead Group and Google launched an industry-first feature to help customers keep track of spending on bus journeys

The Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) is a finalist for its pioneering Go-Hi MaaS project

John Clarfelt (left), founder of Ticketer, was named ‘Industry Contributor 2023’ at last year’s Transport Ticketing Awards

East Midlands Railway, SilverRail and Cammax to introduced the country’s first ‘Smart Kiosk’ ticket machines

Virgin Trains Ticketing, named ‘App Of The Year’ at the UK eCommerce Awards 2023, is a finalist for ‘Ticketing Technology of the Year’

Brought to you by Passenger Transport

21/02/2024 16:32

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21/02/2024 16:33

THE TRANSPORT TICKETING REVOLUTION CONDUENT TRANSPORTATION

Conduent is ready to work with clients to create next generation MaaS

MaaS is the future of ticketing

More and more places are seeking Mobility as a Service and Conduent Transportation is ready to help Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept that has been around for years but has so far failed to fulfil its potential. However, Conduent Transportation believes that its time may have now come and that MaaS will increasingly shape the future of transport - and therefore the future of transport ticketing.

Conduent is in a position to track global trends. It has been helping transport clients for more than 50 years and operates in more than 25 countries.

The company is a leading provider of automated and analytics-based transport solutions for government agencies. These solutions, spanning roadway charging and management, and advanced transit, enable streamlined and personalised services for citizens.

Based in Valence, Conduent Business 20 | 23 February 2024 PT307p20-21.indd 20

Solutions France provides transit and intelligent mobility solutions worldwide.

This division of the company has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to contactless fare collection, integration, interoperability and Mobility as a Service.

Conduent’s clients are increasingly demanding solutions that are more customer centric, and the company has responded by investing greatly in user experience or passenger experience - whether that’s the company’s mobile app or its 3D solution for ticketing gates.

Mathias Serre, VP business development and sales international transportation solutions at Conduent Transportation, remarks: “We believe that the future of ticketing is largely relying on MaaS, and MaaS should have, must have, a ticketing component to be successful and meaningful.”

Over the past 12-18 months Conduent Transportation has seen tenders coming in, especially in France, with significant budgets for MaaS. In France, these tenders are at regional level, covering large areas and populations of six or seven million people - a scale at which

“The journey towards MaaS is gathering pace but there are important milestones to be reached on the way to the desired destination” Brought to you by Passenger Transport

21/02/2024 17:26

MORE ABOUT CONDUENT www.conduenttransportation.com

Serre believes MaaS can be effective. “That’s the journey,” he says. “That’s the journey of our clients. That’s also our journey.”

The journey towards MaaS is gathering pace but there are important milestones to be reached on the way to the desired destination.

Serre, who will address next month’s Transport Ticketing Global 2024 event in London, says that missing elements have so far prevented MaaS from fufilling its potential.

Including them can bring the customer experience to the next level.

Among these elements is the widest possible selection of transport modes, broadening the choice, possibilities and convenience for users.

Public transport is a vital component - but it must go further than that, embracing solutions such as bike sharing and car sharing. “You start talking about MaaS when you combine public transport modes with private ones - with a bunch of different ones,” Serre explains.

“That’s the ultimate goal. By doing so you give clarity and simplicity for people to travel and to combine different modes of travel.”

MaaS also needs to combine trip planning with tariffs, payment and validation - a true one-stop-shop that users can depend on for their travel needs. Travellers don’t just want to know the different ways of completing a particular journey, they want to know how much it will cost and they want an easy way to pay for it. “You don’t have to do multiple purchases in your journey,” says Serre. “You have a journey, and you pay once.”

Furthermore, all of this needs to be dynamic.

Users want information and options to be updated in the event of disruption during their journey - with the opportunity, for example, to seamlessly change their fare if they need to switch modes mid-journey.

It’s a huge challenge but it’s one that parts of France and other European countries, and other locations like Australia, are willing to invest in. Conduent Transportation, with its long history in providing complex and robust solutions, is working hard to overcome these hurdles.

“It’s a technical challenge but it’s also largely a commercial challenge, to get the rules amongst the different bodies, to have some clearing mechanisms to allocate the revenues to the different partners which are joining the platforms,” says Serre.

The aim is to provide citizens with a www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“mobility companion” - a mobile application and a back office behind it.

By seamlessly knitting together different transport modes into a single proposition, Conduent Transportation believes that it can provide users with options that they would not have otherwise considered, and challenge the convenience of the private car. This can help with efforts to decarbonise transport while providing authorities with better data about the nature of transport demand.

Serre explains: “It’s about making people happier. It’s about city planning. It’s about understanding the flows of mobilities, and then for the cities to be able to ask the right questions ... We see it as a city planning tool, and a way to organise things.”

Conduent is ready to work with clients to create next generation MaaS. “We have the maturity,” says Serre. “We have the opportunities as well. In the past we were a little bit ahead of the market. That has changed over the past 12-18 months. We have seen big projects, big tenders in the specific MaaS area.”

MATHIAS SERRE Mathias Serre is VP business development and sales international transportation solutions at Conduent Transportation, and responsible for developing and promoting attractive transport offerings to clients throughout the world.

He will address the Transport Ticketing Global show in London next month. His presentation, Providing options for all. Enhancing the ticketing experience for regular and occasional passengers with Open Payment, will take place at 11:20 on March 5 in Theatre 2.

CONDUENT TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS ATLAS OPS FARE COLLECTION With the ATLAS Ops Fare Collection cities can offer “increased intelligent mobility services” to their citizens, revolutionising transit networks and operations. The platform is deployed in more than 400 public transport networks of all sizes around the world. ATLAS Ops is a ticketing solution that combines two modes of fare media options: Media Based Ticketing and Account-Based Ticketing. Thanks to ATLAS Ops add-ons, operators are expanding and improving their transit offer to provide more data and passenger information. This mobility solution can be extended to incorporate new public transport networks or alternative modes of travel such as sharing services (e.g. car-pooling, car-sharing and bike-sharing).

MOBILE TICKETING - SIMPLIGO Conduent Transportation’s proven mobile app for transit agencies of all sizes offers a cost-effective and easy-to-implement solution that provides public transport users with the superior contactless experience they expect.

Downloaded over one million times from the Apple Store and Google Play, the Conduent Transportation mobile ticketing app is one of the most successful mobile apps in the USA, with an average of 4.8 stars from over 72,000 reviews. One transit department’s app provides its largest single source of revenue (40%).

By putting all of the information about different transport modes in one place, alongside the ability to purchase a ticket, Mobile Ticketing applications are helping to create a Mobility as a Service proposition.

CONDUENT 3D FARE GATE SOLUTION Conduent Transportation’s 3D detection solution for ticket gates makes it possible to discover cases previously impossible to detect, such as a person with a stroller, a small or a big item of luggage, a child or a person in a wheelchair. Already installed in Île-de-France SNCF stations, the system is very adaptable, and new situations can be characterised to enhance the different types of crossing.

Therefore, the opening cycle can be adapted on a case-by-case basis.

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THE TRANSPORT TICKETING REVOLUTION TICKETER

Customer first ethos continues Ticketer has built a reputation on placing customers at its heart and that continues with Next Gen ETM and Bee Network rollout Ticketer is well recognised for offering flexible cloud-based and on-bus solutions that aim to keep things simple for operators. It has been a busy few months for the company with the launch of the next iteration of its Electronic Ticket Machine (ETM) and the continuing rollout of an integrated ticketing and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) solution for Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network. But that’s not all, Ticketer is also working on a range of other improvements.

Differing customers; same platform “Working with local authorities and commercial bus operators is our bread and butter,” says Richard Blackburn-Hughes, Ticketer’s chief commercial officer. “Our general desire is to support the bus industry in whichever form it takes, be that partnership or franchise. Our solution is completely adaptable to however the bus industry organises itself.”

With the emergence of bus franchising, Ticketer aims to offer the same great service it has become renowned for to both franchiser authorities and franchisee operators equally.

Jason Mann, Ticketer’s director of product, adds: “Franchising is just one of the tools available - what we want to do is make bus travel as easy as possible for the passenger.”

Bringing Bee Network to life Ticketer played a crucial role in launching Greater Manchester’s Bee Network in September 2023, providing Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) with a comprehensive suite of services, including their Next Generation ETMs and Ticketer Smart Gateway. TfGM was able to benefit from an already fully featured ticketing and AVL solution with expanded functionality in areas such as disruption management and service control. The company also integrated with TfGM’s chosen contactless payment solution.

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and its franchise partners, enabling efficient management of operations, corridor and headway management and robust reporting procedures. Controllers can monitor service delivery, with data seamlessly flowing to TfGM’s passenger travel tools.

Improving retail “Within the Bee Network, there’s a unified back office,” explains Jason. “This mirrors our approach in commercial markets like Leicester and Cornwall, both of which feature multiple operators with established infrastructure.”

Despite the technical complexity of establishing such a setup, Jason says Ticketer has a proven ability to navigate these challenges, attributing their success to creating solutions that not only support operators, but enhance the passenger experience too.

This collaborative approach extends to the introduction of Tap On / Tap Off technology, led by larger commercial operators but with increasing involvement from local authority led multi-operator ticketing schemes as part of their Bus Service Improvement Plan commitments. These initiatives generate valuable data, providing operators with insights into passenger boarding and alighting patterns for the first time. Jason describes it as “like gold dust”, offering newfound visibility into passenger journeys.

“We want to make things as flexible as possible for our customers,” adds Richard.

“The same extends to digital retail where we have major integrations with other third-party app providers. That’s now expanded to include APIs for our QR code ticketing, so it’s even easier to integrate with Ticketer.”

Some of those third-party integrations include multi-modal travel, an area that Richard expects will increase in the coming years. By using the QR code API, third-party providers gain full traceability of passenger journeys, enhancing the data set further.

Next generation device Ticketer first launched its enhanced Next Generation ETM within TfGM’s Bee Network. Richard believes the device’s modernisation capitalises on technological improvements, with improved transaction speeds and responsiveness while laying the groundwork for future upgrades.

The key innovation lies in transitioning to an Android-based tablet for the driver console.

“It’s an evolution, not a revolution,” notes Richard, highlighting the interface remains the same but the additional performance provides a firm basis for future improvements.

Jason echoes this sentiment, citing performance enhancements, faster transaction speeds and a more robust interface. “We’ve always believed in using modular ‘plug and play’ components - the shift to an Android tablet screen aligns with that ethos.”

Consequently, Ticketer customers can upgrade specific components, like the screen or card reader, within their current ETM setup instead of replacing the entire machine. This approach enables them to leverage these new enhancements without a complete overhaul.

Ticketer’s commitment to customer satisfaction means continuously enhancing features and functionality. Road Restriction Alerts were introduced in 2021 for Ticketer ETMs to detect height and width limitations such as low bridges. Hearing customer feedback, it was evolved to include navigational and hazardous restrictions to help with diverse weather conditions like icy and flooded roads, plus time-based disruptions such as roadworks.

For more information about Ticketer visit: www.ticketer.com Brought to you by Passenger Transport

21/02/2024 16:33

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21/02/2024 16:33

ONES TO WATCH 2024

Leaders Louise Cheeseman

55 ones to watch in passenger transport LOST Group, the technology-led matching service owned and operated by transport professionals, has teamed up with Passenger Transport to identify top transport talent blazing a trail in 2024 Welcome to Lost Group’s Ones to Watch 2024 where we feature some of the best and brightest professionals working within the UK John McArthur transport industry today.

Founder, We decided to compile LOST Group this list to celebrate talent within the sector we love and to provide an opportunity for the people working within transport to recognise their colleagues.

Our team were overwhelmed by the huge response and the large number of nominations received. Many congratulations to those mentioned here, making it onto the list means you not only excel at your job but are recognised by your peers as going above and beyond.

I should also say from the outset that our Ones to Watch is neither complete nor exhaustive. We appreciate there are hundreds (indeed thousands) of dedicated professionals that deserve a mention. Hopefully, the individuals you see here are a snapshot 24 | 23 February 2024 PT307p24-31.indd 24

representing the deep talent pool within UK transport - the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

Our thanks go to Rupert Cox, Gemma Cusworth, Giles Fearnley, Eleni Jordan, Nafisa Nathani, Nigel Stevens, and Alex Warner who lent their time vetting nominations.

This ended up being a far more involved and difficult task than we had expected and suffice to say there were more than a few lengthy debates along the way!

The publication of Ones to Watch coincides with the anniversary of Lost Group’s growing network of transport professionals (free to join at www.lost.careers). Lost Group exists to transform the way in which the transport industry finds and retains the best people using proprietary technology to help professionals and companies make better employment decisions. Later this Spring we will be launching our first software offering to UK operators. We’ll announce more details on that in due course so watch this space.

And now for Ones to Watch 2024…!

An experienced strategic transport leader with a comprehensive background in both public and private sectors, Louise is currently the founder and chair of Women in Bus and Coach. She has demonstrated expertise in driving business results, implementing sustainability strategies, and leading large-scale projects in complex environments.

She is renowned for people development, stakeholder engagement, and advocating for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Tom Joyner

With over three decades in the rail industry, Tom is one of the most experienced managing directors in the sector. His operational background, rising from the ranks of a conductor, through various management positions, is second to none. Tom is hugely regarded for his continuous fixation on developing the customer proposition at intercity operator CrossCountry Trains and for the way he has galvanised the business since joining in 2019.

Zoe Hands

Zoe has enjoyed a hugely versatile and impressive multi-modal career which started in logistics at DHL, before she moved to aviation in a safety capacity at Heathrow Airport where she spent six years. Zoe joined Network Rail in 2012, then Merseyrail, a Serco/Transport UK joint venture, in 2015 and became safety, security and sustainability director before moving to operations director in 2017 and ultimately being promoted to chief operating officer a few years later.

She left last year to be managing director for First Bus covering the Midlands, Manchester and South Yorkshire.

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Claire Mann

Claire’s meteoric rise continues as she trades her role as managing director, South Western Railway with that of COO, Transport for London in 2024. A previous stint overseeing TfL’s bus contracts and in directorship roles at TOCs have helped make Claire one of the ultimate multi-modal experts in UK transport.

Ben Ackroyd

An outstanding career which included just under eight years at Angel Trains, led to senior roles for Ben at National Express and Northern Railway as its engineering director. He then became managing director at train operator c2c, where he managed effectively during the Covid period, which was particularly challenging for a largely commutercentric railway. He became chief operating officer at Porterbrook in March 2022.

Simon Mohammad

Ellie Burrows Three successful years as route director in Anglia paved the way for Ellie to become managing director of Network Rail’s Southern region in 2023. Ellie also held the role of train services director for Southeastern and chairs the Chartered Institution of Rail Operators and the RSSB System Safety Risk Group. Ellie is seen as one of the most experienced and innovative railway operations professionals of the modern generation.

Peter Knight

Seen as a trusted pair of hands, Peter got the call in 2023 to move south from his role heading up Stagecoach’s business in North East Scotland to become MD of Stagecoach’s challenging and high-profile business in the South West of England. A former graduate trainee, Peter has previously led Stagecoach’s joint venture Scottish Citylink subsidiary. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Formerly head of operations at Cardiff Bus, Simon moved to First’s Hants, Dorset & Berkshire business in 2018 and immediately made his mark with his zest and customer focus. Currently, service delivery director for First’s Somerset Passenger Solutions subsidiary, Simon’s dynamic approach to people management has earned him plaudits.

Carol Sim

Victoria Storey

A graduate from Essex University, Victoria has risen from the frontline as customer ambassador at Exeter St Davids, through station management roles to chief of staff at Great Western Railway. In 2024, she starts a year-long secondment as business manager for Network Rail’s Western route director, Marcus Jones.

Winner of the Route One ‘Rising Star’ Award in November 2023, Carol is often acclaimed as one of the best leaders of her generation in the bus sector. She made a real impact with her customer focused approach as head of operations, First Bus South and shortly takes on the role of operations director, Stagecoach South where she is sure to bring her customary energy, dynamism and empathetic leadership approach to her new post.

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ONES TO WATCH 2024

Transformationalists

Mark Hopwood

Mark has been at the helm of Great Western Railway since 2008, with his service only broken by a year-long secondment heading up South Western Railway, making him the longest-standing TOC managing director. He is rightly credited with the transformation of both train companies, initially stabilising them and in the case of GWR moving them to be trailblazers around innovation, operational excellence and customer service in the industry. As one of the most experienced and knowledgeable rail industry professionals, Mark is seen as the ‘go-to’ person for advice in the sector. He is also president of the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway.

Ruth Busby OBE

Ben Potgieter

Ruth was named as ‘HR Director of the Year’ in the HR Personnel Awards and since joining GWR in 2018, she has been an industry trailblazer, particularly in shaping the Rail Wellbeing Live concept. As a non-executive director of the Youth Futures Foundation, Ruth also works to improve employment outcomes for young people from marginalised backgrounds and is currently chair of its People and Culture Committee and Employer Advisory Board. In her ‘day job’ as HR director at GWR, Ruth is seen as a transformationalist, inspirational leader.

Tamarra Taylor

With over a decade’s experience at Network Rail, Tamarra has been an energetic and charismatic leader, delivering national change projects in learning and development; with experience spanning from governance and assurance, sponsorship, and the company’s graduate and apprenticeship schemes.

Megan Pentecost

Megan joined Virgin Rail in 1999 as retail development manager, then spent five years at Trainline before establishing herself as a hugely respected transformational consultant, focusing on ticketing and customer service, as well as employee development schemes.

She is now entrusted with developing and implementing the Pay as You Go programme on a nationwide level at GBRTT. 26 | 23 February 2024 PT307p24-31.indd 26

Simon Goff

Under his stewardship as managing director, First South, Simon cultivated the ‘Adventures by Bus’ brand proposition as well as rebranding and expanding to include a new link to Watford, the RailAir brand emanating from Heathrow. A people focused, product-based leader, Simon is renowned for constantly looking to create innovative and transformative new approaches to customer service.

Laura Daniel

Laura has spent 18 years in procurement, including at nPower and the Sovereign Housing Association. She joined First as Great Western Railway’s head of procurement in 2020 and is renowned for her strategic and customer-led approach, as well as strong leadership skills.

An increasingly respected leader in the bus sector, Ben has a progressive approach to HR and is renowned for his rounded skills and contribution that transcends his functional responsibilities. An impressive career that has included time at Lloyds Law, Boots, Encompass Development Group and Galliford Try PLC, Ben joined the bus industry at Nottingham City Transport in 2017.

He rose to the ranks of HR director in 2021, where he is also responsible for safety and FM. A great collaborator and communicator, Ben is very much on the ascendancy.

Richard Stevens

Very much an unsung hero of the bus industry, Richard has gained plaudits for the way he reinvigorated and transformed services in rural Devon and Cornwall as managing director of Plymouth Citybus.

His successful winning of Transport for Cornwall contracts and stewardship of these, building on the positive work of the previous incumbent, First, has earned admiration.

Richard is also renowned for his extensive knowledge of the landscape and astute stakeholder relations.

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Customer-centrics

Tom Bell Starting his career at Apple, Tom joined South Western Railway on the FirstGroup Intern Scheme and quickly progressed to innovation manager, a role he has since been undertaking at Great Western Railway. Tom is renowned in the industry for his dynamic, high profile, energetic and innovative approach to driving change. He is also the deputy chair of Aspect, Great Western’s LGBT+ network, and volunteers for the Scouts outside of work.

Ben Wakerley

Colette Casey

With the opening of a brand-new depot in 2023 and the introduction of electric vehicles, Ben has presided over the transformation of Warrington’s Own Buses since joining as managing director in 2017. He has a formidable partnership with the company’s chair, Cathy Mitchell, and the creation of the Cheshire Cat brand kickstarted a customer service revolution. Ben has previously held senior leadership roles in Abellio, National Express and First Bus. Ben sits on the UK bus commission of CPT and is organising this year’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire.

After two decades in the automotive industry, including roles at Renault UK, Vauxhall Motors, General Motors, MG Rover and Hertz Lease, Colette joined CrossCountry Trains as customer and commercial director in 2021.

She has been a breath of fresh air, presiding over customer service transformation programmes and injecting energy and vigour into the customer service and brand proposition.

Supported by David Mullins, her charismatic number two at Renault UK who is now head of brand, communications and digital strategy, Colette heads a formidable team.

Ripesh Patel

Ripesh has built his procurement career over 24 years and has experience of leading commercial teams within large-scale, complex organisations. He is currently the commercial and procurement strategy director for Network Rail. Ripesh is immensely passionate about everything people and ED&I. He chairs his directorate’s ED&I Change Group, is developing an Inclusive Procurement Programme, and is involved in several company-wide strategic initiatives including being on the Board of Network Rail’s Race Matters programme.

Matthew Moxon

Joining Northern in September 2023 as head of talent acquisition, Matthew brings fresh insight and energy to the challenges and opportunities of recruitment within the transport sector. His diverse background, spanning just under two decades, includes posts at Legal & General, Moores Furniture Group, Stroud Resourcing and among others Zenopa Recruitment, where he focused on the medical sector. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Chico Coulibaly BEM An inspirational and dynamic proven customer service leader, Chico has amassed an impressive record of operational and financial excellence for South Western Railway. A remarkable career spanning 21 years at South Western, he has since been recognised in the New Years Honours List for his work during Operation London Bridge in the days following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 23 February 2024 | 27

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ONES TO WATCH 2024

Sarah Boyd

Ben Gilligan

Sarah deservedly scooped the top job at Lothian Buses in August 2022, having joined Lothian as its head of operations in 2013. Previously she rose through the ranks at Stagecoach, progressing to senior roles at its East and West Scotland subsidiaries.

Passionate about people, Sarah has gained accolades for her commitment to rebuilding Lothian post pandemic through her strong leadership style and strategic stakeholder engagement.

A former graduate trainee at First, before becoming its managing director, South Yorkshire and York, Ben moved to Go-Ahead in 2018, following a spell at South Yorkshire PTE. He currently heads up Go-Ahead’s East Yorkshire business and has become an outspoken advocate of bus priority measures across the region whilst also rejuvenating patronage and customer service.

Fiona White OBE

A career civil servant, Fiona currently oversees the contract management of half of the franchised operators, as director markets North. She has impressed with her pragmatic, progressive and customer-led approach to decision-making and building relationships with operators, whilst driving improvements during and since the pandemic.

Vitto Pizzuti

During a period of change at Transdev Blazefield, Vitto has played a solidifying role in improving performance, gaining increasing plaudits and forming an impactful partnership with impressive new CEO Henri Rohad.

He is renowned for his energetic, customer driven approach to operations.

Abu Siddeeq

Glaswegian Abu impressed at Transport for London leading customer service and then bus operations teams, then at FirstGroup and GWR before becoming head of customer experience for LNER. An outspoken, innovative, passionate advocate of customercentricity, Abu’s first executive level role came in 2023 in his home patch in Essex, as customer experience director for c2c.

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Kemar Gilbert

Renowned for his customer-centric approach to resource planning and outstanding stakeholder management and project-based skills, Kemar has made a significant impact in his role as customer experience strategic resource manager at intercity train operator LNER by focusing on innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.

He joined the inter-city operator in April 2022 from East Midlands Railway where he spent just under 11 years in strategic resource planning roles. Recently, Kemar represented the UK rail industry alongside seven other talented individuals for the UK Japan Railway exchange programme. He aims to incorporate learnings from this amazing experience into his career.

Gregor Forbes

A newcomer to the industry having joined in July 2023, Gregor is heading up McGill’s Bright Bus sightseeing business in Edinburgh. A career professional in hospitality, travel and tourism, including a private members club, five star hotels and contract catering preceded him joining Bright Bus and he has already impressed by imparting this experience into McGill’s proposition and replicating the dynamic, customer-focused approach of his impressive leader, Alex Hornby, who is group managing director at McGill’s.

Strategists Anit Chandarana

Anit joined Network Rail from Shell in 2003 and after several roles over 17 years became chief of staff in 2020 before playing a key role in the creation of the GBR Transition Team in 2022 as lead director. At the forefront of developing the new strategy for the railway following the Williams Shapps Review, Anit was then seconded in August 2023 to the Department for Transport to help pave the way towards the dawn of GBR. A deep strategic thinker and builder of strong stakeholder relations, Anit is becoming an increasingly influential figure across the sector.

Anit is one of the few leaders of colour in the industry and uses his role to champion the need for the industry to improve its diversity, inclusion and equality agenda.

Matt Goggins

Matt spent a decade at National Express overseeing its north-based coach stations and then as head of public affairs. He joined the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as head of bus in 2015 and is now assistant director, bus, where he is playing a lead role in the preparation for reform and the transition to bus franchising across the Liverpool City Region.

Rob Mullen

With over 20 years of experience in UK Rail, Rob is an exceptional leader. Working for multiple TOCs including c2c, First Great Western, GWR, and GTR, Rob is now the managing director at c2c. From international work on patronage in Athens to delivering excellent traincrew management, Rob has always put people first. Rob is also the chair of the Board of Trustees at Bath City Football Club Foundation.

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Alex Hynes A mainstay of UK Rail for 26 years, Alex continues to impress and influence as managing director, Scotland’s Railway.

Previously managing director of Northern Railway, Alex’s career has expertly combined strategy, commercial and operations as he headed up Go-Ahead’s business development division and held senior roles at Halcrow and ORR. Alex has made his mark positively wherever he has gone in his career and is hugely popular at Network Rail and within the sector, renowned for his customer-centricity, engaging style and intelligent stakeholder relation skills.

Guillaume Chanussot

Marc Reddy The winner of UK Bus Manager of the Year at the 2022 Route One awards, Marc swapped his role heading up Bus bids at FirstGroup to take on the role of managing director at Stagecoach South, building on 22 years of managing various First subsidiaries. A deep strategic thinker with the sharpest of customer lenses, Marc is also renowned as one of the finest leaders of his generation.

Ralph Roberts

Ralph is one of the most experienced and talented bus operators in the industry, spending many years at Arriva before joining McGill’s which he has transformed into the largest independent bus company in the UK. Having handed on a lot of day-to-day responsibilities to Alex Hornby, Ralph has become increasingly outspoken, even more strategic and influential in driving bus policy across Scotland, buoyed also by his role as CPT UK president and chair of Traveline Scotland. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Alison Edwards

Following five years as both head of policy and then director of policy, Alison is now the recently appointed director of policy and external relations at the Confederation of Passenger Transport. Alison has her work cut out at a pivotal time for the the sector. She has handled challenges with considerable aplomb in an impressive career that has included roles at the Department for Communities & Local Government and previously at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

After a period of uncertainty around their UK aspirations, Transdev showed they meant business by restoring the role of UK CEO and installing experienced, multi-modal Guillaume to kickstart exciting expansion plans. Guillaume is people focused, delivering via inspirational leadership, with a strong track record of creating customer satisfaction, business success and efficient stakeholder communication. Guillaume was previously MD for Manchester Metrolink and before then held senior roles at Keolis.

Maria Bainbridge

An Arriva Bus operations graduate and then operations manager, Maria spent a year in recruitment before joining Go-Ahead as business improvement manager in 2022.

She then climbed to the role of head of people and change and is a rising star with a reputation for being a great communicator and visionary thinker.

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ONES TO WATCH 2024

Commercial innovators Faizan Muhammad

An experienced marketer and communicator, Jane has played a key role in the development of the TrawsCymru service at Transport for Wales, as well as improving perceptions of bus travel. With her energetic, customer-driven approach, Jane builds on her communications and marketing experience across a wide variety of sectors in both private and public sector organisations.

A stellar career that commenced in Karachi, Pakistan, led to Faizan working on a pan-sector basis in senior finance roles, at Deloitte, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Snowflake Luxury Gelato Ltd and then to his current post as group head of commercial finance at FirstGroup. Faizan has been leading business development of decarbonisation opportunities, including driving commercial negotiations on the recently completed landmark transaction with Hitachi Europe.

Antony Goozee

Through a period in which there has been a big change in personnel at the top of National Express, Antony has been a linchpin, promoted to UK Bus strategy director in 2023 from UK new business development director.

Antony previously spent 15 years in a number of director roles at Rotala.

Emma Osborn

Emma has 26 years railway experience, mainly at Network Rail in several senior positions. With a strong commercial background, Emma has been pivotal in leading internal transformation situations, creating lasting cross-industry partnerships for the benefit of customers, taxpayers and Network Rail employees. Emma is a champion for diversity and inclusion, focusing on mentoring and supporting women, and colleagues from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds across the industry.

James O’Neill

James is often described as one of the brightest commercial experts in the bus industry, and his progressive, strategic and detail-conscious approach has earned great praise. He started his career at erstwhile independent bus operator Emsworth & District Motor Services in 2000 and carried out roles as a cleaner, bus driver and admin clerk before joining Stagecoach South in 2007.

He left for Stagecoach’s West subsidiary in 2016 returning to the South as commercial director in 2022.

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Jane Purdie

Glenn De Sousa

Nikki Honer A mainstay of the multi-award-winning Go South Coast team, Nikki is one of the most experienced marketers in the bus sector.

As head of marketing, she has developed a multi-channel approach to raise brand awareness, and increase customer growth, particularly in the leisure market. With a strong focus on digital content to complement traditional publicity. Nikki has also built close stakeholder relations within the community.

She is seen as being a key player in the legacy of success that Go South Coast has created.

A passionate transport management professional, Glenn has a strong record of value-adding work in varied business environments including consultancy, independent, municipal and PLC organisations. With nine years in transport, Glenn is now head of commercial at Oxford Bus Company, part of the Go-Ahead Group.

Glenn is commercially minded with a proven track record of delivering strong results.

Simon Pearson

With many comings and goings at First Bus during the past decade, Simon has been a mainstay, and his loyalty and expertise were rewarded in 2022 as he joined the UK Bus Board as chief commercial officer. Simon has a fresh perspective on increasing customer satisfaction and patronage, which combines well with his thirst for market insight and his strategic lens.

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LEARN ABOUT LOST lost.careers

Social value exponents Martin Dean

As chair of the Confederation for Passenger Transport, Martin has been an unsung hero in stabilising the bus sector during and post the pandemic and demonstrating to the government and industry its social value to communities. In his day job, he heads up Go-Ahead’s regional businesses and his fanatical approach to customer service as well as his affable and effective leadership style has made him one of the most popular and highly regarded transport professionals in the UK. He is also chair of Edinburgh Trams and has experience in rail at Transport for London and National Express.

Rob Jones

Yvonne Fox-Burmby

After successfully building the social enterprise ecosystem at GMCVO (Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation) as a programme manager, Yvonne joined transport user watchdog Transport Focus in 2017 as stakeholder team coordinator. Progressing through the organisation to stakeholder manager she is passionate about her role as representing the voice of the passenger. She works day to day with train operators Northern and TransPennine to understand the challenges faced whilst ensuring the impact on passengers remains a priority and also works with the TRU (Transpennine Route Upgrade) teams helping to influence decisions that affect passengers and ensure future investment is user focussed.

Helen Townend

Named in the FT Top 100 Influential Women in Engineering, Helen is passionate about empowering others at all stages of their career.

Helen is currently chair of Women at Amey Affinity Group, elected to lead the employee group to support the 4,000 plus women in the business, responsible for the steering and monitoring of progress with objectives of allyship, education, career development, recruitment and retention of talent.

Hana Sutch

Hana is the founder and owner of leading curated walking App provider Go Jauntly. She has been a passionate advocate of working with public transport providers to promote walking as a compatible mode and leisure pursuit to drive better social mobility, active lifestyles, well-being and reducing the carbon footprint.

A career bus professional, Rob transformed Stagecoach’s Lake District services before being entrusted with the company’s bids for franchising, mobilisation and day-to-day running of its biggest business outside of London. Rob has won admiration for his undersold, people-centric approach and industry experience and he combines his role with being chair of the Transport Benevolent Fund.

Sam Russell

An excellent collaborator and leader of stakeholder relations, Sam is head of customer experience relationships and projects at Arriva Rail London, where he leads the CEx directorate’s engagement with trade union colleagues. He is very well respected internally as well as by key client Transport for London and has always been at the forefront of looking at ways to improve customer satisfaction.

He combines his role with that of chair of Age UK Buckinghamshire and as a Family Court Magistrate. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Claire Haigh Claire is one of the most renowned social value experts of her generation, having founded Greener Transport Solutions and Greener Vision. She was chief executive of Greener Journeys for 11 years and a leading advocate and commentator around public transport and its positive impacts on society. She has just taken over at the helm of Zemo Partnership, the organisation that has been working with government and stakeholders to deliver policies and initiatives to accelerate decarbonisation of UK road transport.

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21/02/2024 16:03

COMMENT

GREAT MINSTER GRUMBLES

Committee used as delaying tactic?

Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT

I’m trying to recall a time when there was such a sense of drift in our rail policies, and I can’t. Can you? We are now 14 weeks on from the King’s Speech when we were happily told that the government would publish a draft Rail Reform Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny and, as I write, the Bill has just been published. In another clever little delaying tactic I understand that ministers plan to use the Transport Select Committee as the conduit through which the pre-legislative scrutiny will be conducted.

The select committee was always going to carry out an inquiry into the draft Bill once it’s published, so perhaps this is not entirely surprising. But to make the committee the formal conduit for the pre-legislative scrutiny, rather than this department simply carrying out a brief consultation - and it need only be brief because we have already undertaken a consultation on the legislative proposals - is a neat way to kick this whole process further into the long grass, to kick the rail can further down the road.

The committee process could all too easily take us well into the summer before anything is concluded. It needn’t, of course, but I bet it will. The committee will need to issue some terms of reference for its inquiry and can only do this now the draft Bill has been published. Once the terms of reference are published the committee will allow a few weeks for any interested party to put in written www.passengertransport.co.uk

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evidence, and then of course it will call various parties to give oral evidence to the committee. You can all too easily see a situation where the committee doesn’t even start to take oral evidence until early May. In that case these oral sessions may not be concluded until, perhaps, late June. Then we have to wait for the committee to publish its report. Let’s say that comes out in early July. This department then has two months to respond to the committee’s report, which could take us to early September and, hey presto, we are so close to a general election being called that what’s the betting we decide not to respond to the committee’s report until after the election.

The whole timetable could be much quicker if the committee put its mind to it. It need only give two or three weeks for interested parties to submit written evidence given

“The committee process could all too easily take us well into the summer before anything is concluded.

It needn’t, of course, but I bet it will”

that there has already been a consultation on the legislation anyway. And it need not call many witnesses to give oral evidence - just the primary industry players, in fact.

The oral evidence could be completed in not more than a couple of weeks. In any event, I’m not sure what more the industry has to say on the legislation that it hasn’t already said either through the previous consultation that I’ve referred to, or in on-going discussions with this department.

I’m sorry to keep on about the draft Rail Reform Bill, but the way this has been handled by this government surely needs calling out on a regular basis. And I have a suggestion to make to the collective rail industry and its associated stakeholders: why not boycott the select committee pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry that it will be holding? Perhaps that sounds unnecessarily churlish and unhelpful.

Perhaps a more sensible approach would be to simply send to the committee, when it calls for written evidence, the responses you sent in to this department’s own consultation on the legislative proposals it conducted some two years ago now. Tell the committee you have nothing more to say and that it need not hold any oral evidence sessions at all!

Childish? Perhaps. And of course with the draft Bill just published there could well be some things in it which some stakeholders don’t much like. But I’m finding it hard to believe that a Bill which almost everybody is relaxed about, at least in principle, is going to cause stakeholder to change their views greatly in any way.

In past evidence sessions with ministers the Transport Select Committee has expressed surprise, even shown some annoyance, that the government has not seen fit to proceed with the Bill much, much sooner. So it would have been entirely logical if it had refused to play ball with ministers’ approach to using it as the conduit for conducting the pre-legislative scrutiny process. A previous committee chair, none other than the late Gwyneth Dunwoody, may well have cut up rough and refused to be used in this way. But now, having previously been critical of the government’s tardy approach to this Bill, it now appears to be part of the government’s delaying tactics.

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21/02/2024 16:04

CAREERS

CALL NOW TO ADVERTISE 020 3950 8000 or email sales@passengertransport.co.uk

Academy to plug skills gap New West Midlands Transport Skills Academy aims to fill 60,000 skilled transport jobs by 2035 Transport for West Midlands has launched the Transport Skills Academy programme, aiming to collaborate with the transport industry and training providers to equip young people in the region with the diverse skill set necessary to secure positions in the sector.

Research commissioned by TfWM highlights the necessity of finding approximately 60,000 new workers over the next 15 years to support the development and operation of the region’s rail, road, bus, and tram networks.

With major initiatives like HS2 and TfWM’s own substantial infrastructure investment programme, there is an unprecedented demand for skilled labour in the West Midlands.

This expanding workforce will be needed across various professions, including software designers, engineers, digital specialists, transport planning and design experts, construction and maintenance workers, and operational staff.

If these estimated 60,000 jobs are retained in the West Midlands by 2035, they would generate

“The sheer scale of transport infrastructure projects underway here is quite remarkable” Andy Street

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over £1.7bn in social value for the region.

The Transport Skills Academy aims to consolidate existing work experience, training, and apprenticeship opportunities while exploring new initiatives to bridge the skills gap and fulfill workforce demands.

“A key part of my mayoral mission is to ensure that young people right across our region can access high quality and well paid job opportunities,” said Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands. “The sheer scale of transport infrastructure projects underway here is quite remarkable and will unlock new employment avenues for local residents.

“Whether it’s HS2 - under construction and already employing 7,000 people - or the unprecedented investment into our transport system over the next decade - including new railway stations, tram lines, bus services and cycle routes - there is a lot to get involved with.”

The need for new workers is also being driven by an ageing workforce in the transport industry. Of the 41,783 workers working in the road, rail and bus sectors in the West Midlands, 35% are over the age of 50 and nearing retirement.

At the same time, fewer than 13% are under 30, meaning there are significant opportunities for the region’s younger people.

Women and black and minority ethnic people are also underrepresented and a key focus.

APPOINTMENTS NETWORK RAIL Network Rail has announced the appointment of Pete Sollitt as managing director of the TRU West Alliance, the delivery arm of the Transpennine Route Upgrade to the west of Leeds.

Sollitt (pictured) joins the TRU West Alliance with a wealth of major infrastructure projects expertise after more than 10 years of leading roles, most recently with the HS2 programme, where he was the Phase 2A delivery director. His time within the rail industry is preceded by over two decades of senior leadership positions within the British Army, with multiple deployments in the Middle East, Balkans and West Africa.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade follows an enterprise business model - led by TRU managing director Neil Holm - in a structure that consists of individual projects that are delivered via Alliances both East and West of Leeds.

PULHAMS COACHES Go-Ahead subsidiary Oxford Bus Group, which comprises comprises Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel, City Sightseeing Oxford, Carousel Buses and Pulhams Coaches has announced the appointment of Stuart Exler as head of the training academy at Pulhams Coaches.

Exler was latterly a recruitment co-ordinator and driving instructor at Oxford Bus Company. In his new role he will now oversee the recruitment and training of new and existing drivers at Pulhams as the company continues to expand its local bus services and coaching operations across the Cotswolds.

ALEXANDER DENNIS Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis has announced that Shaun Millar has joined its fleet sales team in a new national account manager role that will focus on large independent and municipal bus operators.

Millar (pictured) joins Alexander Dennis from Irizar e-mobility where, as business development manager for the UK, he was instrumental in the introduction of zero-emission buses with both Transport for London-contracted and provincial operators.

FIRST BUS First Bus in Manchester has strengthened the management team for its Rochdale depot ahead of the launch of the second phase of the franchised Bee Network next month.

Kevin Mullin has been appointed social value manager, a new role in First Bus. He joins from Kier Construction, where he spent two years as CSR manager for the north west region.

The new engineering manager for the depot is Iain Malone, who trained in the Army in the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers and served for 15 years.

He joins First Bus from WEC Group, a specialist fabrication and engineering supplier to key industries.

Mike McGowan is the third member of the management support team. He originally joined First Bus 20 years ago as a driver and returned to the company in 2009, developing through supervisor roles to become a staff manager at the Oldham depot.

He has now been promoted to operations manager at Rochdale.

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21/02/2024 17:28

DIVERSIONS IT’S A DATE WITH SAFEGUARD

Alex gets his shoes on to run the railway 56-mile mission to run Merseyrail line Alex Rigby recently embarked on a 56-mile mission: to run to every station on Merseyrail’s Northern line within 11 hours. Aiming to raise £20,000 for Centre 56, which supports families affected by domestic abuse, Alex surpassed expectations, raising £26,000.

“I wanted to do a challenge that was unique,” Alex explained. “I was getting the train one day and started wondering how long it would take to run to all the stations.”

Sick, babes

A FASHION FIRST FOR FIRST BUS

In a bid to get Scottish youngsters to ride in style, First Bus has taken a detour into the world of fashion with a new streetwear range.

Merseyrail mission

Merseyrail backed Alex’s endeavour, with Sally Ralston, the train operator’s community involvement manager, noting Centre 56 is “close to the hearts of many of the staff who work at Merseyrail”.

Picture this: you’re strutting down the local high street in a limited edition hand-stitched bucket hat, a screen-printed tee that’s the envy of all, and slinging a bag that screams “I’m on the move!” But here’s the kicker – it’s all inspired by bus travel.

Yes, you heard that right.

Collaborating with top creatives, First Bus has turned the everyday bus trip into a fashion statement.

The move aims to encourage under 22-year-olds to explore their cities using their free bus pass.

The collection is the latest

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Guildford-based bus operator Safeguard will celebrates its 100th birthday on March 16 with an event at Guildford Cathedral.

The blend of stalls, talks and experiences through the day will combine to deliver enjoyment and entertainment for all. They include mask-making, a photo booth, talks on the history and the future of buses in Guildford, a mobile farm, transport stalls, performances by Guildford’s Rock Choir and Farnham Brass Band and hosted by Album Conference regular Dave Guest.

Further details about the day at www.safeguardcoaches.co.uk.

instalment in the leading bus operator’s ‘Free to Explore’ campaign, which has previously seen the creation of a ‘nursery grime’ music video and the installation of eye-catching wings murals across both Glasgow and Aberdeen. A Tik Tok filter which allows the user to ‘wear’ the colourful wings from the mural, has also been created.

“We know that a bus company launching a clothing range is an unexpected move,” noted First Bus senior marketing manager Carolyn Harper.

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Train operator LNER has launched a train inspired by a new advertising campaign, and its V.I.P. (that’s Very Important Puppet) star, Eleanor.

The advert sees mascot Eleanor enjoying a journey onboard one of LNER’s Azuma trains, where she experiences and showcases the many things you can do when travelling across the train operator’s network.

She was introduced to her very own train (801 225 for our spotting chums) at York Station, where she received a warm welcome from some of the LNER team who helped create the livery and appeared in the advert.

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