BUSES 2.0 - REINVENTING BUS TRAVEL

PUBLIC REINVENTING BUS TRAVEL

BUSES

Next Stop: Net Zero Emissions

It’s no secret that we’re on our way to a fully decarbonised First Bus fleet by 2035. And we’ve made good progress already, with the recent development of the UK’s largest charging hub. But the journey doesn’t stop there, because we’ll be rolling another 267 electric buses into regions right across the UK from March 2023. Come with us on the journey!

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T here can be no doubt that there is substantial potential for growth in the bus sector. I was therefore delighted to be re-appointed as the government’s buses Minister so that I can continue to work with the industry and local authorities to improve services nationwide.

Buses are the easiest, cheapest and quickest way to improve public transport. Add to that the fact that buses are the most used mode of public transport, and it isn’t hard to see why this government is investing £3bn this parliament to improve and modernise bus services throughout England, and deliver on the bold vision set out in the National Bus Strategy published back in March 2021.

We are beginning to see the returns on that investment, with local transport authorities using the more than £1bn the government is

providing to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans, including the measures to reduce fares being introduced in areas such as Manchester and Liverpool. Te government is building on this by investing up to £60m to launch a £2 fare cap on most services in England outside London for three months, starting in January. Tese types of measures are crucial as we look to drive patronage back up and in due course beyond pre-pandemic levels.

I know, however, that there is so much more to come from the sector. Te improvements that are being made to support vital bus services and infrastructure around the country, combined with innovative technological advancements, will help to unlock new opportunities for operators and ultimately deliver better services for passengers.

Simplifying fares and ticketing,

for example, will improve convenience for existing bus users and attract those not confdent with the array of complex ticketing products available currently. I welcome the fares and ticketing changes recently introduced in the West Midlands, Leicester and Cornwall, to name just a few excellent examples.

Te advances in technology being made in the world of zeroemission buses (ZEBs) should also not be overlooked. As set out in the National Bus Strategy, this government is committed to delivering the system-wide transformation needed to enable the switch to ZEBs. We have dedicated at least £525m this parliament to support our commitment for 4,000 ZEBs, including through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Area scheme – which is helping fund one of Europe’s largest hydrogen

projects and the all-electric bus city scheme in Coventry. We have also sought to incentivise ZEBs through an uplif in the Bus Service Operators Grant, and will be setting both a legal end date for the sale of new non-ZEBs, and an expectation for when the entire feet will be zero emission.

While there are undoubtedly challenges facing the bus sector at present, there is also a huge amount to look forward to. As we chart a new path towards lower, simpler fares, more frequent buses, services which are easier to understand and use, and thousands more zero-emission buses, this government remains committed to working with and investing in the sector to help it achieve its potential.

Baroness Vere

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Transport

THERE ARE UNDOUBTEDLY CHALLENGES BUT ALSO A HUGE AMOUNT TO LOOK FORWARD TO

SUBSTANTIAL POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH

“As we chart a new path towards lower, simpler fares, more frequent buses, services which are easier to understand and use, and thousands more zero-emission buses, this government remains committed to working with and investing in the sector to help it achieve its potential”

BUSES CAN MAKE A BIGGER CONTRIBUTION

GRAHAM VIDLER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE CONFEDERATION OF PASSENGER TRANSPORT, EXPLAINS WHY CHANGES ARE NEEDED

Buses 2.0, just like Buses 1.0, will be at the heart of the UK’s transport network.

Tere are over four billion bus journeys made in the UK every year, nearly 60% of all public transport journeys. And the bus will grow in importance in the future. But to do so, changes are needed in the industry’s relationships with local and central government and in adapting to the needs of tomorrow’s passengers.

Greater integration

First and foremost, we need greater integration with local transport systems. Each local area faces its own unique set of challenges and diferent solutions will be needed.

Greater integration is partly a question of the regulatory framework. Franchising may be a politically-necessary solution in some places, although in the majority of areas the mutual ties of an enhanced partnership or similar will become the norm.

Whatever the regulatory model, we must think more about how buses can work with other modes in everything from joined-up, multi-modal ticketing and timetabling to rethinking bus stops as mobility hubs. Nothing should be of the table.

Tis type of integration is necessary to engage with local leaders trying to reinvent their regions. It also ofers a crucial opportunity to improve services for our current and future passengers, because highlighting the bus as an enabler in wider local transport and development plans is the route to guaranteeing sustained investment in bus infrastructure.

Decarbonisation

As society continues to strive towards net zero by 2050, the bus is already playing a pivotal role in helping us to achieve our decarbonisation goals.

With over 3,200 zero-emission buses already operating, we’re way ahead of other road transport modes, which is an encouraging foundation on which to build.

Determined to do more, 40% of new registrations are now zeroemission and we have a pledge from the industry to stop buying diesel vehicles from 2025. With the right government support,

from 2025 over two-thirds of all new bus purchases in England will be zero emission.

Tere is, of course, a long way to go, and success, will depend on a stable, long-term funding plan from the government to match operators’ own investment.

Future travel patterns

As a sector we need to ensure we are catering for tomorrow’s passengers, not yesterday’s.

Nobody wants to see well-used bus services reduced, which is why operators have been working closely with local authorities, to ensure that bus services in the future match people’s current and future travel demands. But some changes to networks are necessary for a context where commuting, for many, has stopped being a daily habit and where much travel demand for everything from shopping to visiting the GP has been lost to online interaction.

We will need to continue to work with central and local government, to ensure that the adjustment, necessary as it is, is communicated clearly and doesn’t result in a

sharp drop in services.

And we need to make sure that the right tickets are available to match new travel patterns. Te £2 bus fare cap on all single journeys outside of London is of course a welcome and eye-catching initiative. But introducing fexible period tickets and carnets, as operators up and down the country have done, is driving even better value for regular customers.

A long-term financial settlement

As the bus industry changes, we’ll also need government to change with us. Te introduction of the National Bus Strategy has seen an unprecedented amount of money fow into the sector along with the extension of the Bus Recovery Grant until March in England. Although welcome, we need to shif from the piecemeal funding of bus services and improvements to bus infrastructure. Instead, we need to move to a long-term, stable settlement which drives the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy everywhere, and not just the selected local authorities who have been awarded funding.

We also need a national commitment to bus priority measures that support the maintenance of services, improvement in bus speeds and therefore an increased frequency of services. A pro-travel message is also vital to get people out of cars and onto buses. Afer all, getting this is the quickest, easiest and fairest way to decarbonise passenger transport.

Get this right and Buses 2.0 won’t just be as important as Buses 1.0, it will be an even bigger presence, making an even greater contribution to the nation’s health, wealth and environment.

Graham Vidler: 'We need greater integration with local transport systems'

“The introduction of the National Bus Strategy has seen an unprecedented amount of money flow into the sector along with the extension of the bus recovery grant until March in England”

BEFORE TOMORROW, WE MUST SURVIVE TODAY CHRIS CHEEK OFFERS A SOBERING VIEW OF THE DAUNTING RANGE OF POST- PANDEMIC CHALLENGES FACED BY THE UK BUS SECTOR

It’s now a little over 50 years since I joined the bus industry as a graduate trainee with the National Bus Company, the state-owned corporation that was then responsible for the vast bulk of non-municipal bus operations in England and Wales. In the half-century since that day in September 1972, I have witnessed and occasionally played a minor part, in enormous changes in the industry, through deregulation and privatisation, big group consolidation, competition enquiries and changes in vehicle design – frst the low-foor revolution and now the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

However, in all that time, I cannot recall a set of changes as huge and as sudden as those now imposed on the industry by force of circumstances, mainly by the Covid-19 pandemic and its afermath. It’s all been so sudden, and so recent, that we can still only speculate about the longerterm consequences. Afer all, as I write, we’ve still only had two quarters since the lifing of the last Covid restrictions – and the illness is still a phenomenon that is present in many people’s lives.

So what has changed? And what might the changes mean for the industry? Te questions which then follow are about the challenges that arise for bus operators, local authorities and government, and what potential solutions are out there.

Te main changes since the start of 2020 have been about falls in demand, initially as a result of the three lockdowns – but as predicted by many, myself included, a goodly proportion of the passengers lost have failed to

return. Latest estimates put the average across England outside the capital at around 88%, but still only 83% in London. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a split between paying and concessionary passengers, with the latter only recovering to around 60-65% of pre-Covid volumes.

Te statistics also show a marked variation across diferent days of the week (see table). Weekends have been performing strongly, whilst Mondays are particularly poor.

Tese fgures are consistent with the idea that the main cause of patronage loss has been the switch to working from home. Te extent of this change was brought home last month by the publication from ONS of some new statistics on this subject resulting from their quarterly Labour Force Surveys. Tese showed that full-time homeworking increased from 4.2 million (15% of the workforce) to 8.5 million (31%) between the frst quarters of 2019 and 2022. Meanwhile, a further 2.4 million people (14.5%) were working from home at least one day a week.

As might be expected, there is a good deal of variation between the regions. Full-time homeworking was at its highest in the South East (19.5% of the workforce) closely followed by the South West (18.6%) and the East of England (16.3%). Te lowest was the North East (10.3%) and the North West (12%). In London, the fgure was 14.2%, whilst Wales recorded 12.4%, Scotland 10.1% and Northern Ireland 10.3%.

Aside from the full-time homeworkers, there are the so-called ‘hybrid’ workers, who perhaps go to the ofce two or three days a week. Here, the ONS

POST COVID RECOVERY BY DAY OF THE WEEK

Percentage of Pre-Covid (2019) Use Average by Day of the Week between July 31 and September 18

Day London Rest of Bus England

outbreak of Covid in the frst quarter of this year, and the government was still advising people to work from home during most of January. We should not, therefore, take these fgures as an automatic indicator of what the picture will be in the long term.

Another component of the failure to recover public transport patronage has been the decline in demand for shopping trips, largely as a result of the switch to online shopping. Before the pandemic, the proportion of retail sales stood at around 20.8%, having grown from just over 11% in the previous fve years. Lockdowns and Covid nerves saw this fgure leap to 36% in the frst quarter of 2021. However, it has fallen back since, and the most recent fgure for the second quarter of 2022 was 25.7%.

surveys show that 14.5% of the workforce reported that they worked from home for at least one day a week. London ofered the highest proportion, at 24.3%. Te next highest was in the South East (15.6%), followed by the North West (15.1%). Te others were all grouped around 11%, with the lowest recorded proportion being in the East Midlands at 9.1%. Wales recorded 11.5%, Scotland 12.1% and Northern Ireland 16.9%.

Tese fgures must come with a cautionary note, since we were still in the midst of the Omicron

Data company Springboard continues to record footfall in the High Streets to be between 18% and 20% below the levels seen in 2019, with this now being afected by such matters as public transport strikes and the fall in living standards as infation bites. Tis loss of footfall in the key market segment on which bus relies is starting to look permanent, the decline fed by the steady closure of major anchor stores such as Debenhams, John Lewis or Marks & Spencer in town and city centres.

Over the last few months, though, it’s almost as if the lack of patronage has been the least of the industry’s problems, as labour shortages and the operating cost explosion have hit. Te labour shortage – particularly drivers, but also qualifed engineers – began to arise in 2021. Tis was initially brought on by a Covid-induced standstill in the processing and testing of new applicants for both

Chris Cheek: unprecedented challenges

HGV and PSV drivers at DVLA in Swansea. However, other factors came into play as well: the wage infation in the HGV sector saw the bus industry staf lose staf to the freight industry; employees who had been furloughed during Covid did not return as expected, having found that there were easier ways of earning a living; drivers from the EU who went home during the pandemic did not return and Brexit meant that there were no more EU arrivals to replace them; and the industry was hit – like so many – by “the great resignation” – older workers who decided to retire or do lower amounts of freelance work.

ONS fgures show that the pool of available labour – what they term as “economically active” –shrank by 100,000 between 2019 and 2022 in England, by another 30,000 in Scotland, a remarkable 45,000 in Wales and 19,000 in Northern Ireland.

Calls for qualifed PSV drivers to be added to the list of occupations for which overseas residents could qualify for a Skilled Worker Visa have so far fallen on deaf ears in the Home Ofce, though talk in recent weeks of a change of attitude over immigration by the new prime

minister may alter this.

I have worked in depots where chronic staf shortages meant high levels of lost mileage, and so I have experienced the vicious circle of falling morale and exhaustion amongst supervisory staf constantly battling to cover work. One of the worst aspects is that the lack of any spare cover means that any sudden sickness or family emergency among drivers equals more cancellations, and more lost mileage.

Ten there is the worry that new staf you do manage to recruit may be below par – the “take anyone who walks through the door” syndrome. Tere is a risk too of a slide in disciplinary standards as supervisors tread more warily, aware that upsetting a recruit or an existing staf member could mean another bus of the road tonight or tomorrow morning.

Finally, there’s the public reaction: drivers are inevitably at the sharp end of criticism when they turn up at the stop afer the bus in front was cancelled – and there’s only so much of that you can take before you’ve had enough.

Altogether, it’s a horrible situation for any depot or operator to be in. We have progressed since my days at the sharp end, in the

sense that we have at least got some tools such as apps, social media and real-time information to warn customers of the inevitable short-notice cancellations that occur. But it remains a desperate situation when operators across the country cannot deliver the service they advertise: the urgency of fnding solutions cannot be overstated at a time when operators are seeking to persuade lost passengers to return and more motorists to switch modes.

As if the lack of passengers and drivers were not enough, a third blow has landed in the form of infation, particularly the explosion in fuel costs, especially since the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine back in February. As a result, we have seen record prices for diesel. Electricity costs for businesses rose by 46%

between the frst quarter of 2019 and the same period this year. Te collapse of the value of the pound will inevitably give the energy price spital another upward twist since all the oil and gas we import is priced in US dollars.

Infation also drives up other input prices such as tyres and spares, as well as the cost of labour. Te latter already accounts for over 60% of industry costs, and there is already pressure for wages to rise, both by employees who are anxious about their standard of living and by hard-pressed managers anxious to compete for scarce staf

Tere are hidden costs as well – interest rate increases imposed by the Bank of England put up the cost of investment, whilst changes in the industry’s risk profle post-Covid will also impact the cost of borrowing. In the medium term, this will impact the level of investment that operators can aford, as well as drive up the levels of operating proft needed to meet fnancial obligations.

As I said at the beginning of this article, I cannot recall a time when the bus industry has been in such jeopardy – and prescriptions such as franchising or public ownership will do little or nothing to alter the fundamental economics of running buses. Changing our structures or regulations will not recruit a single extra driver, or escape the need for bus operators (whoever owns them) to earn a proft or create one extra yard of bus lane.

Over the last couple of years, the big question has been whether the industry could survive the next two or three years until Net Zerodriven modal shif comes along and drives patronage and revenue up once more. Te industry is therefore looking for signs new prime minister and her cabinet are willing to implement and enforce green measures.

Despite the 50th anniversary of my joining, I fnd it difcult to be in a celebratory mood: rather, I feel over sadness at the predicament in which management teams all over the country fnd themselves this autumn and winter, and sympathy for the stress and anxiety this will inevitably cause to them and their customers. Good luck to them all – they’ll need it.

“As if the lack of passengers and drivers were not enough, a third blow has landed in the form of inflation, and particularly the explosion in fuel costs”

Covid recovery, labour shortages and soaring fuel prices are among the challenges faced by those providing bus services

Bringing technology to bus transport to improve connectivity

Bringing technology to bus transport to improve connectivity

At Atkins, we’re supporting our clients to maximise the potential of technology. We help them use technology to develop compelling business cases that secure investment and improve bus services and connectivity for citizens.

At Atkins, we’re supporting our clients to maximise the potential of technology. We help them use technology to develop compelling business cases that secure investment and improve bus services and connectivity for citizens.

We work with local authorities, bus operators and technology providers. We help them to understand the flow of movements, the pinch points on their networks and better plan for the next generation of bus transport.

We work with local authorities, bus operators and technology providers. We help them to understand the flow of movements, the pinch points on their networks and better plan for the next generation of bus transport.

Our approach enables them to develop evidence-based business cases that present comprehensive arguments to secure investment and support. We’re helping our clients to reduce car dependency and deliver better connectivity with less impact on the environment by shaping the future of bus transport.

Our approach enables them to develop evidence-based business cases that present comprehensive arguments to secure investment and support. We’re helping our clients to reduce car dependency and deliver better connectivity with less impact on the environment by shaping the future of bus transport.

LEADING THE CHARGE FOR A ZERO - EMISSION FUTURE ALEXANDER DENNIS WILL EXHIBIT RANGE OF TECHNOLOGIES AT EURO BUS EXPO

Having long led the UK’s transition to cleaner buses through a wide range of technologies, manufacturer Alexander Dennis further steps up its ofering at this year’s Euro Bus Expo with the launch of its next-generation technology platform for zero-emission buses.

Te new technology’s frst application is the Enviro400FCEV hydrogen fuel cell double decker, which is unveiled at the exhibition to a wider audience following extensive testing ahead of its delivery to launch customer Liverpool City Region.

Te Enviro400FCEV combines a Ballard fuel cell system with the Voith Electrical Drive System, which Alexander Dennis is among the frst manufacturers to use on a wider scale. VEDS is one of the frst systems where all components have been specifcally designed for use in buses, ensuring reliability and longevity as well as making sure that space requirements are kept to a minimum while packing a real punch in terms of power and torque.

Tis enables a conventional interior layout for the lower saloon with comfortable legroom at all its Alexander Dennis SmartSeats. A total of up to 73 seats are possible with the ability to customise arrangements to individual operating requirements and include a provision for one or two secure wheelchair spaces accessed via a manual ramp at the front door or a powered ramp at a possible centre door.

With a range of up to 300 miles on a single fll of hydrogen, the Enviro400FCEV provides operators and transport authorities with a zero-emission option for high-mileage routes. It is particularly suited to applications where green

hydrogen is produced locally from renewable electricity or where hydrogen is readily available as an industrial by-product as in the Liverpool City Region, whose feet of 20 buses will initially serve the region’s busiest route, the 10A linking St Helens and Liverpool city centre.

Te Enviro400FCEV is built on Alexander Dennis’s nextgeneration technology platform for zero-emission buses, designed as the underpinning of a new range of clean buses for customers around the globe.

At Euro Bus Expo, the company is giving an exclusive preview

of new battery-electric buses coming to market next year. Fully integrated in-house and built on the same global technology platform as the Enviro400FCEV hydrogen bus, they will feature a striking new exterior styling intended to boldly announce their zero-emission credentials.

In the design process, Alexander Dennis has drawn on its extensive experience with low, ultra-low and zero-emission buses, as well as exchanging best practices with sister companies within NFI Group.

A new version of the Enviro400EV double decker and a small bus – revealed at Euro Bus Expo to be called the Enviro100EV

– are expected to reach British and Irish customers next year, with a new Enviro200EV single decker to follow later.

International customers can specify the new technology on the three-axle Enviro500EV, with orders already placed by two Hong Kong operators.

Like the Enviro400FCEV, the new battery-electric buses will have Voith’s efcient VEDS driveline at their heart, combining it with a brand-new, future-proof battery system built to Alexander Dennis’s specifcation. Te dimensions of battery packs and their connections to the vehicle have been determined by the manufacturer’s engineers and will remain its intellectual property.

Tis ensures that in a mid-life refresh in future years, buses can be upgraded to beneft from rapid advances in battery technology without requiring modifcations to the vehicle itself, as new battery cells can be assembled in identical packs that will slot easily into the vehicle. As a result, although Alexander Dennis can no more predict the future than any other manufacturer, it is confdent that its electric buses are ready to reliably stand the test of time through long working lives.

Alongside the new vehicles, Alexander Dennis will continue its highly successful partnership with BYD, as the company recognises that the breadth of operational requirements in the industry is best served with a wide range of vehicle and technology options.

As the manufacturer prepares for a zero-emission future, it more than ever stands ready to lead the charge with the market’s widest range of solutions to respond to the individual requirements of cities, transport bodies and operators.

BUSES

ALEXANDER DENNIS

The hydrogen-powered Enviro400FCEV launches at the Euro Bus Expo show

“Alexander Dennis is confident that its electric buses are ready to reliably stand the test of time through long working lives”

Alexander Dennis has announced a brand-new range of electric buses

Euro Bus Expo Stand D1OO

Leading the charge for a zero-emission future

Alexander Dennis is leading the transition to zero emission mobility. We exist to move people by designing, manufacturing and supporting the most reliable buses and coaches in the market. We use technology to be cleaner, greener, quieter and the choice for transport companies around the world. Choose Alexander Dennis for innovative buses and coaches from an agile partner, underpinned by best-in-class AD24 aftermarket support.

FOR FIRST BUS

2022: A TRANSFORMATIONAL YEAR FOR FIRST BUS DECARBONISATION, EFFORTS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE AND A CUSTOMER - CENTRIC OFFERING

022 has been the springboard for organisational transformation at First Bus, continuing our journey from being an asset-focused business to one that puts the customer, our people, and the planet at the heart of everything we do. A key change as part of this transition has been the introduction of a new executive team. Each member of the team has already begun to shape and deliver our ambitious goals and navigate challenges and seize opportunities right across the business.

Decarbonisation

Isabel McAllister joined us as Chief Sustainability and Compliance Ofcer back in the Summer, heading up our safety, policy, partnerships, property, and decarbonisation activities as we work towards a zero-emission feet by 2035. Bus included, 2022 has seen a refreshed focus on how industries can reduce their carbon emissions, with the need to act quickly and at scale becoming increasingly important.

We have made signifcant strides in our decarbonisation eforts this year. A major milestone was the completion of the transformation

of the Caledonia depot into the UK’s largest electric vehicle depot. It’s a huge achievement for all not only our teams and suppliers, but the industry as a whole. Te depot can now charge 150 electric vehicles at a time and provides a blueprint for future feet decarbonisation.

Te ground-breaking project has become a pathfnder for us. Its success has built confdence in our ability to complete largescale environmental projects, and this has continued as we have enabled other regions to accelerate their transformation to net zero. Although every new project and

every depot comes with its unique infrastructure and challenges, our Caledonia experience is invaluable in providing lessons learnt and real experience on the ground.

Alongside the progression of our depot decarbonisation pipeline, we have made important investments in our feet and have secured funding alongside our local transport authority partners to support us in doing so.

Over the course of the year, we were successfully awarded Zero-emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) funding to support the rollout of new zero-emission buses across fve key regions in England; Leicester, York, Leeds, Norwich, and Portsmouth. Te rollout will comprise 193 electric vehicles, which we recently confrmed is the largest EV purchase outside of London with Wrightbus. In addition to the £38m funding granted by the Department for Transport, we have invested £43m to maintain our decarbonisation momentum and demonstrate that we are committed to delivering a feet for future generations.

In March, First Glasgow and

First Bus has made significant strides in its decarbonisation efforts this year as it works towards a zero-emission fleet by 2035

First Aberdeen were also awarded a combined £18.6m in ScotZEB funding. Again, we have invested heavily, committing a further £16.4m to increase the number of zero-emissions buses we can purchase. Te investment will see 50 new electric buses introduced to Glasgow, and 24 electric buses in Aberdeen.

People

As we’ve made these important steps on our decarbonisation journey, we’ve been actively ensuring that our people feel supported, involved, and engaged.

Our new people strategy has been at the core of this, and we have introduced new ways of working to further support us in being a cohesive, talented, and happy workforce. It’s a crucial time for the transport sector, as both employees and customers begin to vote with their feet around organisations’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) activity.

Previously when hiring bus drivers, it’s been more about their technical skills, but we need to support them in becoming customer-centric and help them to think about how they engage customers. We’re starting to measure our NPS and compare ourselves to other service businesses rather than other transport organisations. We are not expecting to fx everything overnight, but we are well on the journey to consistently making First Bus a great place to work as we navigate the global challenges of labour shortage and huge pressures on driver recruitment.

We’re about to expand a programme that we’ve already piloted in some depots, focusing on supporting our teams and bolstering management capability for frontline staf. Te aim is to create an environment where our people feel truly involved and supported, and time is put aside to enable efective engagement with them – so that they are truly part of the change. To tackle this, we have put signifcant investment and data-driven discipline into how we attract, recruit, train and retain new colleagues.

We have also homed in on our team’s engineering abilities and

have set in motion a renewed focus on engineering excellence. As we have introduced new feets and new technologies across our business, it’s been integral that we bring our engineers along with us. Tis has meant substantial investment in upskilling and recruiting ambitious and talented engineers so that we not only keep our buses running efectivelym but infuence and shape the future of bus engineering. Our eforts in this area were recently recognised at the IRTE Skills Challenge awards, where First Bus teams received several accolades, including awards for Outstanding Qualifed Team, Apprentice Team and Qualifed Mechanical Technician, all of which are a fantastic recognition of the dedication, skill

and passion of our engineers.

At First Bus, we recognise that there is work to do to improve the diversity of our workforce overall, and how accepted and respected our employees feel when they are at work. Earlier this year we welcomed our new Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Gareth Hind. Gareth joined us in this new role, recognising a challenge that we are not afraid to address, and a cause that we are absolutely committed to. We’re currently accelerating plans to help us on our journey to a truly inclusive business, including executive sponsorship of the six inclusion strands and networks, as well as a reverse mentoring programme. With our frst Month of Inclusion scheduled

for November, we’re proud to be allowing all our colleagues an opportunity to build their knowledge, confdence, and trust as we celebrate diference.

Customers

2022 has also seen us harness what it means to be customer-centric. We have made signifcant strides in making sure all decisions are geared around the customer and that our service ofering, particularly the networks that we run, is reliable, and realistic and refects customer demand, where it’s most needed, post-Covid.

Changing post-Covid work patterns have had a lasting impact on travel patterns. In response, we’ve optimised our routes and schedules so that we ofer services tailored to the new levels of demand and trafc in the areas we serve. Central to this has been the use of an insight-led service. We’re now able to collect route history and trafc tracking information, and advanced ticketing machines can capture location and trip data. Using this rich data, we can optimise routes with more intelligent scheduling to ofer a more efcient and tailored service.

WHAT'S NEXT?

First Bus, our colleagues, customers, and the communities we serve will see the benefits of the ZEBRA and ScotZEB funding wins come to life throughout the year as a significant number of zero-emission buses are introduced across the UK. However, this isn’t enough, and we must be laser-focused on maximising our sustainability opportunities. We will continue to work hand-in-hand with local transport authorities and partners so that our plans are aligned, and we have the best chance of realising opportunities to drive forward the decarbonisation of our fleets.

Most importantly, however, we will continue to encourage modal shift, as we recognise that the onus is on us to make this happen. Decarbonising at speed and becoming net zero in line with our targets is key, but we are equally dependent on customers choosing to use the bus. For World Car Free Day, we commissioned research which provided a snapshot view of UK travel habits and attitudes towards the benefits of sustainable transport. The report revealed that no parking hassles (45%), saving money (36%) and protecting the environment (29%) are the three biggest benefits of choosing bus travel for UK adults. On top of this, half agreed that they would take the bus more often if they knew that decision would have a direct, positive impact on the environment. Through our investment in network optimisation and decarbonisation, we hope to see this have a lasting impact when it comes to people deciding between car and bus.

Our partnership with Prospective.io is an example of this. By adopting their cuttingedge automated timetabling and feet scheduling sofware, we have been able to improve service punctuality and reliability, as well as save feet resources and staf time. Similarly, our migration to Optibus’ end-to-end planning and operations system has allowed us to take advantage of advanced AI, and use this to quicken our processes, discover efciencies, enhance work patterns, and become more agile as a business.

Being customer-centric has also meant that we have continued to roll out digital payment methods like Tap-On/Tap-Of. We recognise that a huge proportion of our customer base prefers to pay that way and it can bring efciencies when customers are boarding. Whilst the process began in 2021, its success and the speed at which we have implemented it means that we are expecting to be 100% Tap-On/Tap-Of compliant across all feets next year.

A significant number of zero-emission buses will enter service across the UK

CINDERELLA MEETS DAN DARE MCGILL'S CEO RALPH ROBERTS REFLECTS ON HOW BUSES HAVE MODERNISED AND CONSIDERS WHAT THEY NOW NEED TO MOVE FORWARD

W hat will public transport look like in 50 years time?

Te answer to this varies wildly depending upon who is asked. 50 years ago, I would probably have profered some sort of Dan Dare-type vision of levitating capsules that are immune to the vagaries of the lesser forms of transport. Yet, here I am, leading a business and presiding over an industry that, apart from the obvious evolutionary changes, is completely the opposite of that Dan Dare vision and is still made up of the DNA of what was in place 50 years ago.

Te bus is the main form of public transport. Not in column inches or in political hearts and minds, but reality. Te bus moves three times the number of people that rail does. Air travel is less than one-tenth that of bus travel. Te remainder makes up trace elements of public transport –important as they no doubt are in their spheres of delivery. Tis huge scale hasn’t delivered the benefts that it should have though, and this is why I call Bus the Cinderella of Public Transport.

Buses have consistently sufered from huge detrimental impacts on productivity and efciency over the last 30 years, and this trend is accelerating. Public policy in everything from local planning policy to national transport policy has sought to sideline the bus as a serious mode of public transport. It is only now that there is an existential crisis in many areas that there is a renewed vigour to see the bus for what it is.

So, how do we introduce some of those Dan Dare futuristic elements into the bus as a mode?

We all know the big-ticket answers – remove buses from congestion and give them priority over private transport. Tis single factor alone would;

n Make bus journeys faster;

n Make bus journeys cheaper;

n Make bus journeys more attractive to more people;

n Signifcantly reduce pollution and improve air quality in towns and cities;

n Over a decade, double the number of buses on the road which would deliver social inclusion agendas and turbocharge the frst four bullets in this list;

n Stop bus drivers getting stressed and fed up and leaving the industry;

n Make it easier to recruit staf into the industry;

n Make the industry more efcient, sustainable and less reliant on government support.

All of this is from one single policy decision. A policy that has efectively been agreed upon in every town, city and region in the UK. Te policy says that the transport hierarchy, in order of importance will be;

and

in favour of the private car.

One set of national regulations around bus priority based on the frequency of service would deliver the biggest shot in the arm to the industry in the last 50 years.

Tis lost efciency has resulted in the industry looking inwards to try and regain what is being lost due to the externalities. Tere was a time when this external pressure made businesses more efcient in a good way but this is long past and we fnd ourselves where we are. I ofen explain that running a bus company is akin to steering a large ship with four rudders but only having control of one. Each time a change in direction is needed, the inputs and efort are so much greater than they would be if we weren’t fghting against these three other rudders.

Tere is hope though. It looks like the catalyst of the Johnson government’s National Bus Strategy has got Bus onto the national agenda in a way that was absent before. Tis strategy has resulted in many BSIP (Bus Service Improvement Plan) applications and most of these involve at least an efort to try and claw back some of that lost efciency so that the improvements are partly self-fnancing. Tis process is in its early stages and needs supported, nurtured and continued. One billion pounds over fve years would be just about right.

Other elements of the BSIP applications under the National Bus Strategy include ticketing and pricing interventions. Tis external funding support will hopefully see the adoption of new technologies and the emergence of new customers.

Te one area where Dan Dare has defnitely made an

Ralph Roberts, CEO of McGill’s Bus Group

not aware of any authority that hasn’t adopted a version of this, yet it is consistently ignored

Bus is the main form of public transport. Not in column inches, but in reality

appearance in my 50-year vision is in that of technology. Whilst a motorised box on wheels with seats, containing a driver with a ticketing machine doesn’t sound too far removed from 50 years ago, that is where similarities end.

At McGill’s, we decided to spread bet on the ticketing revolution. We adopted smart cards, mobile ticketing, contactless, retained cash and have latterly embraced tap & cap. Te travelling public is telling us their preference, but the evidence is that all of these channels are needed to give people maximum choice.

We can now track buses to the minute, we can advise if the bus is busy or quiet and we can tell travellers the departure times of other buses and modes as they approach key nodes. All of this truly is Dan Dare.

What’s more, it is available on a handheld device similar to that used by Dan Dare. Incredible.

Tis progression is only going to increase. Te data that is coming from this technology is helping to inform decisions and let

businesses adapt to the external (and sometimes internal) forces that would otherwise create a drag on performance. I can see the day coming when the metadata from wearables and handheld devices, allows us to better plan bus routes and journeys based on people’s actual movements. Te encouraging initial oferings are present now, are being fne-tuned and I’m sure, will start to make a diference.

Lastly, what of our carbon footprint and impact on those around us? Our impact is at least 30% greater than it needs to be –there are those inefciencies again. Once they are removed, our core footprint will rapidly diminish. We have several early adopters of zero-emission technology and I am pleased to say that I have no lingering desire to turn back. Electric propulsion is the main way forward. Whether it is powered by stored current in batteries, by hydrogen via a fuel cell or overhead lines, the simplicity and reliability of electric buses are a huge leap forward and not one

AN URBAN TRANSPORT HIERARCHY (www.smartertransport.uk)

Walking Cycling Verges

bus

that is going to be easily resisted.

I can see a mixture of types in use once authorities accept their place in the mix. If a bus service is segregated and fully efcient, it will be acceptable to have opportunity charging. Also, on some key routes, it will be better for electricity network operators to distribute power via an overhead catenary down a line of route than to have, quite frankly, unfeasible amounts of energy supply, to depots for overnight charging.

Te hydrogen question must remain, as it is still in its infancy. However, the single most abundant element in our world is clean and easy to transport so I do not doubt that we will fnd a way.

I am hugely optimistic about the future of the bus. We have all of the solutions and all of the reasons to implement them so, surely, it is just a matter of will. I believe that will is there, and if we engage in the right way, have the right discussions, and help people to see what we can see, we will leave this industry in a better shape than we found it!

“I am hugely optimistic for the future of Bus. We have all of the solutions and all of the reasons to implement them”

At McGill’s, we have a number of early adopters of zero-emission technology and I am pleased to say that I have no lingering desires to turn back

DELIVERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT MATT GAMBLE AND NEIL DAVIES FROM ATKINS LOOK AT WHAT THE FUTURE MIGHT HOLD FOR BUS TRANSPORT IN THE UK

It’s been 193 years since the coachbuilder George Shillibeer began the frst bus service from Paddington to Bank in 1829. Tat was a horse-drawn service, which was subsequently superseded by motorised buses in the early 1900s.

By the 1850s, the London General Omnibus Company, as it was called, what the largest bus company in the world. Its manufacturing arm, the Associated Equipment Company developed standardised designs that simplifed the manufacturing and maintenance processes and

laid the foundations for bus travel from the B type in 1910 to the Routemaster in 1954.

Since then, we’ve seen the mass proliferation of all forms of transport. Today, all are vying for space on our increasingly congested road network, and all perform the job of moving people and goods across our country, towns, and cities.

However, the bus has remained a mainstay of cheap, convenient and reliable transport for many. It’s an essential form of transport for many key workers, as highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, nationally carrying far more

passengers than rail services. It’s also a mainstay for much of the population, including the young, elderly, disabled, ofce workers and disadvantaged, who cannot use the car, cycle or walk to their desired destinations.

Over the years, buses have evolved from the open-topped, wooden vehicles they started as, to become increasingly sophisticated. Many now incorporate computerised technology, real-time passenger and route information, wi-f connectivity and phone charging points in addition to sophisticated telematics.

However, faced with declines

in ridership over the last few years, coupled with the economic pressures and those arising from the need to reduce emissions and address the climate challenge, there is a need for change. Tese challenges have highlighted the importance of the bus. Tey have also highlighted the need to invest in bus services to ensure they continue to serve the people and communities we designed them for.

Investment and improvement Te Bus Back Better strategy from the government recognised the need for modernisation and investment. Whilst subsequent

The financing of zero-emission buses poses a challenge to bus operators and local authorities

reductions in the investment pot have made the headlines, it does not negate the need for that investment or the need for local authorities to work with bus operators to improve services, keep fares afordable and ensure we maximise the potential of bus services in years to come.

Many local authorities invested time and efort in developing and submitting their detailed Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs) and are working collaboratively with bus service operators to deliver Enhanced Partnerships (EPs). Many felt frustrated the efort expended resulted in little or no fnance to enable them to bring their plans to life. But, the work must continue, or we will face the prospect of less choice, reduced efciency and a greater reliance on private modes of transport.

Congestion on our roads remains a critical factor. Lengthy trafc jams merely undermine the prospect of reliable transport and given bus users made over four billion journeys in 2019/2020 before Covid, it remains an essential part of our daily lives. Whilst this number fell to 1.57 billion journeys in 2020/2021, the numbers are rising again, although have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. So, we need to invest in services that meet the demands of our citizens and adapt the bus ofer to face new markets, replacing lost ones.

The complexity of change

Many local authorities and bus operators are reviewing the context of buses and wondering how they can rise to the multiple, complex, challenges they face. Te need to reduce emissions, transform ticketing and funding, and address the growing calls for demandresponsive transport (DRT). Tey also must deal with increasingly congested roads and deliver fast, efcient and reliable bus services to passengers and commuters. Not to forget the funding questionHow do you pay for it all?

In 2020, government statistics showed that 84% of buses in England were still fully dieselpowered. Zero-emission buses accounted for just 2% of the bus feet in England.

Whilst progress is being made and the technologies of electric and hydrogen-fuelled buses are advancing, many local authorities and bus operators are facing a new challenge. Tey have to either modernise existing infrastructure or build new infrastructure and depots to house, maintain and refuel their zero-emission bus feet.

As ever, the fnancing of these changes is a challenge. Whilst the Zero-emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) fund is a partial solution, it has a limited pot and requires operators and authorities to compete for funding. Alternative opportunities may come forward, including private fnance as part of wholelife investment packages, but the practicalities of these have yet to be fully worked through. Whether vehicle and associated charging/ refuelling costs ever come down to parity with diesel vehicles, to allow for more standard investment cycles to be re-established, remains to be seen.

Potential further technology developments may reduce the cost gaps, and global experience of alternative vehicle/charging approaches may provide evidence for optimum feet composition (hydrogen, overnight battery or opportunity charging), but UK-specifc requirements will always require careful consideration of all factors before determining investment decisions.

Research suggests what many in the sector suspect – that the bus product is complex and difcult for people, particularly prospective users, to navigate. Tere have been massive improvements, with, for instance, operator apps that show you where your bus is. Transforming how people pay

for bus travel is another means of breaking down the barriers to bus use. Te industry has responded with Project Coral and ‘tap on tap out’, and the expansion of Transport for West Midlands’ existing scheme, but national tap-and-go fare capping is still a while away. Many now are also struggling with the cost of living. So, developing pricing structures that meet customer needs and help fund the modern bus service (and zero-emissions buses) is becoming increasingly challenging - particularly given the expected withdrawal of government pandemic-related fnancial support.

From the passenger perspective, in our fast-paced society, many passengers expect timely services that ofer convenient and efcient ways to travel. Te provision of DRT services is growing. Whilst DRT can help to improve social inclusivity and access to services, especially in low-density areas, operators need to remain cognisant of the useability of DRT solutions. Especially amongst the elderly and disabled, where using technology to book services may present a barrier.

Of course, DRT isn’t a silver bullet. In denser population settings, it would be more prudent and efcient to plan routes and services to meet the needs of

A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THE BUS?

O

ver the last 193 years technology has transformed again and again so many aspects of the bus proposition.

The challenges facing the bus industry cannot be under-estimated, but the sector does have a bright future from the need to decarbonise transport and make better use of constrained network capacity. The National Bus Strategy seeks further transformation to grow the market for bus travel. So much of that is making buses quicker through both conventional and intelligent means but also through harnessing technology to break down the barriers to use, making it easier to pay a fare and to understand, anticipate and react to emerging markets and patterns of behaviour.

people fows more accurately. With new housing developments, many of which lack bus service provision, there is a need to understand the potential demand such new developments may bring. New housing developments that don’t have a bus provision will merely increase dependency on the car. So, planning bus service provision is an essential factor in mitigating that demand from the onset and encouraging more passengers to use public transport, and of course, planning developments to not be entirely reliant on the car continues to elude us in far too many cases. Hopes that technology will ofer lower-cost DRT solutions haven’t yet fully borne fruit, but the new wave of trials may yet demonstrate how value-for-money DRT can be achieved.

Finally, there is increasing congestion on our roads and streets. Tere is only limited space available. Bus Back Better calls for physical bus priority wherever there is a need and the space to provide it. Local authority ofcers know only too well how difcult delivering that is. Competition for road space is not just from the car but also cycling and walking. How do we square of the competing demands for sustainable travel infrastructure and avoid being lef with the status quo, all because it’s easier to implement nothing and avoid arguments between authority public transport and walking/cycling teams?

Today, the latest GPS-enabled electronic ticket machines can “talk” with the digital Urban Trafc Control (UTC) system of any given local authority. Tis information, coupled with the use of open standards for Urban Trafc Management Control (UTMC), has enabled the advancement of trafc management systems through their ability to communicate across platforms. Tis type of technology can help operators and local authorities understand the ‘pinch-points’ on their network. It can also enable UTMC control staf to tweak the trafc light priority settings to provide virtual bus priority and deliver improved bus fows and more consistent bus journey times.

“From the passenger perspective, in our fastpaced society, many passengers expect timely services that offer convenient and efficient ways to travel”

GETTING ON TICKETER’S CONNECTED BUS

THE CONNECTED BUS CONCEPT AIMS TO STREAMLINE PROCESSES

The last couple of decades has seen the bus becoming a lot smarter. Even the most basic vehicles are now equipped with a whole host of cutting-edge technology systems, from ticket vending and CCTV, to telematics, passenger counting, real-time information and more.

All of these disparate pieces of technology have their own evolution paths and whilst most functions on that technology are specifc to the core use case of that system, there can also be a lot of overlap where each supplier has introduced the same core technology – GPS is one such example. Ticketer co-founder John Clarfelt believes the time is right to start bringing those diferent solutions and platforms together

in a way that will beneft suppliers, bus operators and passengers alike.

Tis philosophy forms the bedrock of Ticketer’s new Connected Bus concept.

“Ticketer started its journey with a humble ticket machine but has grown from that” explains John. “Tere’s now a whole raf of features associated with our ticketing devices, that are not to do with ticketing.”

He explains that the company increasingly started to think of its technology as the nascent hub of the bus. Tat process began some years ago when schedule adherence technology was introduced to Ticketer’s range of products. Since then, Ticketer has integrated other features, such as its recent ‘Road Restriction’

alert feature, to create a single solution and to help streamline operations and bring greater benefts to customers.

Te Connected Bus introduces a new platform that extends this principle and opens the hub to a whole raf of ancillary systems, which can be plugged into the Connected Bus to give an overarching view of what’s

happening on that vehicle at any given time. It might be CCTV or telematics for example, and Ticketer’s platform can bring these systems together and support the entire ecosystem.

“It means that operators can see what’s happening on their vehicles via a single view” adds John. “So, say they want to add some new technology or another function to that vehicle, they can minimise the amount of additional hardware or SIMs onboard, or even just take the relevant data feed, and enable other suppliers to deliver swathes of new functionality at minimum cost. With Ticketer’s platform already onboard we have a resilient infrastructure system that updates operators in real-time, so why not use that system to beneft everyone – operators, passengers, and suppliers alike?”

“Te whole concept is about making things more cost-efective and resilient, while also adding more features and functionality to expand the data sets you have access to, and the analysis thereof, that benefts both passengers and the operator” notes Jason Mann, Ticketer’s Head of Product.

By using a single platform with a shared communications channel for all onboard systems other benefts can be gained, principally the data that each system generates can be shared amongst the wider ecosystem and that then drives real value. How? Well thinking back to that passenger counting system, typically that data would be sent to the supplier’s back ofce. However, there are other systems on the vehicle that could make use of that data. A great example of this in practice is when we integrated our passenger occupancy data onto the destination displays so passengers

Ticketer's new Connected Bus platform allows a whole raft of ancillary systems to be connected to one another

“From the passenger perspective, in our fast-paced society they expect timely services that offer convenient and efficient ways to travel”

at the bus stop can see how full the bus is as the bus approaches. Other examples could equally provide added beneft. For example, with CCTV, Ticketer has an “incidents” feature that allows drivers to capture various events. Tat data could be enhanced with an image from each CCTV camera when that event is issued, rather than the operator having to mine two separate and distinct systems.

Jason continues: “If you take data from telematics and data from a passenger counting system, why has the vehicle’s power consumption gone up? Well, it’s down to the fact you’ve got a full bus, which means it is heavier and needs more power to move.

Tat data can also be shared externally, for example to the operator’s customer app, rather than just using the data internally. If we go back to the example of the passenger counting system, that data could also be made available

to the app, so passengers know whether their bus is currently running at full capacity or empty. Tere are so many possibilities ofered by the Connected Bus.”

Looking to the future, nobody can predict how technology will evolve – afer all, see how rapidly on-vehicle technology has developed over the last couple of decades. Brad Todd, Ticketer’s Director of Product Strategy and Customer Success, believes this process of innovation will only continue to grow, and the Connected Bus concept

means those new features and developments can be plugged in and connected in a single standardised way, helping to future-proof business operations.

Tis means that all data outputs will also be standardised, with Ticketer being able to ofer a platform that allows the ecosystem

CONNECTED BUS STREAMLINES PROCESSES

1 By utilising just one SIM card or antenna on the vehicle operators can reduce costs and maintenance of systems. There are also opportunities to reduce energy consumption.

2 By connecting individual disparate systems, operators can leverage their assets by connecting them up - the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

3 By creating a single view both on the bus and in the back office far richer data sets can be created that can improve the information provided to both the driver and the passenger.

to evolve over time and make use of the data. It creates that in the best and most efective way possible. “It becomes a much more powerful entity when you put all those bits together as one,” adds Brad.

Ticketer’s approach to the Connected Bus concept is not to be the “master of all”. “We don’t want to try and be the experts of everything,” John comments. Tere are lots of very good suppliers out there that are specialists in their felds, so there isn’t the need, or ability, for one company to do it all. Instead, this platform delivers the ability to bring it all together and align partners towards a common goal for the greater good.”

“What’s good for the operators is ultimately good for the passengers,” concludes John. “We want to create the tools and ability for operators to be masters of the data. Is the whole greater than the individual parts? I think it is.”

“What’s good for the operators is ultimately good for the passengers ”

Better journeys for bus passengers

Better journeys for bus passengers

Transport Focus will soon be launching Your Bus Journey – our new survey measuring passenger satisfaction with their bus service

Your Bus Journey is a new survey methodology replacing our former Bus Passenger Survey.

● collecting data continuously throughout 48-50 weeks of the year

Transport Focus can help local transport authorities put passengers at the heart of the National Bus Strategy and Bus Service Improvement Plans.

● headline measurements on satisfactions plus more detailed journey feedback

● rolling headline results by month through an online data tool

We’ve used our experience over the last 12 years and our role as an independent and trusted voice to develop this new approach.

Transport Focus research, including a new version of our Bus Passenger Survey, can give authorities detailed comparable, benchmarked passenger feedback.

It will add value to the work of local authorities and operators to deliver key results on how satisfied bus passengers are with their journeys.

● weekly access to verbatim feedback

Our expert advisors can help provide best practice guidance on:

● summary results every six months with full set of results on the annual figures

• passenger representation on bus service improvement plans

• setting targets for journey times, reliability improvements and customer satisfaction

Key benefits and outputs from our new survey:

• developing a Passenger Charter

● robust samples that provide high quality results which can be trusted

● strong measurements that can be used to frame targets in Bus Service Improvement Plans/ Enhanced Partnerships/franchises

• promoting the passenger interest in local bus partnerships.

● benchmarking against other participating transport authority areas.

Our new best practice toolkit on passenger representation on Bus Service Improvement Plans is available online at www.transportfocus.org.uk

All of the guidance we’ve published, along with the briefings we held on them, can be found at www.transportfocus.org.uk/national-bus-strategy.

To find out more speak to Robert Pain, senior insight advisor: robert.pain@transportfocus.org.uk

To find out more about how we can help you, speak to Linda McCord, Senior Stakeholder Manager: linda.mccord@transportfocus.org.uk

DESIGNING THE BUS OF TOMORROW? START WITH THE PASSENGERS OF TODAY

G overnments and industry are investing huge amounts to tackle transport decarbonisation. New feets of zero-emission buses will be an increasingly regular sight on our roads. But will greener buses alone be enough to attract much-needed new passengers? Can more be done today to make sure the needs of passengers are built into the design and desirability of future buses?

Transport Focus has been promoting the interests of bus passengers in England, outside of London, since 2010. We have extensive research that tells us what bus users want to see improved and what it would take for non-users to give the bus a go. While bus operators must harness the new technology available to them we want to make sure passengers are kept at the heart of changes.

In 2020 we asked passengers and non-users if they thought buses could make an impact in reducing

air pollution and if this made a diference as to whether they chose to use them or not. Many were unaware that buses could help air pollution and commented that while positive, this factor didn’t make a signifcant impact on their decision to use the bus. Tere is a huge push, backed by signifcant funds from governments and the private sector, to make buses greener through the introduction of hydrogen and electric feets. Tough priorities for some passengers and potential bus users may have changed since the research was done, climate change issues have risen up the political and social change agendas. However, we must consider whether the industry can simply rely on ‘green is good’ being the major infuence for people to use their new zero-emission bus.

Te main point to come out of our research is that whatever the bus runs on, however green it is, passengers still want the basics to be delivered consistently. We

know over time that passengers’ priorities are for buses to be punctual, reliable and good value for money. Afer all, an electric bus stuck in trafc is just another bus stuck in trafc.

While bus passenger numbers in many areas are close to prepandemic levels they still aren’t back to normal. Our most recent survey on changes to bus travel explores what would get passengers back on buses. Similarly to our work on priorities, the factors most likely to encourage those not currently using buses would be better value fares, going to a wider range of destinations and improvements to the frequency and reliability of services.

Over the past year and a half, we’ve been helping and adding value to local authorities and bus operator plans with the government’s National Bus Strategy for England. Many Enhanced Partnership plans talked about investing in cleaner feets and bidding through the Zero-emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme to help reach the government’s net zero targets. While this is positive we urged them to also think about the specifcations that go into the new feets. Tere is a real opportunity to re-design buses and make them even more accessible, easy to use and attractive so users can enjoy their journeys on top of knowing they are more carbon efcient.

One example we have been pushing local authorities to prioritise in their plans would be to put in real-time technology on buses. Tis helps both regular and frst-time users understand when their bus will arrive and where to get of. Operators must look at other features that passengers value.

Te design of new buses must make them accessible to as many people as possible. Priority for space on buses between wheelchair users, people with buggies and other users sometimes cause confict. Can great new design ideas help fnd innovative ways to reduce this confict?

Lots to think about for the future of buses, and we’re keen to help shape the future design for the new feets. Involve passengers and non-users in that design. Te car industry spends millions on innovations based on driver insight. And recently Transport Focus worked with Merseytravel, Merseyrail and Stadler to set up a community of passengers to help shape new trains. How much time and money could be usefully spent on bus passenger insight to design tomorrow’s bus today?

We’re looking forward to seeing what will come about. It is important to consistently feature passengers in plans – what do they want? How can their needs be met? How can we fnd solutions to ongoing problems? Transport Focus will be there to help with all of these questions and more.

“It is important that the design of new buses make them accessible to as many people as possible”

There is a real opportunity to re-design buses and make them even more accessible, easy to use and attractive