Scotland's Buses 2016

SCOTLAND'S BUSES 2016

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

WELCOME Welcome to scotl and's buses 2016, a publication devoted to Scotland's main mode of public transpor t. Scotland's buses make an enor mous contr ibution to the nation, offer ing v ital links that enable communities to function and helping them to prosper. This publication from passenger transp ort puts the spotlight on those involved in deliver ing Scotland's buses, celebrates their achievements and considers the challenges they face.

Big ger and better than last year's inaugural publication, this year's edition also incor porates the official Conference Workbook for the 41st annual cpt conference 2016 at Cameron House on October 3-4.

We hope you find it an interesting read and we welcome all feedback.

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H U M ZA YO USA F

SA ND RA W H I T E L AW

H I G HL I G HTS

Minister for transport answers our questions about buses

CPT Scotland chair on integration, inclusion and innovation

A selection of key events for Scotland's buses over the past 12 months

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BUS WO M E N

DAV ID BEG G

LOTH IA N BUS ES

F I RSTG ROUP

We meet 15 women who are making a big difference to Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buses

The impact of congestion on bus services in Edinburgh and Glasgow

Scotland's Public Transport Operator of the Year is achieving growth

We speak to First Scotland East MD Paul McGowan

37 COVER IMAGE: CORNFIELD/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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38

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STAG ECOAC H

McG ILL'S

TRAN SP ORT FOCUS

We meet Robert Andrew, Stagecoach UK Bus regional director

Ralph Roberts explains why the bus industry needs to speak up

Robert Samson on how passenger research can advance the cause of buses

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TRAV E L I NE SCOT LAN D

PORTLAN D FU EL

TICKETER

Q 'STRAINT

CPT CON F ER EN C E

Traveline Scotland is personalising public transport information

Oil expert James Spencer answers our questions about oil and buses

The company is working with Scottish bus operators to deliver ticket solutions

Transport campaigner Helen Dolphin tries out the Quantum system

The official Workbook for the 41st annual CPT Conference 2016

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

STEERING BUSES ~ HUMZA YOUSAF Q+A

His grandfather steered buses on the streets of Glasgow and now humza yousaf msp is steering bus policy for Scotland as its new minister for transpor t and the islands. So, where are we heading? umza Yousaf, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, was appointed as the Scottish Government’s minister for transport and the islands in May. “Throughout my life, whether at university, at work or visiting friends, public transport has been an essential element of my day-today movements,” says Yousaf.

“My grandfather was one of the many Asians from the sub-continent who have worked on the buses in Glasgow, but I don’t claim for a minute that this makes me an expert, certainly as I am only three months into my role as transport minister.”

He may be on a learning curve, but Yousaf is clear about the important role that buses - and the companies that provide them play in society.

“Daily engagement with the transport sector is a vital component of my job and I firmly believe that an effective, reliable and efficient transport system is the cornerstone to a healthier and safer society,” he says.

“Whether it is getting people to their schools, colleges and universities or to their GP services and hospitals, public transport can provide a lifeline for people in their local communities. Having a public transport network also helps to connect communities and I see this as an essential part of the job that I do.”

So how will Yousaf and his team achieve that? We asked him nine questions about buses, covering issues such as smart

H

Humza Yousaf, pictured right at the National Traffic Control Centre in South Queensferry and above with Paul McGowan, managing director of bus operator First East Scotland

ticketing, regulation, traffic congestion, funding and strategy.

The answers are below:

unifying saltirecard brand with technical compatibility with the system on ScotRail, Glasgow Subway, and soon ferries as well.

We were concerned that Scotland’s smaller operators would struggle to move at the same pace, but I have been heartened by the interest shown by many of Scotland’s 200 or so small operators, and I know that Transport Scotland is working closely with this sector of the bus industry to cultivate and enable this.

Are you happy at the progress being made by the Scottish bus industry towards the government’s vision for smart, seamless, inter-modal ticketing?

I am very encouraged by the progress across all modes in Scotland, not least by the bus industry in the past 12 months in particular. The partnership approach that we advocated has been enthusiastically embraced by the bus industry in Scotland.

The large operators such as First, Stagecoach and Xplore Dundee have already been successful in launching the Grasshopper multi-operator smart product in the north east of Scotland, with the ABC smart product to be introduced in Dundee in September. And these systems are being delivered incorporating a

How do you see your smart ticketing vision evolving, and the role of buses within it?

We reinforced our commitment to smart ticketing in our recent manifesto. Simply put, our vision is for all journeys, on all public transport, across all Scotland, may be made using one saltirecard ticketing system. Bus, of course, carries the great majority of ➢ public transport passengers 4

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H UMZA YO USAF

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

and it was always vital to get buy in from the larger operators in particular. They rose to the challenge of working in partnership to help deliver the vision, and I have no reason to think this will not continue to be a successful approach.

Technology continues to evolve fast, and our vision will inevitably embrace new systems as they are proven. At the moment our delivery priority is ITSO and smartcards, as the most immediately deliverable solution across all modes. We are already working on plans to add smart phone and contactless bankcard capability to the saltirecard system, and I expect to say more about these plans soon.

Is it still the case that the government has no plan to re-regulate buses?

We committed in the SNP manifesto to a Scottish Transport Bill and an important part of that will be around improvements to bus. We will be looking for example at local authority powers in relation to quality partnerships and quality contracts and we want to engage widely across the industry and the public before developing detailed proposals.

How closely are you watching England’s Bus Services Bill?

Are there any elements that you might like to apply in Scotland?

I am looking closely at the Bus Services Bill. It doesn’t apply to Scotland but we are open to things that would work in a Scottish context. Our focus on partnerships and making those more effective chimes well with the UK Government approach and we are also interested in open data and provisions to bring forward smart ticketing. On franchising, the picture is different when you compare Scotland and England, but we will look at the case to make it more achievable to progress franchising bus services where there is the desire and need to do so, ensuring that the right safeguards remain in place.

Smart moves: The Grasshopper multi-operator smart product has been launched in the north east of Scotland while ABC smart product was introduced in Dundee in September

What will your government do to help bus operators with traffic congestion? Have you read David Begg’s recent report into the issue?

I have read the Greener Journeys report on congestion and it is clearly one of the big challenges facing the industry. I recently hosted a meeting of the Bus Stakeholder Group and the issue of congestion was a dominant theme. The group has agreed to work together collaboratively to address this issue and is aware that this will require radical thinking. Bus priority does not just mean bus lanes.

Partnership working, particularly between operators and local authorities is essential in tackling congestion and I am interested in developing quality partnerships to that end. I mentioned the Transport Bill earlier.

As well as bus measures, we’re looking at how we can use the bill to improve the management of road works, which can often contribute to congestion. We obviously can’t do without road works, but the better they’re managed the better it will be for all road users, including bus operators and their customers.

We have a tight Spending Review coming with uncertainty following Brexit and the spending decisions from the UK Government having an impact on Scottish budgets.

What we have committed to is reimbursing operators fairly for concessionary travel and we are about to go into discussions on the future rates working with the industry and the agreed model.

BSOG remains an important way to support the bus network and ensure that fares are kept down.

We are committed to continuing to support the industry and to providing incentives for green buses but we will have to ensure that funding is well targeted and gets value for money.

Will the BSOG pot be increased in line with the higher number of GBF-funded vehicles to ensure that the incentive to invest in these vehicles remains?

There is no question that the Green Bus Fund has been a success putting 269 new green buses on the road since it started. Outwith that, we are seeing more bus companies buying low carbon buses which is what this government wants to see.

We do need to review the green element of BSOG to ensure that it incentivises the industry to push the boundaries and gets best value for taxpayers' money.

What guarantees can you offer on industry funding streams, like concessionary fares revenue and Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG)?

Central government does not ring-fence local authority

transport spending and lacks the levers to really push action on tackling traffic congestion, emission levels etc. What can you do to ensure that your vision for transport is enacted at the local level? For example, would you consider introducing targets for average bus speeds?

Whilst local authorities are best placed to judge their local priorities and that goes across transport and other services, I do think that we can all encourage stronger engagement with communities to best understand local priorities and develop solutions within the funds available. I recently chaired the latest meeting of the Bus Stakeholder Group, bringing together all the relevant partners in the industry representing RTPs, local authorities and passengers as well as bus operators and regulators.

The Community Empowerment (2015) Act has given a statutory footing to that participation and establishes new rights and responsibilities for community bodies and public authorities.

As far as possible, we prefer to make progress by promoting engagement and partnership working rather than laying down rigid obligations and targets.

Through the Transport Bill we will look at doing more to facilitate partnership working between local authorities and operators to address local issues.

Do you intend to push through with a full review of the National Transport Strategy (NTS)? And will this include a review of the structure for delivering transport policy across Scotland, especially the RTPs? Yes, I recently confirmed my intention to carry out a full review of the NTS and that will start this financial year.

The NTS is not a strategy just for central government but for all those planning and delivering transport. RTPs are an important part of that mix along with local authorities and we will be consulting widely on the review.

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

INNOVATION, INCLUSION AND INTEGRATION It’s fiona kerr’s conference programme, but sandra whitel aw says that it’s just as relevant to smes like her ow n fir m dapting to changing circumstances is what we do in the bus industry,” jokes Sandra Whitelaw, when asked about her early elevation to the role of chair at CPT Scotland.

“We are flexible.”

Whitelaw, managing director of South Lanarkshire’s Whitelaws Coaches, was serving as the trade association’s vice-chair in Scotland and was not scheduled to take over as chair until February of next year. However, the departure of the incumbent chair, Fiona Kerr, who left FirstGroup and the bus industry last month, has seen the baton passed to Whitelaw early.

Kerr, who was managing director of First Bus Scotland, worked with the CPT Scotland team to finalise a theme and a speaker programme for this year’s CPT Conference, which will take place at Cameron House on the ‘bonnie banks’ of Loch Lomond on October 3 and 4 – but it will now fall to Whitelaw to welcome those speakers on stage.

Whitelaw is enthusiastic about Kerr’s programme and the three issues that the event intends to address – innovation, inclusion and integration. She is also enthusiastic about the “outstanding” contribution that Kerr has made to the bus industry in Scotland.

Kerr and Whitelaw represented CPT Scotland’s first all-female chair and vice-chair pairing, but in

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many ways their backgrounds are very different.

Heading one of the Scottish bus industry’s giants, FirstGroup, Kerr’s office was based in Europe’s largest bus depot, First Glasgow’s £20m Caledonia facility, opened by first minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2014. Whitelaws Coaches provides a vital role within its community, but has a comparatively small fleet of 42 vehicles.

Another difference is that Kerr was a relative newcomer to the bus industry, having joined FirstGroup six years ago as regional finance director for the group’s Scottish bus operations. And her next role will be outside of the bus industry with timber and builders’ merchant Travis Perkins, as their head of operations in Scotland. In contrast, Whitelaw has “buses in the blood”. She knew key figures in the bus industry before she had even left school. By her late teens she had taken over from her dad as boss of the family-owned firm.

But the differences between these two individuals reflect the differences within the industry – and Whitelaw believes they make the industry stronger.

Whitelaw believes that the industry benefits from having big PLC groups, like FirstGroup and Stagecoach, as well as SMEs like Whitelaws Coaches.

The differences between people are also an asset. The industry needs people like Whitelaw, who

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SA ND RA W H I T E L AW

possess a deep well of experience of every aspect of running local bus services, and it also needs newcomers like Kerr who can bring different ways of thinking.

“Fiona brought a fresh perspective from not being a ‘bus person’,” says Whitelaw.

“She is very likeable, very professional, very driven, and she is a loss to our industry.

“She really has been a bright light in the bus industry and has offered encouragement to women.

And she showed that you don’t have to have a bus background.”

The differing backgrounds of Kerr and Whitelaw are obviously reflected in how they view the three ‘i’s that this year’s CPT Conference will address – innovation, inclusion and integration. But Whitelaw stresses that these three themes aren’t just the macro-level thinking of large groups like First. They are equally important to SMEs. innovation Innovation, for example, is not just for large groups.

New models for accessing transport are emerging and traditional models, like buses, will have to adapt to meet changing expectations if they are to attract the passengers of tomorrow.

This is a challenge that the entire industry is grappling with, and the CPT Conference will shed light on matters with a special session on innovation and technology, featuring contributions from Uber, Stagecoach and the Department for Transport’s chief scientific officer.

Innovation is not all about IT, of course. Whitelaws Coaches may be relatively small, but it is innovating in terms of operating an environmentally-friendly fleet. The company only purchases brand new buses for local service routes and keeps them for an average of just four years – resulting in a far more spritely fleet than many much larger operators.

Around half of the company’s fleet is now officially classified as ‘low carbon’, buoyed by the recent arrival of 12 Alexander Dennis E200 MMC midibuses, which ➢ 9

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

feature Euro VI engines along with e-coolant and smart accessory enhancements. The ambition is for 100% of the fleet to be ‘low carbon’ by the end of 2017.

Whitelaw adds that innovation can also mean identifying new commercial opportunities and acting on them. “Small businesses can be more nimble and quicker to react,” she says. “You get a strong gut instinct for things – as well as relying on strong knowledge.” inclusion Inclusion, the second of Kerr’s three ‘i’s, is also an interest for Whitelaw.

Broadly half of the bus industry’s customer base is female and half is male. As Kerr puts it: “The customer is not just king, but queen as well.”

The statistics show that the UK today is more diverse than ever.

Women now make up 47% of the working population, for example, and one in eight employees are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. The bus industry doesn’t reflect that.

Whitelaw has often been the only woman at the table, especially in the early years of her career.

However, she’s quick to point out that she has never been made to feel any different.

As a young women in the 1990s, she sat in Bus and Coach Council meetings around a large oval table with Scottish bus industry legends Sir Brian Souter and Sir Moir Lockhead, two sparring partners who would go on to make a huge impact south of the border and beyond. Other heavyweights in the room included Charles Evans and Neil Renilson. “They had their own seat and you learnt very quickly where it was,” Whitelaw recalls, but she also remembers the support they offered to her as a young person starting out in the industry.

She herself has gone on to become a key figure in Scotland’s bus industry, serving a one-year term as CPT Scotland chair when she was just 29 years old. She is now serving in this capacity for the second time.

It may have been a man’s

world, but the women were always there. In the old days, Whitelaw says that there was often a good woman behind the man sat at the table. These women weren’t the face of the business but they did the books and they kept things going, and their companies would have been unable to function without them. Her own mother, Sandra (Snr), was of this mould, and would often be running the office or out on the road in between taking care of the family.

Over the course of the 26 years in the industry, Whitelaw has noticed an increase in the number of women in Scotland’s bus industry. It’s still a male-dominated industry, but there are a growing number of women in key positions (see ‘15 women who are changing Scotland’s buses’ on pages 20-27).

Diversity is of course about more than just gender, but research has shown that if you tackle gender other minority groups, such as different ethnic or religious groups, start to feel more comfortable. And Whitelaw believes that having a more diverse workforce will benefit

The UK today is more diverse than ever:

47%

Women make up 47% of the working population

1 in 8

1 in 8 employees are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups

17%

Immigrants make up more than 17% of the working population

1 in 20

1 in 20 people are lesbian, gay or bisexual

8.5m

Over 8.5 million adults have a disability

PAGE 8-9: Sandra Whitelaw. BELOW: Sandra Whitelaw with Alexander Dennis chief executive Colin Robertson (right) and her parents, George and Sandra (Snr).

BOTTOM: One of the new Alexander Dennis E200 MMC buses operated by Whitelaws

the industry. “I think it gives a much broader perspective in terms of the ideas and solutions that are found,” she says, “and it helps with understanding our customers.” integration The final ‘i’ is integration. A major aspect of this challenge has been the Scottish Government’s aspirations for multi-model, multi-operator smart, integrated ticketing across Scotland.

At last year’s CPT Conference, then transport minister Derek Mackay urged the industry to help him deliver his vision for seamless inter-model ticketing. If the industry rises to the challenge, it seems unlikely that Mackay’s successor, Humza Yousaf, will follow England’s lead and legislate to remove hurdles to re-regulation.

Whitelaw believes that the industry is not just meeting the government’s aspirations – it is exceeding them.

“I think we’ve made really good progress - not just with bus but with other modes of transport,” she says.

A succession of smart ticketing commitments have been made by Scotland’s bus operators.

The largest operators had already committed to the first phase getting multi-operator smart ticketing in the four largest cities.

Multi-operator smart ticketing schemes have recently been launched in Aberdeen and Dundee.

The second phase sees them join with an e-purse solution that Transport Scotland is developing.

The third phase links to a UKwide commitment from the bus industry’s major operators to offer contactless ticketing on all buses outside of London by 2022.

“When you put that together as a package I think that’s a very strong story,” says Whitelaw.

Will the industry be able to satisfy the government’s vision?

“Yes, I think we will,” she says.

“I think we do well in terms of integrating. We are sitting down with government officials, with ScotRail, with Glasgow Subway, with ferry companies, and we are all looking at solutions.”

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23/09/2016 09:28

H IGH L IGH TS

This summer First Glasgow invested £2.1m in a new fleet of high specification Alexander Dennis Enviro200 vehicles for its high profile Glasgow Airport Express shuttle service

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2015/16 A selection of key events for Scotland's buses over the past 12 months N OV E M B E R AWAR DS

X 7 C OAST R I DE R S C O OP S SI LV E R AT U K BU S AWA R D S Stagecoach East Scotland’s X7 Coastrider took away the Silver Award in the Putting Passengers First category at the UK Bus Awards.

The route is the only coach service linking the towns and cities along the east coast of Scotland and it offers a high specification travelling environment for customers, with free Wi-Fi, at

seat charging points, leather seats, air conditioning and dedicated provision for cyclists.

The route was extended to serve three hospitals in Perth as well as the city centre, and into Dundee to provide a fast, frequent link between key hospital sites. Growth in passenger use in recent years has led to several increases in the number of journeys provided and subsequently influenced the purchase of new, higher capacity vehicles in 2014 to cater for demand.

The judges felt that the service reflected the standard that the

whole group aspired to and an approach of not being complacent but building something new on what works already. The judges were also impressed by Stagecoach East Scotland’s search for continuous improvement.

ACCREDITATI ON

Mc G I L L’ S M A NAG E R S W I N AC C R E DI TAT ION Joan Aitken, the Scottish traffic commissioner, presented CPT’s prestigious Bus & Coach Engineering Manager Accreditation to six members of

the McGill’s Buses team.

The accreditation, designed

by CPT in conjunction with People 1st, assesses bus and coach engineering managers against a series of new professional standards, whilst allowing them to demonstrate they have the necessary skills and attributes to carry out the important role.

The six McGill’s employees who passed the extensive two-day assessment carried out by CPT’s compliance partner Lloyd Morgan Group, were engineering managers Alan Hewitt, James McLellan, ➢ Mark Hill and Marc Wilson;

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

engineering quality standards manager Robert Larkins and chief engineer Grant Pirie.

All were formally presented with their accreditation at last year’s CPT Scotland annual conference at Loch Lomond. Pirie described how both he and his team were delighted and proud to have received the accreditation.

“As chief engineer I was keen to get my engineering managers involved in the process at a grass roots level in order to ensure that we continue to progress, develop and improve together as a team,” he said.

“It was also great to learn that we are the first group of bus engineers in Scotland to have achieved the accreditation, and it’s a real honour for McGill’s too.”

Stephen Smith, CPT’s operations director added: “The development of the CPT and People 1st accreditation provides a fantastic opportunity for bus and coach engineers up and down the country. Operators also benefit from knowing that the individuals within the organisation are competently qualified to help deliver, improve and drive forward the businesses within its fleet management function.”

a key link between Fife and Edinburgh.

The bridge was closed to all traffic on December 4 after severe structural issues were discovered with the 50-year old suspension bridge. Cross-Forth traffic was rerouted onto the Kincardine and Clackmannanshire bridges further west, with the Kincardine Bridge reserved exclusively for public transport, heavy and light goods vehicles.

Stagecoach managed to summon 33 additional buses on its services across the Forth, equating to an extra 11,000 seats each day on services between Halbeath, Ferrytoll and Dunfermline into Edinburgh and Livingston with frequencies of up to every 10 minutes.

Despite the lengthy detour for bus and coach services, Transport Scotland said that special priority measures ensured that journey

director of First Glasgow.

“Our continuing drive to upgrade our fleet and provide improvements underlines our continuing determination to provide the best possible services in our area and ultimately encourage more people to travel by bus.

“By making bus travel more attractive, we are positively impacting on congestion as well as supporting the efforts of our local authority partners to improve air quality for all with our modern reduced emission technology.”

FORTH B RIDGE C LOSURE

T R A N SP ORT I N DU ST RY R I SE S TO C HA L L E N G E OF B R I D G E C L O SU R E

Public transport operators played a key part in keeping Scotland moving during the unexpected closure of the Forth Road Bridge,

JANUARY BUS RA PID TRA N SI T

E X PA N SION F OR FAS T WAY S C H E M E Plans to extend the Fastway bus priority scheme within Glasgow city centre were announced by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow City Council.

The £3.1m package of works would allow the introduction of bus priority measures on a number of key bus streets in the city centre.

It would also see state of the art passenger facilities introduced on Union Street.

Consultation on the scheme, including into design and planning elements of the proposals was undertaken in January 2016 with the works expected to be completed by 2017. The first phase of Fastlink opened in 2015.

NETWO RKS

BA K E R’ S D O Z E N H E L P S L AU N C H N E W P L AT I N U M SE RV I C E

DEC E M B E R I NV EST M E N T

N E W BU SE S ROL L I N TO G L AS G OW First Glasgow announced the introduction of 75 new buses which were launched by the then Scottish transport minister Derek Mackay at the operator’s Caledonia depot in Glasgow.

The bus operator introduced 300 new vehicles over the course of the previous three years through an intensive investment programme totaling over £65m.

“These new vehicles will be among the best and most ecofriendly in the country, and I’m delighted to have the transport minister see first-hand the improvements we are putting in place for our passengers,” said Fiona Kerr, then managing

times remained consistent at around one hour and 30 minutes for the complete journey.

Transport minister Derek Mackay inspects new additions to the First Glasgow fleet with managing director Fiona Kerr in December. Both have since moved on to new roles

First Aberdeen managing director David Phillips (left) celebrates with a 'Bakers Dozen'

First Aberdeen celebrated with a ‘Bakers Dozen’ of rowies, the city's famous savoury bread rolls, as it launched a new Platinum-branded service on the city’s Route 13 as part of a £1m investment in new vehicles.

Operating from Scatterburn to Seaton via Mastrick, Holburn Junction and city centre at a 20 minute frequency, service 13 is well known for calling at Pittodrie where the launch event took place with the help of Alistair Rait from Byron Bakery whose shop is also on the route.

David Phillips, managing director of First Aberdeen, said: “We believe Platinum is the bus service for the next generation.

This is the third Platinum route to be rolled out in the city, and we expect it to attract even more people out of the car and onto the bus.

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H IGH L IGH TS

access to free Wi-Fi across our bus and tram network, this latest innovation underlines our commitment to harness technology that improves our customer service.”

“We’ve seen strong growth on our other two Platinum services since we launched the concept in 2013 and that’s in no small part down to the fact that they are the most customer-focused bus services in the country.

Meanwhile, Alistair Rait from the city’s famous Byron Bakery added: “We’ve been here for over 40 years and the change in the buses going past our bakery window has been clear to see.

These Platinum buses are the best we’ve seen yet!”

STA F F

A B E R DE E N DR I V E R S P R A I SE D F OR F L O OD R E SP ON SE

ACQ U I S I T I O N S

Mc G I L L’ S E X PA N D S I N TO L A NA R K SH I R E W I T H P U RC HASE

Expansion-minded bus operator McGill’s expanded into Lanarkshire after concluding an agreement to purchase Coatbridge-based McNairn Coaches, including JJ Travel, for an undisclosed sum.

The deal saw McGill’s take on McNairn’s commercial bus routes with all staff offered continued employment with McGill’s.

Commenting on the deal, McGill’s managing director Ralph Roberts said that the purchase of the business provided a good strategic fit for the company and played a part in the company’s ambitious expansion plans. “The synergies with McGill’s existing operations in the local area are obvious and will give our customers even better value on our network tickets,” he added.

CUSTO M E R S E RV IC E

Mc G I L L’ S T R IA L S B E N DY BU S C ON D U C TOR S McGill’s took the unusual step of introducing conductors on peak hour services linking Paisley with central Glasgow. The operator said that it was making the move as a result of growing levels of traffic congestion that were reaching “unmanageable levels”, according to managing director Ralph Roberts.

Former London articulated buses are used on the operator’s

In a bid to beat growing congestion, McGill's trialled conductors on some services

ITO World assisted Transport for Edinburgh to bring bus and tram times to Google Maps

Route 38 service between Glasgow and Paisley and Roberts said that the trial aimed to examine whether journey times could be reduced by slashing bus stop dwell times through the use of conductors.

He reported that the initiative saw reductions and better consistency in journey times and that it was also well received by customers. “The financial element [from the introduction of conductors] is quite something but if passenger growth caters for it, we are keen to do it,” Roberts added.

up with Google to offer live bus and tram updates on Google’s mapping service.

It meant that bus and tram users in the Scottish capital could use the Google Maps desktop and mobile services to plan journeys in real time with more accurate results that take into account live delays and diversions as a result of real time service information picked up from every bus and tram operated

by Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams.

“We appreciated just how important it is for our customers to have timely and accurate information and I’m delighted that we have been able to work with Google on being the first Scottish city to introduce this service,” said Jim McFarlane, chair of Lothian Buses.

“Along with our travel and mobile ticketing apps, and

T ECHN OLOGY

E DI N BU RG H T R AV E L DATA HITS GOOGLE Transport for Edinburgh, supported by transport data specialists ITO World and the City of Edinburgh Council, teamed

Two Aberdeen bus drivers were praised for their actions in late January after they helped evacuate residents from Bridge of Dee care home after flooding hit the city.

Barry Watson and Jayson Addison both helped a number of elderly residents on board the low-floor buses and transported them to Norwood Hall along with care home staff. Their rescue effort came after Police Scotland called for support with transporting those inside to temporary accommodation.

Both were praised by company bosses for their calmness under pressure and “can-do” attitude amid the rising flood waters.

Elsewhere, those on duty in First Aberdeen’s King Street control room worked tirelessly to keep services moving as best as they could, informing drivers of road closures and advising of diverted routes as poor weather moved across the region.

F E BRUARY INVEST ME NT

Mc G I L L’ S R E N E WS 1 0 % OF F L E E T McGill’s announced a bumper renewal of its fleet with the introduction of 40 new Alexander Dennis buses.

The move allowed the independent bus operator to renew a substantial 10% of its fleet at a stroke and followed the signing of a £4.5m new bus deal with the Larbert-based bus manufacturer.

The introduction of the vehicles came as McGill’s pressed on with its expansion plans. Its ambitious progress had already seen McGill’s leap 50 places to ➢

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join the leading 400 companies in Scotland’s league table of top performing businesses with managing director Ralph Roberts anticipating further growth for the Greenock-based company.

M A RC H TI C K E TI N G

B IG B O O ST F OR FA L K I R K BU S U SE R S First Scotland East announced a trial of a new bus ticket and ticketing zone for Falkirk in a move that the company said aimed to make travel simpler and cheaper for its customers.

The Falkirk First Day ticket, priced at £4.50 for a day’s unlimited travel in and around Falkirk, was supplemented by the new Falkirk First Week ticket, which at £15 offered unlimited weekly travel for as little as £2.14 a day. The operator said that the introduction of the new tickets would see the cost of travel slashed for a large number of travellers.

“We’re trialling this new zone and price until August for now to encourage more passengers to get on board with us and we hope to

bring it in permanently if it proves successful. With around 80% of all public transport journeys made by bus, we’re confident it will be,” said Paul McGowan, managing director of First Scotland East.

between central Aberdeen and Westhill with the remaining four operated by First on the X40 route between Bridge of Don park and ride and Kingswells.

Over the course of the year the Van Hool-manufactured buses travelled over a quarter of a million miles and carried over 440,000 passengers. Meanwhile, the hydrogen production and refueling station, which is owned and operated by BOC, refueled the buses 1,600 times.

“The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project has been a great success story for Aberdeen,” said Barney Crockett, Aberdeen’s lead member for hydrogen. “In the space of just a year since we moved into the operational phase, the project has outperformed expectations.”.

EN V IRON MEN T

H Y DRO G E N BU S P ROJ E C T R E AC H E S F I R ST B I RT H DAY March saw Aberdeen’s £21m hydrogen bus project reach its first birthday. It allowed the stakeholders involved in the project to reveal some of the progress that had been made over the last 12 months since the project was launched.

The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project saw the largest single fuel cell bus fleet in Europe take to the streets of the Scottish city. It also saw the creation of the UK’s first hydrogen production and bus refueling station, along with a purpose-built maintenance facility for the vehicles themselves.

The 10 buses involved in the project are operated by First Aberdeen and Stagecoach North Scotland. Stagecoach employs its six vehicles on the X17 route

ACQUIS ITIO NS

W E ST C OAS T M OTOR S H E A D S I N TO E N G L A N D Scottish independent bus and coach operator West Coast Motors made its first step into local bus service operation in England with the purchase of Berwick-uponTweed-based Perryman’s Buses.

The operator, which has a staff of 75 people and 45 vehicles operates from depots on either side of the border. The company had built up a varied portfolio of work in recent years, including commercial and supported bus services in the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, as well as coaching operations.

Colin Craig, West Coast’s managing director, said that there were significant synergies between the two businesses.

TICKET I NG

S C OT T I SH OP E R ATOR S P L A N TO G O SM A RT Scotland’s major bus operators confirmed in March their plans to introduce multi-operator smart ticketing in a move that they said would pave the way for seamless travel across all public transport modes in Scotland.

The pledge by First, Stagecoach, Lothian Buses, McGill’s and Xplore Dundee will see smart ticketing delivered across Scotland’s buses in 2016/17.

The operators involved in the project also confirmed that

The £21m Aberdeen hydrogen bus project has been supported by a refuelling facility. Within its first year of operation, it has refuelled the city's fuel cell buses over 1,600 times

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H IGH L IGH TS

of Lothian Buses, said: “It’s great to see that the efforts and achievements of all of the dedicated staff within the business have been recognised with these awards. The transport industry in Scotland is full of people who work tirelessly day in day out to deliver outstanding service to customers and provide millions of passenger journeys every year.”

The awards, which were held at the Radisson Blu in Glasgow, recognise innovation and excellence across all areas of transport.

JU LY ACQUISITIO NS

Politicians in East Lothian, including MSP Iain Gray (pictured), welcomed the July launch of Lothian's East Coast Buses subsidiary

they expect the initiative to be extended to Scotland’s rail and ferry networks in the near future.

Technical work on the scheme has already commenced, building upon existing smart platforms already used by the operators that conform to ITSO standards.

As well as these city schemes, Scotland’s major bus operators also pledged to support and cooperate with the introduction of the Scotland-wide Saltire Card, a pay-as-you-go e-purse scheme that Transport Scotland is developing.

“The Scottish bus industry is being clear in our commitment to transforming how our customers pay for their travel,” said Fiona Kerr, the then chair of trade association CPT Scotland and managing director of bus operator First Glasgow.

A PR I L TIC K E T I NG

Mc G I L L’ S L AU NC H E S N E W M - T IC K E T I NG A P P The spring saw McGill’s launch a new m-ticketing app. Available for iPhone and Android smartphone users, it can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play; making buying bus tickets easy and convenient.

Users can purchase any GoZone ticket including adult, child or student, and choose to activate the ticket as and when they need it. It also has links to McGill’s existing app that offers journey planning, and users can view real time service information from their local stop.

“We are committed to continuously adding value to our services and our new, free app aims to make taking a McGill’s bus easier,” said Colin Napier, McGill’s head of operations and commercial. “Along with many features, web access is no longer needed when displaying your m-ticket, and there is no more worrying about losing your paper ticket or looking for change either.”

McGill's launched a new m-ticketing app offering a variety of ticket options AWA R DS

L OT H IA N BU SE S NA M E D AS S C OT L A N D’ S B E S T T R A N SP ORT OP E R ATOR

J UN E R IDERS HIP

Lothian Buses was recognised as Scotland’s Public Transport Operator of The Year at this year’s Scottish Transport Awards.

In addition to scooping the top prize it also picked up Scotland’s Best Bus Service for Lothian Country Buses Service 113, which had seen outstanding passenger growth of over 50%, bucking national trends.

Commenting on the win, Richard Hall, managing director

PAS SE NG E R NUM BERS I NC RE ASE ON E DI N BU RG H ’ S TRAMS

Statistics issued by the Department for Transport revealed that Edinburgh’s trams carried 5.4 million passengers in the system’s second year of operations. The figure was up 9.3% on the previous year and around 340,000 ahead of official targets.

L OT H IA N BU SE S L AU N C H E S E AS T C OAS T BU SE S Lothian Buses announced in July that it had put together a rescue package to acquire the East Lothian bus operations of FirstGroup and relaunch them under the East Coast Buses name.

It followed First’s decision to close its Musselburgh and North Berwick depots and withdraw from the area entirely.

An agreement between the two companies saw Lothian acquire the depot facilities with staff having the opportunity to transfer across to East Coast Buses.

“This deal will protect key bus services and jobs but the benefits go much further than that,” said Richard Hall, Lothian’s managing director. “The residents, workers and businesses of East Lothian rely on buses for their daily lives and well-being. We are pleased to be in a position to take on and continue providing these vital services and be part of the local economy.”

Paul McGowan, managing director of First Scotland East, added: “Throughout our consultation into the future of bus services in East Lothian, our priority was to safeguard jobs and protect key services. I am therefore pleased that we have achieved that through the proposed sale to Lothian Buses.”

East Coast Buses commenced ➢ operations in August.

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I NV EST M E N T

N E W A I R P ORT F L E E T TA K E S OF F First Glasgow introduced a new £2.1m fleet of 10 high specification Alexander Dennis Enviro200 buses on its Glasgow Airport Express services.

The buses entered service with a new purple livery and branding with luxury interiors that include leather-trimmed coach-style seating with extra legroom, air conditioning, wood-effect flooring and airline-style under seat lighting.

The seats feature a fabric that was specially woven for the service and passengers can also access complimentary Wi-Fi and USB charging facilities.

AU GUST I NV EST M E N T

P E R RYM A N ’ S I N V E ST S I N T H E B OR DE R S Perryman’s Buses, the Berwickupon-Tweed-based subsidiary of Scottish independent operator West Coast Motors, launched a number of new routes in the Scottish Borders.

The introduction of the new routes in Hawick, Selkirk, Galashiels, Oxton and Earlston followed the announcement in May by FirstGroup that its First Scotland East business was to withdraw the bulk of its operation in these areas following poor financial performance over many years.

To support the new network, Perryman’s purchased four new Alexander Dennis Enviro200 midibuses, representing an investment of £500,000. The operator also offered a range of attractively priced period tickets.

“The response to our arrival has been terrific,” commented Nicola Morrison, West Coast’s deputy managing director. “The long term success of the routes ultimately depends on residents using the services. To safeguard the buses as best we can and to ensure we meet local travel requirements, we shall work closely with the Scottish

mile round trip.

“The previous depot gave us limited opportunity to maintain the vehicles so this will make our operations in Skye much more efficient,” said Steve Walker, the operator’s managing director.

Borders Council.”

Meanwhile, Perryman’s had also expanded its Route 253 commuter service between Berwick-uponTweed and Edinburgh with additional journeys to Edinburgh’s West End. The expansion is being facilitated by the introduction of further new vehicles in October.

TICKET ING

G R AS SH OP P E R SM A RT T I C K E T L AU N C H E D

IN V ESTM EN T

N E W DE P OT S AV E S 1 0 7 - M I L E MAINTENANCE TRIP

Bus operators in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire launched Scotland’s first smart multi-operator ticketing scheme in August.

The existing paper-based Grasshopper ticket, which was launched by bus operators in north east Scotland in 2014, can now be loaded as a smart product on either a StagecoachSmart card, a First Touch card or a Grasshopper smartcard.

The introduction of the new product followed a pledge from Scotland’s major bus operators to deliver smart, multi-operator

Stagecoach North Scotland opened a new depot building at Portree on the Isle of Skye, representing an investment of £750,000 by the operator.

The new facility is the base for 15 vehicles that operate throughout the island and also boasts the latest engineering facilities that mean that all maintenance work on the Skye-based fleet will now be carried out at Portree, ending the practice of sending buses to Fort William depot for work, a 107-

Transport Scotland's Bill Reeve at the launch of the smart Grasshopper ticket

West Coast Motors moved into England and the Borders with Perryman's purchase

ticketing across Scotland during 2016/17. The project is also expected to be expanded to include other transport modes as part of the Scotland-wide SaltireCard scheme that is being delivered by Transport Scotland.

The introduction of the new smart ticket has been welcomed by Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf. “It’s great to see Scotland’s first regional multi-operator smart ticketing scheme go live,” commented the minister.

“Giving passengers the option to have one ticket that can get them on a number of bus services should help encourage more people out of their cars and onto public transport.”

SE PTEMBE R TICKET I NG

ON E C I T Y, ON E T IC K E T, M A N Y BU SE S !

Commuters in Dundee began to enjoy the ability to travel across the city and its surrounding area using three different bus companies - but just one ticket.

A partnership involving Xplore Dundee, Stagecoach, Moffat & Williamson and Dundee City Council, unveiled its brand new multi-operator ticket, which makes it simpler and easier for people travelling throughout the city.

The ABC (Any Bus Company) products was available to buy from all the participating operators from September 12. The ticket types available on ABC are day and weekly tickets for both adults and children. These tickets give access to all operators and all routes, within Dundee and the immediate surrounding area.

Elsie Turbyne, managing director of Xplore Dundee, commented: “This revolutionary new way of ticketing will allow passengers the freedom to hop onto a Stagecoach bus in Monifieth and switch to an Xplore Dundee service in Dundee city centre, making a further journey to Wormit with Moffat & Williamson, using just one single ticket.”

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9TH FEBRUARY 2017 QEII CENTRE, BROAD SANCTUARY, WESTMINSTER, LONDON SW1P 3EE

Media partners

The third annual UK Bus Summit will be held in London at the QEII Conference Centre, Westminster on 9th February 2017 and once again is supported by the Department for Transport.

Following the resounding success of the Bus Summit in 2015 and 2016, Transport Times seek to build on this and develop a recurrent platform which enables discussions that reiterate the crucial role that buses play in stimulating the economy and demonstrate how successful technology can be in tackling pollution and ticketing. Not to mention providing a forum to analyse and debate the strengths and weaknesses of the contrasting delivery models.

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Jones MP Transport Minister

Confirmed Speakers

The Summit will be a must-attend event for anyone who wants to be up to speed with all the latest developments in the bus industry.

Additional confirmed speakers include: • Giles Fearnley, Managing Director - UK Bus, FirstGroup Plc • Prof David Begg, Chief Executive, Transport Times Humza Yousaf MSP, Scottish Transport Minister

Valerie Shawcross CBE, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport

• Anthony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus • Claire Haigh, Chief Executive, Greener Journeys • Andy Eastlake, Managing Director, Low CVP • John Henkel, Executive Sponsor - Integrated and Smart Travel, Transport for the North

Martin Griffiths, Chief Executive, Stagecoach

David Brown, Chief Executive, Go-Ahead

For more information please visit www.transporttimes.co.uk or call 0207 828 3804

Supported by Laura Shoaf, Managing Director, Transport for West Midlands

Ad.indd 2

Leon Daniels, Managing Director Surface Transport, Transport for London

23/09/2016 09:29

SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

15 WOMEN WHO ARE CHANGING SCOTLAND’S BUSES Q+A

Many inspirational women are making a big difference to Scotland’s buses. Here we meet 15 of them nder the direction of CPT Scotland chair, Sandra Whitelaw, inclusion will be one of the themes of the 41st annual CPT Scotland Conference 2016 at Cameron House this October - ‘All On Board: Succeeding through innovation, inclusion and integration’.

This year’s conference line-up

U

has a more even balance of male and female voices, including Amanda McMillan, CEO of AGS Airports, and Stephanie Rivet, UK commercial director with Stagecoach. Meanwhile, James Freeman, MD of First Bristol (ex MD of Reading Buses), will be speaking from the heart in one of the business sessions on the clear value of promoting better diversity in the industry.

While efforts are being made to encourage more women to choose buses as a career, there are already many inspirational women making a big difference to Scotland’s buses.

Here, we speak to 15 of them.

They include Sandra Whitelaw of Whitelaws Coaches, and two other bus company managing directors, Elsie Turbyne (Xplore Dundee) and Lynne Smith (Central). They also include the

industry’s regulator, Scottish traffic commissioner Joan Aitken.

Work in a variety of disciplines engineering, operations, marketing, communications, training, project management - these 15 role models talk about how they got into the industry and offer an insight into their working lifes.

Amy Forrest loves her job as a bus driver at First Scotland East (page 22)

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BUS WOMEN

N IC OL A M OR R I S ON

married and completed my MBA during the same year - an unforgettable period in my life.

S ANDR A WHI T E L AW role: Managing Director, Whitelaws Coaches Ltd and Chair, CPT Scotland l o cation: Stonehouse Why buses?

At 18, buses were the last thing I wanted to be involved in.

“No way am I going to work in the family business,” I recall saying!

Having learned to sweep out a bus and empty the ashtrays (how things change!) by the time I was five, I didn’t see myself choosing passenger transport as a career. But, having followed in my father’s footsteps and some 26 years later, I have no regrets.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

My most memorable work moment has to be being nominated and completing my year as CPT’s chairperson for Scottish Council at the age of 29.

The conference at my year end and the support given to me by my industry colleagues, I will never forget. Having also got

role: Deputy Managing Director and Head of HR, West Coast Motors l o cation: Campbeltown

What’s the worst part of your job?

I suppose that depends on what day you ask that question!

Probably the worst part of the job is trying to find the right work/life balance. It can be a very demanding job in terms of time, energy and even emotionally it involves huge responsibility.

It’s a seven day a week, pretty much 24 hours a day business.

It’s no ‘normal’ office job!

Why buses?

For me the decision to join the transport industry was about the people challenge. When I joined in 2002 the industry was even more male-dominated than it is today. Yet, conversely, it appeared more acceptable to offer a female manager a work/life balance than in other industries who purported to encourage diversity. I enjoy the opportunity to make a difference to the people agenda in a traditional industry with traditional values, but one that is open to change.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the industry itself, and most definitely the people in it. It can also be a very rewarding job. When it’s your own business, when you are working hard, progress is being made and you are delivering well, there is a sense of great pride and accomplishment. You can see first-hand the outcome of your endeavours.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

There really are so many... filling huge recruitment gaps through engaging a diverse pool, driving down absence statistics, supporting the delivery of a new service to a third party in less than five weeks.

What do you do after work?

After work - that’s something new to consider! Having taken a significant number of years to work out how to do it, I love spending quality time with my family and friends. My husband and daughter are very understanding and a great support to me. We like to take long walks with the dog in the countryside, enjoy lovely meals together and watch a good movie. If I had more time, I’d like to learn how to race cars!

JOA N A I T K E N

safely then our economy and well being as citizens are limited.

role: Traffic Commissioner for Scotland l o cation: Edinburgh

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Impossible question - there have been so many. Any I tell might result in a big “OUCH” moment for some of your readers.

Why buses?

My interest in becoming traffic commissioner derived from my awareness of the importance of passenger transport and the road haulage industries. If these two industries do not work well and

What’s the worst part of your job?

The isolation that any regulator has to have.

What’s the worst part of your job?

I consider the worst parts as an opportunity. We try hard to use the frustrations that exist within the industry to spur our team to work even smarter. Dealing with challenging people issues is always tough, however, and unfortunately sometimes difficult decisions have to be taken that won’t always be popular. Retaining your integrity and doing right by people and the business is the mark we should measure ourselves against.

What’s the best part of your job?

Seeing the confidence grow in your team through building trust, engagement, recognition, development opportunities and coaching. There is no greater reward than creating an environment where people enjoy what they do, deliver a fantastic service to their customers, and work harder when required, not because they are contracted to but because they choose to. Success doesn’t have to be about size, scale, margin, it’s about being very proud of what you deliver, day in, day out.

What do you do after work?

Work life balance is very important to me, I am married with three children whose activities take up a lot of my time and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love “me time” too, so I’m not wholly a martyr to my work and children.

Getting fit is always on the “To do list” as is embarking on an MBA. One day I will write a book about “The Life and Times of a Woman on the Buses”...

What’s the best part of your job?

Knowing that it is so worthwhile; getting the message out that every journey counts.

What do you do after work?

Having signed up for Transaid’s South Africa Cycling Challenge, getting cycling fit is dominating after work - and terrifying me.

That aside I watch films and plays, eat and drink with my pals, walk the hills and try and switch off. ➢

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

S A R A H B OY D role: Operations Director, Lothian Buses l o cation: Edinburgh

realised that the industry would be more about people than anything else, which was exactly the kind of place I wanted to work. I applied and the rest then became history.

Why buses?

It was more by chance than anything. I did a Maths degree and was in my final year at university when I came across an advert for the Stagecoach graduate scheme.

I had always thought I’d end of up working in financial services in Edinburgh but, growing up in Dundee, I was always aware of Stagecoach and everything Brian Souter had achieved. I did some research on the company and

What has been your most memorable work moment?

There have been so many good ones that it’s hard to pick a particular moment although highlights would have to be being part of the service Stagecoach delivered at the Olympic Games in London 2012 and seeing the incredible interest that local people have in the annual Lothian Buses open day, where more than 4,000 people come along!

What’s the worst part of your job?

I wouldn’t necessarily say there are any ‘worst parts’ although I would say that one of the biggest challenges I think we still face as an industry is educating key

E L SI E T U R B Y N E

role: Bus Driver, First Scotland East l o cation: West Lothian and Edinburgh

role: Managing Director, Xplore Dundee l o cation: Dundee Why buses?

I began my career within a local accountant’s office, however I realised very quickly that I was not cut out to be an auditor.

When a post came up at Tayside Regional Council Transport Department offices I applied and the rest as they say is history.

As managing director of Xplore Dundee, a subsidiary of National Express Group, I am responsible for 350 staff over two sites.

I enjoy the job and my little girl is just starting to speak, so sings ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ to me when I come home!

What has been your most memorable moment?

When I qualified as a bus driver.

I finally found something I was happy doing and now it’s become my career.

What’s the best part of your job?

Definitely the stories and funny things that can happen when you’re working and every day is different. I enjoy interacting with the public. Sometimes I tell my husband about things that happen at work and he can’t believe it.

Driving a bus is not a boring job, there is always something going on. It’s also great now that we have new buses in the fleet.

What’s the worst part of your job?

Sometimes the shifts can feel quite long but they do generally go by quite quickly because you are always on the move. I have a little girl, who’s coming up to age two and juggling things can be a bit of a challenge but it’s worth it.

What do you do after work?

I try to socialise as much as possible when I’m not working and manage things around my shifts but most of my time revolves around my little one and soft play in particular.

She absolutely loves that.

What’s the best part of your job?

Without question it’s the people that are the best part. I’ve been very lucky to work with great people.

What do you do after work?

The answer to that has changed recently as I now have four-month-old twin girls.

I’m hoping that at some point I will get the chance to go to the cinema and gym again and maybe even read the odd book!

A M Y F OR R E ST

Why buses?

I was interested in bus driving because I saw it as a challenge.

I never had a passion for driving when I was younger but it was great to take a totally different career path. I’d had a range of jobs before - including in a call centre, shops, post office, bakery – but this is different - I love it.

It’s great fun. Okay, everybody can have a bad day but it’s interesting working with people all the time. You meet people from all walks of life every single day.

stakeholders on the importance of buses and the vital contribution we make to the economy. It can be frustrating that there’s still a lack of understanding about this.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

My most memorable work moment was the launch of our rebrand in 2015 to Xplore Dundee. The project encapsulated

everything we hoped for in terms of ties to local heritage, drawing on local talent to deliver our new look image and strengthening our commitment to improved customer service and our new customer-friendly timetables and digital information delivery.

What’s the worst part of your job?

The worst part of my job is when we fail to provide the level of service our customers deserve.

We work hard on service delivery and hate the days when traffic, roadworks or weather conspire to impact adversely.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is the team of dedicated individuals who support me in my desire to provide Dundee with the best possible service. They have been supportive since I took over the role in January 2015 and we have evolved into a close-knit team.

What do you do after work?

I am currently working through my bucket list. Over the last couple of years I have driven a monster truck, gone up in a fire engine’s hydraulic lift, travelled across Southern India by train for a wedding, ridden an elephant and swam with sharks. I’ve still got loads more on my list and look forward to making them happen.

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BUS WOMEN

LY N N E SM I T H

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Learning to drive a bus was very memorable. A lot of time was spent in nervous fits of the giggles which my fellow trainees found hilarious. The experience was worth it though. I now have a greater understanding of what our drivers deal with on a daily basis.

J U DE BA L F OU R role: Project Manager Smart Ticketing, First UK Bus l o cation: Glasgow Why buses?

I was first inspired by Professor John Farrington at the University of Aberdeen where I carried out research into the barriers to modal shift. When I graduated, I had a fantastic time working with the Derek Halden Consultancy researching public transport, demand responsive transport and accessibility.

These two people had such an infectious passion that I couldn’t help but catch the sustainable transport ‘bug’. After a few more years in transport planning consultancy, I applied to the FirstGroup Graduate Senior Management Scheme in 2012 and I am currently managing the roll out of a new ticketing system across the company.

role: Managing Director, Central l o cation: Aberdeen Why buses?

Central started as a family-run taxi company in 1984 and initially bought minibuses to service school contracts. We now run 52 PCV vehicles along with 60 taxis and minibuses. I became MD of Central in 2006 when my husband and business partner passed away very suddenly. I now run the business with my eldest son, Ryan - although I have on the odd occasion been found cleaning coach toilets when they’re not up to standard!

What’s the worst part of your job?

One of my less savoury memories was when I was learning about the operational part of the business.

I was doing a night shift with the cleaners at a depot. A passenger had been sick all over a bus and we had to clean it up! The cleaners told me that you get used to the smell, however I’m not so sure.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Difficult to chose one. Moving to our purpose built premises in 2008 was a very emotive day. Having purchased the land in 2004, my husband’s ambition was to see all his vehicles in one Central-owned

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job by far is the people that I work with, the immense energy they invest to improve our bus services, and deliver good experiences for our customers, every single day.

It’s an incredible team to be part of.

What’s the worst part of your job?

When things don’t go to plan.

Despite considerable effort and planning there are times that things don’t go to plan resulting in customers receiving a less than acceptable service.

What’s the best part of your job?

When things do go to plan, especially at the beginning of a school term when so much time and effort is spent planning the journeys of 1,800 school children and it runs without a hitch.

Watching the vehicles leave our yard clean and ready for service is very rewarding.

What do you do after work?

Football (watching not playing!).

As well as attending Pittodrie as often as possible I became a Director of our local Highland League team, Cove Rangers FC, in 2011. I sit on the Children’s Panel and am a befriender for a local charity Befriend a Child.

I like walking and reading in quiet moments and going to live concerts in the not so quiet ones.

What do you do after work?

I love to ride my bike, run across the moors near my house, pretend to be a dinosaur/plane/tractor/bird with my son Ruaridh, eat copious amounts of cake and drink tea/gin.

I’ve just signed up for my first trail race in September so you will also find me staggering up and down hills in preparation!

NOR M A DAV I S ON

training, keeping the PVG system up-to-date, organising the medicals for all staff and any further training that maybe required.

role: Training School Manager, Stagecoach East Scotland l o cation: Dunfermline Why buses?

I moved to the area to be closer to my family and joined Stagecoach as an assistant administrator.

I picked up knowledge of the industry while doing this and eventually moved to the training manager role, where over the years there have been changes and challenges which have made the job rewarding and interesting.

yard, sadly, planning was granted shortly after he died. Receiving the call to come and discuss Aberdeen Football Club’s first team transport requirements was another.

Providing the open top bus for the team after winning the League Cup for the first time in 21 years was unforgettable.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

My most memorable moment, was being invited to attend a reception at Craigiehall Barracks then to a preview of the Edinburgh Tattoo in August 2015. The invite was to thank us for our working with the Career Transition Partnership in helping ex-forces employees into new careers.

It was a very special evening.

My main responsibilities are bringing new recruits through to depot level, organising CPC

What’s the worst part of your job?

I find the worst part of my job is having to finish a trainee who does not make the grade to test standard.

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is to see a nervous trainee become more confident, get through to test level and pass, giving them a new career.

What do you do after work?

Relax. I enjoy spending time with my family, walking, reading ➢ and gardening.

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

L I N D S AY R E I D role: Senior Group Communications Manager, Stagecoach Group l o cation: Perth Why buses?

I was a local journalist but started a singing business to top-up my earnings and eventually decided to get a part-time day job instead and focus on the singing.

The part-time job I got was working in the PR team for SPT in Glasgow, which I did for a couple of years and was my first experience of working in the transport industry. It gave me a

good grounding so that when a role came up at Stagecoach I understood the way the industry worked. I stopped singing at that point though!

the frustration when we get negative press for things that, at times, could have been handled differently - all we can do in those situations is make sure we learn from them for the future.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Either dressing Sir Brian Souter and Martin Griffiths in megabusGold.com onesies for a photocall or launching our charity children’s book which raised money for the National Literacy Trust.

What do you do after work?

I exercise when I have time and enjoy planning as many holidays as I can fit in. Also I enjoy catching up with friends and family for meals and maybe the odd glass of wine!

What’s the worst part of your job?

Not always getting time to think in between jobs! Also, sometimes

ST E P H A L E X A N DE R

built in partnership with BYD. Seeing the positive impression this new vehicle made on our customers brought it home to me just why we need to get every detail right first time.

LY N N E T R E E role: Graduate Trainee, Alexander Dennis Limited l o cation: Larbert Why buses?

I come from a family where business is our passion. I did business economics and finance at Strathclyde University and graduated in 2015. After university I heard that ADL were starting a new three-year graduate programme with the opportunity for anyone, regardless of discipline, to apply. I want to understand the manufacturing process from end to end and I can’t think of a better place to ‘cut my teeth’.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

It has to be witnessing the look on our customers’ faces when we revealed our first full electric bus,

What’s the best part of your job?

There is lots of variety and you never quite know what is going to happen from day to day.

I am part of a great team and we have a very approachable executive team which helps us do our job.

We’re in a high profile, fastpaced industry and there is a real commitment to further improving bus services in Scotland which is exciting to be part of.

role: Presentation Supervisor, First Aberdeen l o cation: Aberdeen Why buses?

I ended up in the bus industry by chance, through a job placement, and I found that I enjoyed it enormously. I’ve worked as presentation supervisor for over a year, and I really enjoy my job since I started in August 2010.

I started off as a cleaner, then I was a shunter, then I was a leading hand and now I’m supervisor. I am in charge of 33 staff who do a variety of shifts and a variety of different roles, so I’m always kept on my toes!

What’s the worst part of your job?

Constantly feeling that I’m not getting enough done... the clock racing from hour to hour, looking back at the week that has passed and wondering where the time has gone. I suppose that’s what makes it all so exciting, that feeling of having so much to do.

What’s the best part of your job?

The diversity of every day has to be the best part of my job.

I feel able to create opportunities for myself just by asking to be involved. Everyone is supportive and encouraging of development at ADL, whether it’s a day in London at one of our customer’s headquarters getting to know them (and the industry) better or tendering steel fabrications to improve supply chain in procurement.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Passing my yard test and getting the chance to drive an actual bus

What do you do after work?

I am a keen gym-goer and hockey player. I love listening to audiobooks and going to Toastmasters, a public speaking club. Yet nothing beats spending time with my family!

was exhilarating - I never thought I’d pass that test! Additionally, getting the role as supervisor was a big achievement to me.

And, of course, winning four awards at the First Bus Excellence Awards was amazing.

What’s the worst part of your job?

The winter - it can get very cold outside, but if you work hard and wrap up warm, it’s not so bad!

What’s the best part of your job?

The best part is working with my amazing team on a daily basis - they are a dedicated and motivated team and nothing is a problem to them! Also making sure that the staff are happy and engaged - if they are happy we get the best results. There has been a much more positive atmosphere within the team since I started, they are a happier bunch - and this has in part led to a Bronze Investors in People accreditation for First Aberdeen. Being told I was instrumental in helping First achieve this was a major success for me.

What do you do after work?

I walk my dog, go out for meals to local Aberdeen restaurants, see the latest films in the cinema and spend time with my grandchildren - that’s more tiring than working sometimes!

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BUS WOMEN

W E N DY F I N DL AY role: Fleet Support Engineer, First Glasgow l o cation: Glasgow Why buses?

After graduating from university, I spent almost 20 years in the army serving as an officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. My role was mainly running armoured vehicle workshops in various locations around the world. The processes are very similar, only with a different type of vehicle. My Mum was a clippie before I was born, so maybe it is in the blood. Along with a team over over 200 multiskilled engineering staff at First Glasgow, I am responsible for the

daily maintenance, inspection and repair of 950 buses operating on over 90 routes.

publicity, working with various partners to promote bus travel across our network.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Winning the FTA and Everywoman ‘Team Leader of the Year Award’ 2016. Being nominated was a real honour, to win it was truly humbling; you are only as good as your team.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

Probably being asked to answer questions about myself to be published in Scotland’s Buses 2016!

What’s the worst part of your job?

Finding safety shoes I can wear with “business attire”.

K I M M AS S ON role: Marketing Manager, Stagecoach North Scotland l o cation: Aberdeen

What’s the best part of your job?

No two days are the same.

In the morning I could be visiting a factory to see new buses or working with a manufacturer to improve design, and in the afternoon I could be showing a politician around the depot.

Why buses?

After graduating, the position of marketing and design assistant was advertised in Aberdeen.

This was the first job advert I had seen that I got excited about. The diversity of the role really appealed to me, particularly as I was familiar with the company having grown up as a Stagecoach customer in North Scotland. I remember spending hours preparing for the interview making sure I had strong examples of what I could bring to the company. Today, as marketing manager, I’m responsible for all

What do you do after work?

Sleep! I am vice chairman of SSAFA Glasgow. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airforce and Families Association is the oldest of the Forces Charities, providing support and guidance to all serving personnel, veterans and their families. The money we raise in Glasgow is used to support clients based in the Glasgow area.

I S A B E L L E M U R R AY role: Marketing & Communications Manager, McGill’s Bus Service Ltd l o cation: Greenock Why buses?

By chance, to be honest. After completing my MSc, I worked in professional services marketing in Glasgow for over a decade.

The birth of my two sons brought the family to Greenock from the city. The arrival of my daughter and a period of time at home with three children under four - whilst an amazing time - saw me like many women, looking for a different type of mental stimulation after a while (and the chance to go to the loo on my own!). I freelanced for a number of organisations before

What’s the worst part of your job?

Our depots all being so far apart.

I’m based in Aberdeen and two of our depots are over 210 miles from the office. I’d love to be able to visit them more than I do.

What’s the best part of your job?

Reaching out to such a wide audience, making sure campaigns perform in each particular area. Our network is in a large geographical area and what works to promote a service in Aberdeen wouldn’t necessarily work for our services in Skye.

What do you do after work?

I have a horse that I event throughout the summer months (although I’d use the term summer lightly in Scotland) and keeping her fit for competitions consumes a lot of my free time.

What’s the best part of your job?

Seeing the positive results of all the hard work and effort made by the team. Getting out and about and talking to our customers is something that I love to do too (and probably don’t do enough of, to be honest!).

I always get back to the office energised and full of ideas.

coming in-house at McGill’s.

I probably have the best job at McGill’s. I’m part of a small senior team and I’m very lucky to be included in the wider commercial and strategic discussions.

What has been your most memorable work moment?

There have been many... launching McGill’s first ever website, watching the company grow from one depot to five, entering the Scottish Transport Awards for the first time and coming runners up, launching our GoZone MJT range. Most recently it has been the successful launch of our mobile ticketing app.

bringing someone round to my way of thinking! Not everyone enjoys change or embraces new technology, and sometimes you have to spend a bit of time coaxing and cajoling colleagues of the positives. Also lazy journalists bring out a side of my character that is not the prettiest!

What’s the worst part of your job?

Sometimes the worst parts of a job are really more challenges, and I do get a bit of a kick out of

What do you do after work?

I love the simple things in life cooking , drinking wine (and gin), preferably in good company with a bit of chat. I love walking and cycling too, but work is never far away - my children call me an ‘anorak’ when we are out at the park and I ask them to catch the fleet number of a bus that is displaying the wrong destination or has a tail light out!

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

EDINBURGH’S GREENWAYS david begg explains how edinburgh’s greenways boosted buses, but their effectiveness has declined over the past 20 years his year marks the 20th anniversary of Edinburgh’s radical Greenways bus priority scheme. It has won plaudits from transport professionals and central government: “Edinburgh Greenways scheme is successful” (Department for Transport: 2010.

“Bus Priority – The Way Ahead”) and “Edinburgh’s Greenways have proved to be a high profile and effective form of bus priority which substantially insulates the buses using them from the worst effects of congestion”(The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit 2000).

You were 15 times more likely to be caught by a traffic warden for illegally encroaching on a Greenways bus priority, compared with a conventional bus lane.

What is startling about the bus journey time data from Edinburgh is that from 1986 to 1996 all day average bus speeds - as a result of good conventional bus priority followed by Greenways - bucked the UK trend and actually improved by over 5%. It’s the only conurbation-wide example in the UK where bus journey times actually improved over a prolonged period. From 1996 to 2016 journey times in Edinburgh reverted to the UK-wide trend and declined by 20%.

The City of Edinburgh Council needs to stand firm against those who want to dilute Greenways enforcement and point to the fact that bus speeds are now falling by 10% every decade.

Whilst the Greenways in Edinburgh were a bold and strategic way forward for the

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Q Properly maintain Greenways.

They no longer look green and the white line segregating the bus lanes from general traffic should be clearer. The council should allocate a proportion of the annual dividend it receives from Lothian Buses to finance bus lane maintenance and enforcement. It would provide the council with a great financial return through increased patronage and higher future dividend payments. A 10% improvement in bus speeds would result in an increase in passengers of between 10% and 14%.

Q The nine-month trial they have embarked upon to remove bus priority during the off-peak should not be made permanent. If it is this will lead to a permanent reduction in off-peak bus speeds and patronage with a consequential impact on dividend payments.

The data from Lothian Buses shows that bus speeds have declined by 19% over the last 20 years even during the so called off-peak! This evidence should persuade the city council that the trial should not be made permanent.

Lothian Buses is one of the best bus companies in the UK and the vital backbone of Edinburgh’s public transport system. It deserves the very best level of protection from rising traffic congestion.

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% change

15 10 5 0 -5 -10 1986-1996

1986-2016

AM peak: % change in average journey time for AM peak buses in Edinburgh 12

Miles per hour (mph)

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 1986

1996

2016

Off-peak: Average speeds (miles per hour) for off-peak buses in Edinburgh

mass movement of people in the 1990s their effectiveness has declined over the last 20 years.

There are a number of measures the City of Edinburgh Council can take to reverse the upward trend in bus journey times: Q Review traffic signal timings. Best practice would indicate that this should be done every three years.

Q Don’t become too reliant on camera enforcement of bus priority lanes. With only nine road side cameras to enforce over 60km of bus lanes there are too many unauthorised vehicles using them.

I need to declare an interest as I was the politician responsible for Greenways.While it’s reassuring to receive plaudits from fellow transport professionals, I still, 20 years later, get stick when I return to my native city!

Edinburgh's Greenways stood out when they were introduced 20 years ago

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DOUG STACEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

EDINBURGH CASE STUDY

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JURATEBUIVIENE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

First Glasgow data indicates that average speeds in Glasgow have dropped by about two miles an hour over the last 10 years

GLASGOW: TRAPPED IN TRAFFIC As par t of a national study for Greener Jour neys, david begg studied the impact of traffic congestion on bus ser v ices in Glasgow lasgow is a compact city with high population density and relatively low car ownership, making it ideal for a high sustainable transport modal share.

However, between 2001 and 2011 bus use in the city reduced from a modal share of 23.5% to 20.3% while the proportion of commuters using a car (either as a driver or passenger) increased to 40.9%.

Demand for bus travel has been showing a persistent and significant fall in metropolitan built-up areas in Scotland (of which Glasgow is the biggest) with the average annual distance

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travelled by bus also decreasing by 27% between 2007/08 (564 miles) and 2009/10 (412 miles).

The number of people using buses across the Strathclyde region (which covers the whole of Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and Argyll and Bute) has fallen by 22% in the decade to 2014/15 equivalent to 49 million fewer bus passengers. First Glasgow - the largest bus operator in the city suggests it has lost 40% of its bus passengers in the last decade.

The dramatic fall in bus travel is despite the fact that Glasgow has, on average, a relatively low car ownership level compared with the rest of Scotland. More than

one-half (51%) of households in Glasgow do not have access to a car and nearly two-thirds (64%) of households located in the most deprived areas in Glasgow do not have access to a car.

There are a number of factors which help explain why bus use is falling, and which together paint a picture of a city whose overall environment is not optimised for high levels of bus travel in the same way as cities like Dublin, Oxford, Brighton, London and Cambridge.

Bus speeds have fallen faster in Glasgow (1.5% per annum) compared with the UK average (1.0%) This alone would result

in around 15% fewer passengers every decade. The growth in traffic congestion undermines the achievement of optimum bus use in Glasgow. The annual Tom Tom traffic congestion survey reveals that Glasgow’s drivers currently spend 26% longer on their journeys than if they were travelling where the traffic is free flowing. Traffic flow in Glasgow was worse in 2014 compared to the previous year.

Another crucial factor which puts Glasgow at a serious disadvantage in attracting passengers to buses is the competition from an extensive and heavily subsidised urban rail network. This is not a criticism of transport policy - indeed the Scottish Government and SPT should be congratulated on taking such a pro-rail approach. However, one of the consequences is that for a number of journeys rail is cheaper than bus. It is people in Strathclyde who do not have a rail service who are the most heavily penalised especially those who don’t own a car and are dependent on the bus.

Cities that are successfully growing bus mode share have tighter parking controls with higher charges and less provision, making it more likely that people will use the bus. Conversely, the more generous the parking provision, the less likely the bus will be used as the mode of travel and the more likely the private car will be used thus increasing the levels of congestion on routes accessing the city as well as the level of congestion within the central area of the city. According to Europe’s Parking U-turn, ITDP 2011, 50% of traffic jams are simply cars looking for a parking space. This is dramatically illustrated in the West Midlands Case Study in this report.

In Glasgow in recent years, the number of car parks in the city has increased and there are now approximately 10,000 spaces available in over 25 dedicated car parks across the city centre.

In particular, inexpensive temporary car parks have sprung up across the city on vacant

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GL ASGOW CASE STUDY

land as building work slowed in response to economic conditions.

On-street parking is also available throughout the city centre.

Glasgow City Council has limited control over private car parks making it difficult to manage the supply and cost of parking in the city centre. The council’s transport strategy aims to encourage people to park their cars at the periphery of the city centre by using signage to direct people approaching the city centre to their nearest car park, reducing the number of people travelling unnecessarily through or around the city centre to reach a car park. However, the strategy also reveals the caution which the council feels it must adopt stating its parking policy must be “handled sensitively, because the role of the car in supporting visits for business, retail and leisure activities is recognised”. This approach may not be sufficiently robust if the council wants to achieve a tangible modal shift away from the private car.

This level of traffic congestion has been having a consistently negative effect on bus services across the city through its impact on bus speeds. Declining bus speeds not only make it extremely difficult to attract new users but crucially it has also led to former bus users switching modes. In the last 10 years First Glasgow data indicates that average speeds in Glasgow have dropped by about two miles an hour. SPT’s figures (Figure 1) show that the speed of the most heavily used bus service in Glasgow has fallen as low as 3.5mph through the city. This has a direct and detrimental impact on bus journey times (Figure 2) which have also been rising, with many increasing by as much as 30% which, again, reduces the attraction of using the bus.

Glasgow’s congestion problem goes hand in hand with the city’s long-standing air pollution problem which is predominantly caused by road traffic. In February 2014, the European Commission started legal action against the

United Kingdom for failing to bring levels of Nitrogen Dioxide to within legal limits by the deadline under EU law in several cities across the UK, including in Glasgow (air pollution levels were due to be brought to within the legal limit by January 1, 2010).

Glasgow City Council has declared four Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) which are zones where levels of air pollution are in breach of Scottish air quality standards. Air pollution from PM2.5s, also known as fine particles, kills an equivalent of 308 people in Glasgow each year and is responsible for one in 20 deaths in Glasgow according to statistics produced by Public Health England in March 2014.

Using bus priority measures as a policy tool to both improve bus journey times and service reliability and at the same time reducing traffic congestion is a well-documented solution and an essential part of the policy mix to create a bus friendly operating environment. Glasgow

City Council’s own modelling and monitoring work shows that as a result of using bus corridors across the city, general traffic speeds fall by up to 6% (PM peak period, 1600-1900), but bus speeds increase by up to 7% in the same time period. There are eight quality bus corridors totalling 120km in the Greater Glasgow area.

In 2014/15, £7.2m was invested in a ‘Fastlink’ core scheme between Glasgow city centre and the South Glasgow Hospitals (SGH) campus. Fastlink services began operating in early May 2015 and the Fastlink Statutory Quality Partnership came into effect in June 2015, following extensive consultation with bus operators. Analysis undertaken in October 2015 shows a 15.6% journey time saving had been realised, from the overall target of 20% which according to SPT is on course to be met. SPT and the council are currently rolling out a programme of immediate enhancements including the installation of signal detection

Service 4: Muirend Sainsburys Service 38: Castle St at Royal Infirmary Service 4: Union St at Central Station Service 75: Cowcaddens Subway Service 2: Glasgow Cross Service 60: Union St at Central Station 0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

60

70

Mph Figure 1: Bus service speeds on selected bus services in Glasgow. Source: SPT

Milton to Central Station Central Station to Penilee Central Station to Summerston Central Stn to Darnley via Shawlands Central Station to Paisley Summerston to Tollcross 0

10

Q 1995 Q 2015

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40

50

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Figure 2: Increase in Glasgow's PM peak bus journey times, 1995 v 2015. Source: SPT

loops, introduction of SCOOT signalling and working with Stagecoach West Scotland to install Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) equipment on their Fastlink X19 service to further enhance bus priority signalling. A £3.14m package of works has also been agreed between Glasgow City Council and SPT, to deliver bus priority measures and improved passenger facilities within Glasgow city centre.

These works will deliver further journey time savings for all bus services operating in the city centre (e.g. up to 180 buses per hour in Union Street) in alignment with the targets set out in the final business case. In March 2016, the council also upgraded its IT system that provides bus priority at intersections and real-time information to passengers, with the complete package now hosted on the ‘cloud’.

While these measures are indeed progress towards improving bus travel, the council must take a holistic approach if it is to achieve a bigger switch from private car to bus by truly creating a pro-bus environment across the city which will also involve complementary parking policies and re-distribution of road space. The council’s transport strategy states traffic flows will be managed to discourage through trips through the heart of the city centre by making through routes more circuitous and less appealing to drivers. Instead, people will be encouraged to stay within the area of their point of entry to the city centre supporting the function of each district as a distinct location and destination in its own right.

In view of the rise in congestion levels and the serious fall in bus passenger numbers, this move may not be sufficient. It is not simply bus travel that is otherwise being hindered, but the 29% of all businesses across Scotland that are based in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Region which generates around 32% of Scotland’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and 33% of Scottish jobs.

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DRIVING EXCELLENCE

numbers and revenue on the strength of the safe, reliable, efficient and highly regarded service that we provide. Our strong performance and effective management of cost pressures also mean that we can again return a £5.5m dividend to the shareholders while also investing more in the next generation of environmentally friendly buses as we aim to reduce our carbon footprint further and improve local air quality.”

Not long before the results were published, the company had welcomed a new managing director, Richard Hall, who was recruited from a major bus operator in London. Hall recognised the strength of the firm he was joining: “This is a business that has a long track record of delivering high quality services on a foundation of continuing investment and innovation. We

Bus patronage is declining across Scotland, but l othian buses, Scotland's Public Transpor t Operator of the Year, is bucking the trend cross Scotland bus patronage is declining, with concerns in the transport and political worlds about how to tackle this situation. But one major operator is bucking the trend. Edinburgh-based Lothian Buses has continued to increase passengers and services, while also remaining profitable enough to provide dividends to its public sector shareholders and invest millions in new vehicles. So what’s behind this success story?

A

million the previous year and contrasts with a long-term decline in the number of bus journeys across Scotland, with 40 million fewer taking the bus per year in 2014 compared with 10 years before.

Announcing Lothian Buses’ results, the company’s chairman Jim McFarlane said: “We continue to buck the national trend, once again increasing our passenger

iconic services for an iconic cit y The maroon-liveried vehicles of Lothian Buses services are as familiar to anyone in Edinburgh as the castle or festival performers in August. As the largest operator in the city it employs over 2,000 staff, operates over 700 buses across Edinburgh and the Lothians - the city region around the capital - and carries over 120 million passengers per year. It also has a wider family of services including a dedicated and distinctly-branded express airport connection plus a five-star rated open top bus tour service which is heralded as the third most popular paid-for attraction in Scotland and attracts over 500,000 visitors each year. bucking the trend In its last annual report, for 2015, Lothian Buses reported that it had carried an extra two million passengers, taking the total for the year to over 121 million. The increase followed a rise of three

need to go forward with this model to maintain our position as one of the country’s leading bus operators. This is important not only for the thousands of customers who use Lothian Buses’ network of services every day but also for the city as a whole.

Our services are essential for the health of both Scotland and Edinburgh’s wider economy.” expanding services Moving into 2016, the company announced plans to cope with the increased demand. It has been recruiting up to 40 new drivers and 10 apprentice engineers to help provide extra services. It also increased the frequency of key routes including some Sunday and hospital services. Many other services across the network also saw changes to improve frequency, reliability and connections, particularly at peak times.

In recognition of the loyalty of its core customer base, the fare review announced at the same time as the service improvements, saw 75% of passengers unaffected, including regular travellers using the Ridacard season ticket. The flat-rate single tickets, having been frozen for three years, rose by only 10p to £1.60 for adults and 80p for children.

For McFarlane the fare review was a good opportunity to

ABOVE: Edinburgh Bus Tour now has a fleet of 30 new open top double deckers. TOP: East Coast Buses has rescued key services

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LOTH IA N BUS ES

recognise what he describes as the vast majority of its regular and loyal passengers: “The changes we have made are a direct response to feedback from our customers and we’re in a position to introduce them thanks to continued strong business performance over many years.” lifeline links In a further sign of the company’s strength, it was recently able to introduce a rescue package to save key bus services in East Lothian, a semi-rural region east of Edinburgh. Earlier in 2016 First Scotland East announced it was to close its operations and withdraw services from August.

An agreement was reached which saw East Coast Buses, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lothian Buses, purchase the company’s Musselburgh and North Berwick properties with all staff having the opportunity to be transferred over to East Coast Buses under TUPE. As part of East Coast Buses’ business plan for the services it is making significant investments to improve services, including refurbishment works to the Musselburgh garage, increasing the number of vehicles and deploying a new fleet of vehicles.

With few alternatives for either passengers or staff, this deal has protected both key services and jobs. It was widely welcomed by the local community and even the Scottish Government. The local authority’s transport convenor hailed it as a hugely significant development for East Lothian that would secure vastly improved public transport provision for local people in the future, while the Scottish Transport Minister welcomed the news as an excellent outcome for the communities of East Lothian. part of the cit y fabric Indeed, one of the defining features of Lothian Buses’ ethos and culture is how it views itself as being integral to the city and wider communities it serves.

This, in turn, drives many of the commitments and innovations

The maroon livery of Lothian Buses is as familiar to anyone in Edinburgh as the castle

greening the fleet #fleetofthefuture Committed to reducing its environmental impact, Lothian Buses has a keen environmental strategy, with extensive investment into vehicles which has reduced levels of air pollution and noise with more modern and efficient engines.

With numerous Air Quality Management Areas throughout Edinburgh, Lothian Buses has recognised the benefits of lower emission vehicles in helping to meet the local authority and Scottish Government’s environmental targets.

In 2015, the company invested over £6m in 20 Euro 6 double deck low emission diesel-electric hybrid buses. The purchase of these vehicles was supported by £1.5m of Scottish Green Bus Funding. In addition, almost £3m was invested in 12 new Euro 6 low emission diesel vehicles specifically for its Airlink Edinburgh Airport service.

But the journey doesn’t stop there.

Edinburgh will be one of the first cities in the UK to introduce a full commercial service with Volvo’s latest bus engine technology. 25 new diesel-electric vehicles, which are currently being trialled in various European cities by the Swedish manufacturer, will be assigned to a route travelling through several Air Quality Management Areas.

In air pollution zones, the bus will switch from diesel to full electric power, helping to reduce carbon emissions by up to 75% and diesel

that have marked the company as an industry leader in recent years.

As one of the city’s biggest employers, it is hugely active in supporting local charities and community initiatives, particularly with young people. From sponsoring children’s football leagues to providing a gold bus for the recent Glow Gold charity campaign, the firm has returned millions of pounds worth of financial and in-kind support to good causes over the years.

It also recognises the growing importance of technology in supporting existing customers and attracting new ones, especially younger travellers.

Its fleet is fully-fitted with onboard Wi-Fi and a content service to help passengers make the most of their journey. Having been the first Scottish bus operator to introduce a mobile ticketing app, it then secured another first by partnering with Google to provide live transport updates.

Bus passengers, and those using its sister company Edinburgh Trams, have been able to access real-time service information in Google Maps since January.

Google Maps knows where all buses and trams are on the network at any time, allowing it to show expected times of arrival and any service delays, and the information is incorporated into the app’s journey planning functions. The new technology is also fully integrated with Lothian Buses’ other apps and its website.

consumption by 40% compared with the current fleet.

Returning to today, Lothian Buses recently unveiled a fleet of new vehicles for its Edinburgh Bus Tour service. The 30 open-top double deck vehicles have been specially commissioned for the company to meet its accessibility and environmental standards.

These new Euro 6 buses will reduce CO2 emissions by 40% compared to the existing tour vehicles and will reduce both NOx and particulates by 95-99%.

The vehicles are fitted to a high specification with dedicated wheelchair and buggy spaces, coloured LED destination information display equipment, Wi-Fi and CCTV. The front of the vehicle has also been designed with an increased glazed area to provide panoramic views for customers visiting the key attractions around Edinburgh.

With a total investment of over £18.5m into environmental improvements, Lothian Buses has introduced 85 diesel-electric hybrid buses to its fleet since 2011, alongside £5.8m Scottish Green Bus Funding. Furthermore, over £14m has been invested into innovative Euro 6 low emission vehicles which includes the new tour fleet.

Since the beginning of their environmental journey in 2011, Lothian Buses has removed almost 4,000 tonnes of CO2 from the company’s footprint and has seen reduction of 95-99% in NOx and particulate emissions. It now has one of the youngest and cleanest fleets of buses in the country, with two-thirds of the 700-strong fleet is now at Euro 5 standard or above. industry accol ades There was just reward for the firm when it was recognised as Scotland’s Public Transport Operator of the Year at this year’s Scottish Transport Awards in June.

In addition to scooping the top prize it also picked up Scotland’s Best Bus Service for Lothian Country Buses Service 113, which has seen passenger growth of over 50%.

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F IRSTGRO UP

FIRST ON COURSE FOR A FRESH START There's no deny ing that first scotl and east has had its challenges, but MD paul mcgowan is aiming to create a fir m base for the future t has been a good day for Paul McGowan, managing director of First Scotland East. He has spent a considerable amount of time with Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s minister for transport and the islands.

Yousaf was in Livingston to launch a gleaming new fleet of 19 buses that are entering service on the operator’s high frequency routes between Bathgate, Livingston and central Edinburgh.

With patronage of more than 1.6 million passengers a year, it’s a corridor that has benefitted not only from a quality partnership but now also significant investment in the very latest kit.

Speaking in early September, McGowan explains: “The minister was with us for over an hour and he was genuinely interested. The new buses, the investment, the quality partnership, the close work with stakeholders, they are the sorts of things we are now doing routinely across this business. We have a very clear vision of where we are going.”

That vision is one that aims to significantly improve the performance of First Scotland East, a business that McGowan, who was appointed as managing director in January 2014, admits has had significant challenges in the past.

“The brand was tarnished, to be honest, and my vision was to refocus it around our Better Journeys For Life strategy,” he says candidly. “The whole process of trying to turn that around began by going back to basics. Part of that process was the acknowledgement that this is a very local business

I

First Scotland East MD Paul McGowan with Scotland's transport minister Humza Yousaf

and we are part of the local communities that we serve.”

It has seen First Scotland East move away from an overarching corporate First brand in favour of route branding that celebrates the diverse communities that the operator serves. That’s not to say that the First brand has been dispensed with in its entirety.

“First is still a powerful brand,” believes McGowan. “There’s huge recognition and we don’t want to

move away from it entirely. But we are giving it a local twist.”

It has been backed up by significant investment. In West Lothian, for example, those 19 new buses introduced on the 27 and 28 between Bathgate and Edinburgh are just the latest in a succession of new buses to have been introduced into the operator’s fleet in West Lothian. It means that locally the average fleet age is just four years.

“Overall we have 300 vehicles

and the average age rises to eight years, which is still pretty respectable,” adds McGowan. “We have benefitted from the 80 new buses we've received in the last few years, so just under a quarter of the fleet has been replaced. That demonstrates that we are serious about investing for the future.”

Alongside that significant capital expenditure changes have been made to the structure of the business. McGowan continues: “Of course any incoming managing director is going to review the team, but I felt that there were some real issues. The strengths and weaknesses of the business were clear and it was logical that the problem areas needed tackling.”

It means that the business has been split into three – First Midland Bluebird, serving the areas surrounding Stirling and Falkirk in the central belt, First West Lothian and First Borders.

McGowan describes how this again builds on the attempts to create a local focus.

“What we are trying to do is create those foundations for growth,” he adds. “When I came here it was very hierarchical. I wanted to change that quickly. I was MD of Yorkshire Rider (York), First Devon & Cornwall and Travel/ Abellio London. In each of those companies I achieved Investors in People accreditation and I wanted to bring that philosophy here. I wanted to foster the right sort of culture. I started out in 1978 as an office junior and worked my way up. I hope that means that I can engage with anyone.”

As a result McGowan has made efforts to decentralise First Scotland East. For example, he cites the regular management meetings that were traditionally held at the company’s headquarters at Larbert. “It just didn’t make any sense to me,” he says. “So now we move the meeting around the depots. It means that we are closer to the coalface and not stuck in some remote ivory tower.”

As well as these organisational changes, some tough decisions have been made too. McGowan ➢

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admits that First Scotland East has struggled financially for many years and so particular attention has been paid to the network in order to try and create a firm basis for the future.

“We are going back to basics and looking at what we do best,” says McGowan. “That means we have had to make some very, very tough decisions but in each case we’ve gone out of our way to speak to stakeholders and keep them informed at every step. It’s a tough process, but at the end of the day we want to create a sustainable and profitable business that works.”

Those tough decisions have seen McGowan and his team look very carefully at the network in totality.

He believes that the core strengths of First Scotland East are in the urban areas of Falkirk, Stirling, plus interurban links into Edinburgh from West Lothian and the Borders.

“Those links into Edinburgh are our focus,” he says. “We should have more routes into Edinburgh in my view. The local authority operator is very, very good, but I think, for example, when you look at the new buses on the 27 and 28 and the other investments we’ve made, our product is just fantastic. We have some real opportunities to grow.”

However, it’s impossible to not talk about the recent cutbacks that have seen First withdraw in entirety from East Lothian and prune its networks in the Borders.

“There’s no denying that in East Lothian the CMA undertakings did have an impact on what happened to the business,”

A family of locally-orientated brands have been created around a two-tone blue livery (top) with the latest vehicles featuring leather seats and USB charging points (above)

McGowan admits. “When I arrived I had hoped that we could do something with that operation.

So we did things like looking at the network, putting newer vehicles in. We really, really tried our best, but there just wasn’t the customer base to make it happen. Once we were released from the CMA undertakings we took a long, hard look but it was just impossible.

There was no way forward for us.”

But there was some good news. Following First’s decision to withdraw, Lothian Buses came forward and began negotiations to purchase the two depots affected by the move in Musselburgh and North Berwick. It means that of the 160 roles at risk of redundancy at the start of the closure process, by its conclusion this has been reduced to just five. “I admit that five is five too many,” adds McGowan, “but it shows how we successfully managed what is an

extremely sensitive process.”

Meanwhile, in the Borders the core of First’s business was built around the X62 and X95 routes that link the Borders with Edinburgh. It was a business that McGowan says had experienced real growth in recent years but the opening of the Borders Railway had seen a third of the customer base evaporate overnight.

“I’m all in favour of integration, but we were hit very hard by the railway’s opening,” he says.

“The reality is that a third of our customers switched to the train and over the following eight months we tried lots of things to try and rebuild the customer base.

Eventually we had to accept that we had to do something radical.”

It has seen the frequencies of these routes cut and the business reoriented to become one that feeds into the railway. However, there was some collateral damage

in the process, with cuts made to the local networks in Peebles and Hawick. “They were just not viable,” admits McGowan. “That whole impact of the X95 led us to withdraw, but we are regrouping in the Borders. We want to grow the business that we now have, so we are talking to ScotRail about integrating the network with the railway and we’re talking to the local authorities about creating a quality partnership.”

For the future McGowan believes that First Scotland East is on a firm footing. The business is now growing and profitable and attention is now focused on simplifying fares and targeting key corridors in a bid to boost patronage. “We launched a local ticket in Falkirk as an experiment,” he reveals. “It has been very successful. That’s the sort of thing we’re looking to do more of in the future.” Meanwhile, discussions continue with the Scottish Government over ticketing matters, such as smartcards, as well as the need for BSOG and concessionary travel schemes that are robust and fit for purpose.

But the stability the company now has is also producing results with a string of awards now under the operator’s belt. “They’re great to have and it’s brilliant to get the acknowledgement of what we’ve achieved,” says McGowan. “They have had a huge effect on morale in the company. You can sense the enthusiasm that’s flowing around the business and that’s a very positive sign for the future.”

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STAG ECOACH

and Scottish Citylink.

Andrew says that it is an interesting time to return to the Scottish business, with a lot going on both politically and economically. But he says that the biggest challenge at the moment is probably congestion.

In the Glasgow area, Stagecoach would like to see hard shoulder running on the city’s motorway network, to speed up the journey times of express bus and coach services and improve their reliability.

“There’s been a dialogue about hard shoulder running for a long, long time,” he says. “I think there’s a will to do it, to try and find a solution that’s workable. It’s just getting people to take the brave step towards doing something.”

Radical, yes, but Andrew believes that this is low cost intervention would provide a major boost for the passenger who use Stagecoach and Scottish Citylink services, as well as services operated by FirstGroup and McGill’s, without disadvantaging other road users.

“We’ve got an opportunity to have a showcase scheme in Scotland that would benefit a large number of people who are travelling to and from our urban centres,” he says.

“Glasgow in particular is crying out for something like that and the motorway runs through the heart of the city.”

There’s no doubt that congestion is suppressing growth in demand for bus travel, which is currently flat across Stagecoach’s Scottish businesses. But there are a number of success stories across the group’s operations and Stagecoach has consistently pursued a strategy of

Robert Andrew is responsible for training across Stagecoach UK Bus, including its Staff Development Programme. He is pictured here with Sunehna Balu of Stagecoach London

COMING HOME robert andrew returned to Scotland as stagecoach uk bus regional director this year obert Andrew is pleased to be back home, in Scotland.

After eight years in senior positions for Stagecoach UK Bus in England, Andrew took on a new role in May as regional director for Scotland, which includes responsibility for the group’s Scottish Citylink express coach joint venture.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” he says, “but when Bob [Montgomery] asked me to take it on it wasn’t one that I needed to think about, let’s put it that way.”

Andrew began his career in the bus industry with Scottish Bus Group’s Kelvin and Western companies in 1985, on the eve of deregulation. He joined Stagecoach in 1992 as operations manager for Inverness, close to where he grew up, and he went on to hold a variety of positions in Scotland.

In 2008, he moved south of the border, initially overseeing Stagecoach UK Bus in the north of England and then in the south.

With his family based just outside

R

Inverness, the return home suits him domestically.

“It’s a country that I love and a job that I am enjoying getting my teeth back into,” he says.

In typical Stagecoach fashion, the management structure for the group’s 1,327-strong bus business in Scotland is lean. There is no regional tier of management alongside Andrew, it’s just him. He works closely with the management teams of Stagecoach’s three Scottish local bus subsidiaries – North Scotland (383 buses), East Scotland (508) and West Scotland (436) –

Investment: Stagecoach introduced eight new double deckers on its Jet 727 service in May

focusing its investment on areas where growth is being achieved.

In May, for example, Stagecoach North Scotland introduced a fleet of eight brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers on its Jet 727 service between Aberdeen city centre and Aberdeen Airport. Andrew says that this £1.7m investment will take the service to the next level.

“We need to feed the demand that we’ve experienced,” he says.

“It’s continued to grow and grow very well.”

The Optare Versa vehicles that were on operating the Jet 727, which were relatively new, have been used to refresh Stagecoach’s Jet 747 service between Fife and Edinburgh Airport.

“Where we’ve got a successful product and people are increasingly using it, we want to continue that,” he adds. “We want to then encourage even more people to use it.”

He also points to Cumbernauld as a symbol of Stagecoach’s commitment to growth. The group has invested £450k in a new depot, which opened in May and is home to around 80 vehicles, including Citylink and Megabus services.

Additionally, 18 new double deckers have been brought in to improve frequencies and extend the coverage. “The passengers love it,” says Andrew.

Finally, he addresses the issue of smart ticketing and the bus industry’s ability to meet the Scottish Government’s aspirations for integrated ticketing solutions.

Stagecoach sees itself as a leader in the sphere of smart ticketing.

Smart, integrated bus products were launched last summer in Aberdeen and Dundee, with Edinburgh and Glasgow to follow.

The next step will be the introduction of an e-purse facility, and Stagecoach is part of the steering group that’s involved in delivering that. But Andrew thinks that smart may be a stepping stone to something bigger and better such as contactless bankcards.

“I think the industry is delivering,” he says. “The partnership approach is definitely working.”

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WE NEED TO SPEAK UP We in Scotland’s bus industry must work harder to draw attention to the challenges it faces and the solutions that we can offer, w rites ralph roberts managing director of mcgill's he last 24 months or so has been a concerning time for bus operators.

In many parts of the country, falling patronage has far outstripped any benefit there was in falling fuel prices.

Additionally, the increase in car, van and lorry use has put the ever-deteriorating road network under further strain and made bus journeys even longer. This has worked like a self-fulfilling

T

prophecy to make bus travel less appealing for those with an alternative; adding further to the decline in footfall.

However, as is always the case when things don’t go according to plan, it is a great opportunity to carry out a more in-depth review of a business than might otherwise have been done. This can be a frightening process when things are happening that are yet to be understood, but, as the reasons and patterns become clear, so do

the solutions.

To say there has been a fair bit of political upheaval over the last couple of years is very much an understatement. This makes things difficult for bus operators on a number of fronts. It can be very difficult to get any traction in local town halls to resolve the many issues outwith the bus operator’s control. Partly, this is due to the fact that councillors’ post bags are generally devoid of bus related issues, so the industry is seen as a

low priority. Also, the industry can be used as a political football. This trend is on the increase and is very worrying. The loser in all of this is the bus passenger, the person who is actually at the heart of most of what we do.

I believe that the industry has been a bit of an Aunt Sally for politicians of late too. It’s very easy to pick fault with the service provider and it’s incredibly hard to get any airtime in response to these views. Part of the difficulty

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is that the industry’s problems, very quickly get lost in detail and jargon. We, the industry, need to get out more, so to speak, and “see ourselves as others see us.”

Take Scottish Labour’s pop at the SNP, for example: “Profits before passengers: How the SNP missed the bus on public transport.” It delivers a very simplistic message – re-regulation of the bus industry is needed. That’s it, nothing more.

To the beleaguered bus passenger, caught up in the never-ending roadworks and congestion, that message might just resonate. The bus passenger will possibly not realise that there is zero substance behind the dogma and that the people behind the proposal have no clue as to what, if anything, it would change. All the bus passenger wants to know, is that someone wants to do SOMETHING.

Q Re-regulation of the industry will either put up fares or put up taxes – or perhaps both – and bus companies will still make profits.

Q Householders’ cable TV/telephone cables/[insert any variety of reasons why the roads are dug up] mean more to politicians than getting bus passengers to work on time; otherwise they would do something about it.

Q Politicians care more about the car owner’s vote than the bus passenger’s vote, given that four car passengers get the same road space allocation as 50 bus passengers.

Clearly, to keep the message simple and free of jargon, would be to place the powder keg very close to the fire, but how else is the bus industry to get the message across? We carry over 80% of those making journeys by public transport, yet, the people making up those numbers seem to be largely unseen by the authorities.

Imagine the furore if a utility company dared to dig up a rail line to repair a cable or pipe. Not only is this action tightly controlled, it would be illegal. We must make politicians put in place measures that prevent utility companies saving their shareholders money at the cost of the bus industry and bus passenger. This is actually the reason most utility companies do things the way they do, to save themselves money. Only we, with the support of our customers, can change that narrative, and do it we must.

We are told that smart ticketing/ smart payment is the next big thing and it is what bus passengers want. I don’t subscribe to that view but I do believe there is a place for it in the mix. It is clear, if consumer trends are anything to go by, that contactless payment is the next big thing. If that’s what customers want, then we will have to provide it. Likewise, if customers want a flatter fare structure, that is easier to understand, then that is what they must have. The difficulties that surround these things are the industry’s difficulties, and we must insulate our customers from them if we are to see patronage grow.

This is a huge opportunity and we must deliver on it.

I believe that the industry needs to take a leaf out of Scottish Labour’s book. Not the part about hoodwinking people into believing that somehow, changing the regulatory regime will suddenly make local authorities care about bus service reliability. Or that, somehow, roadworks and congestion will suddenly stop and will allow the bus to make a consistent journey on time. No, the part I mean is the part about keeping it simple and free of jargon.

I believe that we must tell our customers: Q Politicians apparently care more about train passengers than bus passengers, if the massively skewed subsidy is a measure.

Q Local authorities care more about AstroTurf and shopkeepers than about providing bus shelters to keep bus passengers dry.

Drivers are our first, and generally last point of contact for customers. No longer is it acceptable to have an unsmiling and dour driver – customers of today expect a customer service experience at least equal to that of other places where they spend their money. If we offer anything less, we will pay the ultimate price of their disapproval. I get the sense that many of our drivers are in distressed employment, and they see their worth, and the job they do, accordingly. They are mainly an itinerant workforce, and that never makes a good recipe for supervision or morale. Some excellent studies have been done about the bus driver shortage recently, and whilst many of the problems are not within our control to change, such as unsociable hours, there is much that we can affect, and affect them we must.

So, there is much to be hopeful about within the Scottish bus industry. We have a much closer relationship with policymakers than our cousins in England.

The scale of the country allows this, and it also allows us to work collectively much more easily. Take the Scottish Integrated Ticketing Forum as an example, where bus, rail, ferry, tram and subway companies all come together to discuss how to integrate ticketing/ payment and agree a way forward.

There is a less convoluted relationship with local authorities here than in England, again, due to the scale of things. These are potentially fabulous advantages, if they are used as such. I would say to all politicians, national and local, that the bus industry is open for business and if you are willing to discuss the problems, you will find a very willing partner to help you find solutions.

On the other hand, constant threats about business confiscation, otherwise known as re-regulation, actually make for an abusive relationship. My message is this, we will be abused no more. If you are minded to destroy the bus industry, get on with it and put your money where your mouth is!

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

WHAT D O BUS PASSENGERS SAY? transp ort fo cus passenger manager robert samson explains how research can advance the cause of buses and make ser v ices better ransport Focus is the statutory, independent consumer watchdog representing the interests of rail users throughout Great Britain, England’s bus and tram passengers outside London, and coach passengers in England on domestic services. Since April 2015 we have also represented the interests of the users of the strategic road network in England.

Our mission is to get the best deal for passengers and road users.

With a strong emphasis on evidencebased campaigning and research, we ensure that we know what is happening on the ground. We use our knowledge to influence decisions on behalf of passengers and road users to secure improvements and make a difference.

We use the evidence we gather through our research and contact from passengers to influence decision-makers on passengers’ behalf. We focus on a number of key issues, including: Q performance and disruption Q fares and tickets Q quality and level of services Q investment.

Transport Focus carries out a yearly Bus Passenger Survey (BPS) to compare and benchmark what passengers think about their bus service. The BPS measures passenger satisfaction with their local bus service for a wide range of aspects including the bus stop, waiting for the bus, on the bus, the outside of the bus and the bus driver as well as their overall satisfaction with that bus journey and their rating of value for money.

T

The success of the BPS has led Transport Scotland, bus operators and the Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) to fund the BPS in Scotland.

In autumn 2014, across the Scottish areas surveyed, overall satisfaction was 92% and value for money 71%.

The highest overall satisfaction was in the north and central east area and with operator Stagecoach in Tayside & Central at 94% and 95% respectively. Lothian Buses had the highest value for money with an impressive 83% rating.

This compared favourably with the English areas we surveyed with overall satisfaction at 88% and satisfaction with value for money at 63%.

This autumn we aim to speak to more than 45,000 passengers including over 7,000 in Scotland to produce a picture of satisfaction with bus travel. For the first time we will be surveying passengers in all the mainland RTP areas.

We thank the bus operators,

Transport Scotland and the RTPs for their support in taking forward the BPS in Scotland. We hope the results are again used widely to continue improving passengers’ journey experiences.

The annual BPS builds on several pieces of bus passenger research that we carry out.

For example, we are playing an increasingly important part in the bus sector with surveys of passenger satisfaction and various research projects on a wide range of topics, including: Q Bus passengers have their say: Trust, what to improve and using buses more Q Bus driver training – What works? What next?

Q What’s the holdup?

Exploring bus service punctuality Q How late is late? – What bus passengers think about punctuality and timetables Q Giving passengers a voice in bus services Q Bus passenger views on value for money Q Bus passengers’ experience

of delays and disruption

Q Bus service reductions

– the impact on passengers

Q Bus passengers’ priorities for

With a strong emphasis on evidence-based campaigning and research, Transport Focus ensures that it knows what passengers think about all aspects of their bus service

improvement.

We carry out research to make sure everything we say is backed up by evidence. Large scale surveys include the Bus Passenger Survey (BPS), the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) and the Tram Passenger Survey (TPS). We are also developing a survey for road users.

From this, we can then explore elements of passenger journeys in

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TRANSPO RT FO CUS

depth - for example, we looked at bus punctuality when it became clear that it was a common worry across Great Britain. Alongside this we carry out in-depth research into transport user experiences and needs for the future, resulting in lists of top priorities for action.

Nearly two-thirds of all journeys made using public transport in Great Britain are by bus, making it by far the most commonly used mode of public transport. Buses play a major part in getting people to work and to education as well as linking communities with shops and essential services.

However, the bus industry is facing serious challenges. The number of passenger journeys (outside London) continues to decline while spending pressures on local authorities have resulted in a significant reduction in local authority supported services.

The intention of the Scottish Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s review of the National Transport Strategy (NTS), which will set out transport policy across Scotland for the next 20 years, is to provide an opportunity to address that decline. The review of the NTS will inform and update the Strategic

Transport Projects Review (STPR) - reassessing recommendations for strategic transport infrastructure priorities.

The review will engage stakeholders, local authorities, regional transport partnerships, operators, businesses and, most importantly, the public to help identify a shared vision for the future of transport in Scotland.

It will map out a clear pathway, which will identify, interrogate and deliver future strategic improvements.

This makes it all the more important that services are built

around the needs of passengers and that their views and aspirations are at the heart of decision-making. An essential part of this is to know what passengers think about existing services and what they want to see improved in the future.

Our recent report Bus passengers have their say: Trust, what to improve and using buses more is part of that process.

It provides a number of pointers for governments at all levels and the bus industry to both provide a better experience for current passengers and also attract new ones. These should be at the heart of whatever review is undertaken. The NTS review should provide the framework to enable this to happen.

We asked over 4,500 bus passengers what they most wanted to see improved and about their relationship with, and trust in, their bus company. We also asked 2,400 less-frequent users and those that never use the bus why they did not travel more by bus and what might make them do so.

This report confirms the importance of providing a good core product - a frequent, punctual and reliable service that provides value for money. It also shows that there is real value in companies communicating and engaging with passengers and building up a relationship.

Not only could this help in making better decisions but also generate trust and goodwill towards the company when things go wrong.

Combining our work on satisfaction with this report means that we have gathered the views of just under 45,000 people in the last year. This gives us a comprehensive and powerful understanding of what passengers experience, want and expect from the bus industry. We urge bus operators, local transport authorities and government to take note of the research findings and work collaboratively to advance the cause of buses and make them better for passengers.

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TF Bus companies ride into the future A4 AD_Layout 1 19/09/2016 15:20 Page 1

Bus companies ride into the future...

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23/09/2016 09:34

SCOT TISH TRANSPORT STUDIES GROUP

AN OPPORTUNIT Y TO LO OK TO THE FUTURE The Scottish Government’s for thcoming Transpor t Bill offers a chance to take account of new technologies, says paul white, chair of the scot tish transp ort studies group he Scottish Government will shortly begin consultation on a Transport Bill, the first since the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005. To put this in context, the last time Scotland’s transport policy was reviewed and amended through an Act of the Scottish Parliament the iPhone, Uber and Twitter did not exist. In the intervening years, we have experienced a paradigm shift in digital interaction, gone

T

through a global recession and more recently, witnessed political upheaval that leaves us with a degree of uncertainty with regards to Scotland’s long term future within the United Kingdom and the European Union.

We have undergone societal, technological and economic change. The rise of the collaborative economy model, low or zero emission transport, the progress of autonomous vehicles, e-commerce and the mobile app are all with us to varying extents

or looming in the near future. It will be fascinating to see to what extent, if any, the consultation draft of the forthcoming Transport Bill reflects these changes and looks to capitalise on their potential.

There is clearly scope for the Scottish Government to be forward looking and creative in its approach to improving Scotland’s transport system. Perhaps there is also an impetus for a bold Transport Bill given that the government has thus far failed to realise its ambitions for generating

modal shift, reducing congestion and lowering transport emissions.

Rightly the Bill will make incremental changes to transport policy in areas such as roadworks and responsible parking and will also likely reference elements of the content of the Bus Services Bill currently progressing through Westminster. However, given the wide scope of the legislation there is surely potential to consider new concepts and solutions. It would be a wasted opportunity if the consultation and subsequent ➢

Scots between 17 and 30 are far less likely to own a driver's licence than any other eligible age band. 17-20 year olds are travelling 1,400 miles less per year now than in 2003

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

debate around shaping this piece of legislation neglected innovative ways of improving transport in favour or re-treading old ground on issues such as bus re-regulation. For example, while footway parking is on the political agenda, could the consultation also consider charges and pricing policies for public spaces including roads - that reflect public policy goals, as has been achieved with the polluter pays principle? what could be d one?

What should any new Transport Bill look to accomplish?

One positive outcome would be greater equity within transport investment. Spending decisions per mode should acknowledge the share of journeys and socio-economic profiles of passengers. Published audits of changes in access to opportunity as a result of transport spend would help make sense of the government’s choices.

How can the Bill foster better integration of transport within wider local and national decisions?

One simple suggestion towards this aim would be for all new developments, from homes to hospitals, to be consistent with better transport and to pay for their transport costs.

Looking further forward, an argument could be made that now is the time for the Scottish Government to move towards the creation of a regulatory framework that acknowledges the evolving transport landscape and fosters the adoption of innovation in an equitable manner. Advances in technology have been the catalyst for emerging models of transport provision such as Uber and Lyft.

Legislation has been playing catch up and does not yet adequately frame robust and sustainable business models which recognise the rights and responsibilities of each stakeholder. Legislators that take reactionary steps to limit new entrants may need to wind back their position in the face of public outcry. Businesses that have faced huge risks investing in markets

ABOVE: Smartphone usage has gone from negligible to ubiquitous in under a decade.

BELOW LEFT: The Scottish Transport Review. BELOW RIGHT: Uber is an emerging model

with poorly developed regulation will not welcome reactive approaches without clear evidence of public benefit.

Inaction may lead to the collaborative economy increasingly trumping the social role of government leaving the latter with a narrower transport remit with neither the resources or capability to ensure that the needs of all people are met. Some people need more help to access electronic payment (a credit card) and communication technologies (such as a smartphone).

Technology could also be harnessed to incentivise people’s behaviour, for example through smart road pricing with GPS or incentives for low carbon or shared travel. The Scottish Government should foster a culture of open systems and data to avoid monopoly power being abused.

Recognising that commercial

sensitivities and data protection will limit a degree of what can be shared, there is still much that if put on an open platform can flesh out our understanding of our transport network. Google’s Waze is a good example of what is possible when road users collaborate to produce detailed real time traffic information. This type of data, invaluable to city planning and transport provision, should be readily accessible to those looking to improve the performance of Scotland’s transport system.

The CPT Conference rightly alludes to factors such as integration, connectivity and innovation - as well as data being vital to the performance of the transport system. The road and rail networks should be enablers of improved journey times, but using only congestion to manage demand de-values investment and leads to inefficiencies such

as increases in urban transport emissions.

How do we mitigate for congested roads and the rising urban population? Road user charging weighted on factors such as mileage, vehicle weight, level of occupancy, pollution, noise levels or time of day should not be ruled out. Should local authorities be held accountable for average road speeds? Given the divisive nature of some of the policy levers available perhaps compulsion from the national level is required if we are to see action at the local level.

Alongside the Transport Bill, it is expected that there will be a review of the National Transport Strategy within this parliamentary term. Additionally, there will be implications for transport regulations that originate from Brussels following Brexit. The transport sector is undoubtedly facing a period of uncertainty and change. What emerges needs to cater for a population that is both growing and ageing, yet is also witnessing a real shift in the perception of travel among the young. Scots between 17 and 30 are far less likely to own a driver’s licence than any other eligible age band. 17-20 year olds are travelling 1,400 miles less per year now than in 2003. Smartphone usage has gone from negligible to ubiquitous in under a decade. It will be a challenge to meet the needs of all. get involved The Scottish Transport Studies Group is a think tank with a membership consisting of transport providers, academics, consultants and other interested parties, formed to share views and lead the transport debate under a branding that carries no preconceptions about policy, modal preference or business aims. New members are always welcome. If you are interested in joining our discussions through what looks to be a fascinating period for Scottish transport policy then please sign up at www.stsg.org.

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23/09/2016 10:42

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Traveline Scotland's refreshed website was launched earlier in 2016

MAKING IT PERSONAL In a world of information overload, traveline scotl and is personalising public transpor t information to ensure that passengers get the tailored travel adv ice they need before and during their journeys s Scotland’s public transport information service, Traveline Scotland is meeting growing customer demand for personalised travel advice - through its new website, mobile apps, and a number of personalised information tools.

Traveline Scotland provides customers with information on all modes of public transport via the travelinescotland.com website - a ‘one-stop shop’ for all bus, train, coach, air and ferry journey planning, timetables and travel updates in Scotland.

The refreshed website was launched earlier in 2016 in response to increasing customer demand for more live and current travel status information – such as real-time departures, and details of incidents and disruption.

“We wanted to make sure that

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customers get the information they need, quickly, easily and as up-to-the-minute accurate as possible,” explained John Elliot, Traveline Scotland’s chief executive.

“That’s why we’re now using a much cleaner and simpler layout for our website, and one that lets users find what they want more quickly.

In the past, we’ve also had to ask users to check for possible travel disruption against a long list of known incidents. Now we have the personalisation tools to add warnings directly into tailored journey plans, and present the information in an easy-to-read format.”

As the majority of Traveline Scotland’s 20 million annual customer contacts are now from mobiles and tablets, there was also a desire to make sure users receive information that is tailored and relevant to their personal journey plans.

“Crucially, the ability to display

disruption details, including diversion maps and hyperlinks, really helps explain to passengers what alternative travel options are available to them.” Elliot adds, “This is something which can’t often be achieved by just relying on traditional real-time systems.”

The disruption and incident information is also published on the Traveline Scotland mobile apps, as well as its call centre system, so customers get the same up-to-date travel status information no matter how they choose to get their journey plans.

Looking to the future, Traveline Scotland predicts that more personalised travel options will lead to even higher expectations. As users become accustomed to personalised information being the norm, expectations will continue to grow.

Elliot explains that users now want information about their

travel options sent to them even when they are not on the Traveline Scotland website, using their apps, or necessarily even thinking about their public transport journeys.

Elliot adds, “We are rolling out a travel alerts project, which lets users save their usual journeys on the website or apps in advance of travelling. When disruption or another situation arises affecting their route, they are sent notification messages alerting them to what’s going on.

“The desire for such personalised information is huge, and thanks to our partnerships with transport operators and local authorities we’re able to obtain the really detailed information that customers are demanding, and make sure they see it before they travel.”

Finally, despite the phenomenal growth of mobile and website volumes, Traveline Scotland continues to see significant use of its call centre service, with some customers preferring the personal touch of speaking to a human.

“The ability to speak to a trained travel adviser any time 24 hours a day is something that is unique to Traveline in Scotland, and is an aspect of our service we know is valued by callers.” says Elliot.

“In addition, we operate the Traffic Scotland customer care line for Transport Scotland through our call centre, which means drivers get access to a whole range of trunk road information and advice. They can also be offered details of public transport alternatives to taking the car.”

By adopting this multi-modal, multi-channel approach, Elliot says that Traveline Scotland wants to make public transport information easy to discover, easy to understand, and relevant no matter what way a customer chooses to obtain it.

He concludes: “None of what we do could be achieved without the strong partnership and support between Traveline Scotland and Transport Scotland, the public transport operators, Regional Transport Partnerships and local authorities.”

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the UK - mostly family-owned and regionally-based. Since then a massive amount of merging and acquisition has taken place and today that number is more like 75, with the two biggest fuel distributors controlling more than 50% of the market. So when I see what has happened in the bus industry, with the Big Five hoovering up many of the smaller players and some of the expansive “mini-majors” such as McGill’s significantly growing their market share, I definitely see parallels.

James Spencer sees the CPT Scotland conference as the main event for CPT in the UK

PUT TING THE ‘OIL MAN’ ON THE SPOT

What about the people that work in both industries. Similar type of person or totally different?

It’s best to avoid too many generalisations, but both industries have a high number of obsessive professional types, who live and breathe the industry. I think that is a result of both industries requiring very significant attention to detail and where decisions often have to be made quickly.

Q+A

Oil exper t james spencer of p ortl and Fuel regularly attends CPT Scotland conferences.

He answers our questions about oil and buses ames Spencer of Portland Fuel has been a regular attendee at CPT Scotland conferences over the years. He has worked for BP and Gulf Petrol Stations, served as chairman of the UK’s Downstream Oil Trade Association and writes a monthly oil market report in Passenger Transport. Here he answers some questions on oil and buses...

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Why CPT, and why CPT at Loch Lomond?

CPT has always been a great supporter of Portland services and also a great source of guidance and information. The people who run it are interested and interesting which tends to make for an easy trade association to deal with.

As for CPT Scotland, rightly or wrongly we do see this as the main event for CPT in the UK and certainly in terms of networking.

On to your stock in trade should companies hedge their fuel and if so, how far forward should they do so? Also, is there a ‘best’ time of year to hedge?

Well I’m unlikely to say that companies shouldn’t hedge their fuel usage, am I?! Hedging fuel is like taking out a fixed rate mortgage. When you take out the mortgage, you don’t know whether this will be a good or bad interest rate in the long-term.

But you do it because you know how much you can afford each month and that is the amount you want to lock away. Hedging fuel is the same. If Portland gives you a fixed price for the next 12 months, I can’t tell you whether that is going to be a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ price - but it is ‘the’ price and it’s not going to change.

In terms of hedge duration, the Big Five often look for longer hedges (3-5 years), but we tend to recommend 12-month fixed prices.

Finally, the best time to hedge is when you want to set your budget - whenever that may be.

As an ‘oil lifer’, what are the biggest changes you have seen in the oil industry over the last 20+ years?

Undoubtedly the disappearance of the oil majors in the UK. In the 1990s, BP had three refineries in Britain and yet by 2005, they had exited lock, stock and barrel from this part of the industry.

Over a similar period, Shell (two refineries), Texaco (one refinery) and Murco (one refinery) also pulled out with now only Exxon-Mobil and Total left as truly integrated (upstream and downstream) oil majors in the UK. Are there similarities between the oil industry and the bus and coach sector?

Very much so, particularly at the smaller end of the market where huge amounts of consolidation has taken place. Again back in the 1990s, there were over 200 fuel distributors (companies that buy and sell refined oil) in

What about oil and politics...

What is the role for oil within a potential second independence referendum?

Ouch! Have I really got to answer that before attending a conference in Scotland?! Probably the best place to start is with the numbers (isn’t it always?). Total tax revenue from oil and gas in the UK has plummeted from a peak of £10bn in 2010 to a forecast £60m this year. Now assuming that the majority of oil and gas revenue (although clearly not all) would go to a newly created independent Scotland, then £10bn is a very large hole to fill - in fact it is about 25% of Scotland’s total current expenditure. So should there be a further IndyRef, I would hope and expect that the oil and gas debate will take centre stage.

And finally, where do you see oil prices in the short, medium and long-term?

Ha-ha! As I’ve always said, if we knew the answer to this question, we’d have our own Caribbean island! But if you put me on the spot, I’d say that in the short term, oil prices will stay in the $20-$40-$60 price range, as one of our recent Passenger Transport articles outlined.

In the medium-term (3-5 years), I see oil prices going up and above $60, as the energy demands of 8.5bn people rise inexorably year on year. Beyond five years, things start to get very interesting. Energy demand will continue to go up, but by then we will be seeing some real game changers in the oil world - the number of electric cars for example will be very significantly increasing and environmental legislation in the West will be ratcheting up as governments see it as a vote winner rather than a vote loser. In this set of circumstances, it’s quite possible that the increases in energy demand will not be met by oil and logically this would push oil prices down - perhaps for good...

James Spencer will address the CPT Coach Commission on October 4.

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23/09/2016 09:59

TICKETER

SCOTLAND A KEY FO CUS FOR TICKETER ticketer has worked closely w ith a number of Scottish bus operators to deliver ticketing solutions. Here the company reveals some of its latest developments and how it works closely w ith customers growing number of Scottish bus operators are making the switch and introducing the latest ticketing equipment supplied by specialist firm Ticketer.

Ticketer says that this means that the company has indepth and expanding experience of the unique requirements demanded by Scottish operators.

“We’ve reached a critical mass now in Scotland that means that we are acutely aware of the specifics,” says managing director John Clarfelt. “We now understand what the operators’ and Transport Scotland’s requirements are, and we believe we know about where things like smart ticketing are going. We also know what works.”

Clarfelt enthuses about Ticketer’s Scottish customers, noting that the company has some “terrific operators” using the company’s ticketing system that has won industry-wide plaudits for

its simplicity and functionality.

But each of those customers brings their own very specific requirements. Luckily, Ticketer’s flexible system means that those requirements can be introduced, with those solutions then being made available to all of the company’s customers.

One example of this was a

M C G I L L’ S ROL L S OU T N E W T IC K E T I NG SYST E M

new system, which represents an investment by McGill’s of £1m.

“I am delighted with the results of this eight-week rollout programme where we have very successfully, and with no interruption to the business, future-proofed our ticketing platform for years to come”, said Ralph Roberts, McGill’s Managing Director.

“Our commercial team has worked closely with the Nevis Technologies and Ticketer teams to deliver a nimble and adaptable platform that will allow us to

A

This summer McGill’s, Scotland’s largest independent bus operator, completed the successful fleetwide rollout of its new ticketing system supplied by Ticketer with the system now live across McGill’s five sites.

Ticketer worked closely with Scottish firm Nevis Technologies, which supplied the back office smart ticketing HOPS software and ISAMs solution to deliver the

sightseeing operation that was keen to introduce barcoded print at home tickets, allowing customers to plan and book their sightseeing tour, perhaps even before they have left home. Once they board the sightseeing bus, the Ticketer machine scans and reads the barcode and away they go.

For the operator, this barcoding

A number of Scottish bus operators have now made the switch to Ticketer's ticketing system. It supports a variety of ticketing methods

McGill's £1m investment has delivered a ‘future-proofed’ ticketing system

focus our efforts on delivering a first-class, customer-centric service across our network.”

The system will allow McGill’s

technology has some significant benefits, allowing them to track the ticket, and to find out how many times, and where, it was used. Some may say that barcode technology is old hat, but Ticketer believes that it has significant advantages, particularly when used in conjunction with its multiple other ticketing options.

Meanwhile, although the system was created for the specific needs of one customer, like all enhancements to the Ticketer system, the ability to validate print at home barcoded tickets is now available to all Ticketer clients.

Another example of this is money off coupons. Instead of the traditional offers printed on the reverse of tickets, Ticketer's solution is printed by the machine at the same time as the ticket rather like a supermarket voucher.

It means that these offers can be tailored creating real relevance.

It is this close working with operators to establish their needs, and then tailoring flexible solutions to meet those needs, that is at the very heart of everything that Ticketer does.

Of course a key advantage is that Ticketer’s products have been built from the ground up - rather like the very latest car.

Vehicle manufacturers may facelift their models but at the end of the day, it’s the same old model underneath. But with Ticketer, it’s the latest brand new model for every customer every time. customers to be able to choose the most convenient way to select and pay for their tickets, using Smartcards, barcoded mobile tickets, contactless payment, cash, or with an e-purse.

Meanwhile, the real-time information and display features of the Ticketer system will also provide a level of visibility of vehicle movements across the bus company’s network, giving its customer services team the ability to provide up-to-the-minute information to customers.

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23/09/2016 12:47

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23/09/2016 12:37

Q 'STRAINT

Quantum is basically two mechanical arms which lock the wheelchair or scooter wheels into place preventing the passenger tipping over or moving

MY HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF BUS TRAVEL Earlier this year transpor t campaigner helen d olphin mbe car r ied out a sur vey to find out what bus travel is like for wheelchair and scooter users in 2016.

Here she tells us what she found out and her hopes for the future of bus travel s a wheelchair user I have had many unpleasant bus rides where my wheelchair has slipped and slid about. This is made worse by the fact that as a quadruple amputee I do not have the ability to hold on to the pole which is what we are meant to do.

If I am travelling with someone then I usually ask them to put their foot in front of my chair to stop it moving but this is not a very

A

satisfactory remedy. I have spoken to other wheelchair users and although I’ve heard some terrible stories of people’s chairs falling over completely when a bus has gone round the bend, others have never experienced any issues.

I therefore wanted to find out if this is an issue affecting only a small minority or whether it is much bigger and this was why I decided to carry out a survey of people’s experiences when using the bus.

The survey results highlighted that many wheelchair users are just not safely secured when travelling on the bus. The majority of wheelchair passengers reported that their chair moved about when they were travelling. In many of the examples given people described how their chair skidded and slid about and some described how they had actually knocked into people. Out of all the 185 respondents 6% said their wheelchair had actually fallen

over when they were on the bus.

This is very dangerous both for the wheelchair user and other passengers who may be injured by the fall. One respondent stated: “The driver was already in a mood because I needed the ramp and he drove too fast and too quickly round corners, my wheelchair hit two people: one old lady and a child.”

When respondents were asked if they would use public ➢ transport more if they were

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SCOTL AND'S BUSES 2016

safely secured there was an overwhelmingly positive response.

As many of us that use wheelchairs know being tied down with conventional straps can be a long and laborious process particularly if a driver has not done it in a while. I am by no means advocating that this should be the future of bus travel. However having had the opportunity to test out a product called Quantum designed by Q’Straint, which is installed on a bus in Hull run by East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) I am an advocate of automatic securement systems. how does quantum work?

Quantum is basically two mechanical arms which lock the wheelchair or scooter wheels into place preventing the passenger tipping over or moving should the bus driver brake a bit sharply.

What is also good about this system is it is user-controlled so I could lock myself in place by just pushing a button. It also works very quickly and you are completely secured in less than 25 seconds. When you arrive at your stop you simply press the button again to release the arms and off you go. It is such a simple system and I really did feel safe.

The good news is that Quantum is no longer just on the bus in Hull. It is currently being installed by Lothian Buses and I’m sure as more operators realise how much safer this makes travel for disabled people hopefully they’ll want to install it too.

I’m not the only disabled person who is a great advocate of this product. Trailblazer blogger Simply Emma also tried out Quantum earlier this year. You can read her experience online at www.simplyemma.co.uk.

If you are interested in seeing the Quantum in action, Q’Straint will be exhibiting on stand F68 of the Euro Bus Expo, Hall 5 of the NEC Birmingham 1-3rd November.

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For over 30 years, Q’Straint has remained focused on one mission: to develop the most innovative solutions that advance the safety and effectiveness of wheelchair passenger travel.

Our reputation as a global leader is the result of making transportation safety and customer needs the highest priority. We are committed to continued product leadership and innovation; we have the most exhaustive and comprehensive research and testing programs and for more than two decades we have played a key role in developing regional and international safety standards.

Today, our diverse global staff serves customers in more than 70 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

ABOVE: Quantum 'is such a simple system and I really did feel safe', says Helen Dolphin.

BELOW: Helen Dolphin MBE, independent mobility consultant and dedicated activist

Q For more information visit QStraint.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/qstraint and Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/company/q’straint

PROF I L E

At age 22, PhD student Helen Dolphin contracted Meningococcal Septicemia, enduring numerous surgeries and eventually having all four limbs amputated. After a lengthy recovery process, she was unable to return to scientific research and so retrained as a journalist with ITV Anglia News.

Today, Helen is a recent law graduate, works as an independent mobility consultant and is the director of PeoplesParking.org.

She swims regularly, even competing in the London Paralympic trials; and is a dedicated activist campaigning for the rights of people with disabilities.

Q For more information on Quantum visit www.qstraint.co.uk call 01227 773035 or email marketing@qstraint.co.uk

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!"#$%&$'(%)*+ PASSENGER TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS !"#$%"&$'()*+,+&&+-./)*"01'+#+(23)*+4526 Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest privately owned vehicle manufacturer. Based in Scotland, ADL designs and manufactures innovative, high quality buses that dominate the UK public transport landscape.

ADL is also a world leader in double deck and midi bus technology, expanding and building a global presence through exports of Scottish-built vehicles into new world markets that include North America, Asia and Australasia.

Alexander Dennis Limited 9 Central Boulevard, Central Park, Larbert FK5 4RU

Tel: +44 (0)1324 621672 Fax: +44 (0)1324 551012 Email: enquiries@alexander-dennis.com

www.alexander-dennis.com

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23/09/2016 13:56

Forward thinking never ages The current Wrights Group product range is our most comprehensive ever, drawing upon seventy years of bus building know how and experience.

Customer-focused engineering, innovation and technology have always been the hallmarks of any Wrightbus.

Our StreetVibe, StreetLite, StreetDeck and New Routemaster models are complete buses in every sense. They have been designed and built from the ground upwards to deliver class leading fuel economy, optimum capacity, lowest whole life operating costs, superior safety and comfort for passengers and drivers alike, as well as excellent serviceability and durability.

The same customer-driven philosophy is applied to our chassis and body range too, in the form of the Eclipse 3 and Gemini 3 single and double deck buses respectively.

With the latest Euro 6 diesel available in conjunction with Micro hybrid, mild and full hybrid drivetrains, as well as Wrights Electrocity™ technology for zero emissions in operation, the opportunity to specify the right bus for your specific requirements has never been greater.

Many things have changed in seventy years – what hasn’t and never will is our determination to look to the future with our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Wrightbus Ltd, Galgorm Industrial Estate, Fenaghy Road, Galgorm, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland BT42 1PY

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23/09/2016 10:12

CONFERENCE WORKBO OK:

ALL ON B OARD

IVICA DRUSANY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Succeeding through innovation, inclusion and integration

41st annual CPT Conference | October 3-4, 2016 | Cameron House, Loch Lomond Partners

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Sponsors and Supporters

23/09/2016 16:14

Ad_58.indd 58

23/09/2016 10:15

WE LCO ME

ALL ON B OARD

Welcome to the 41st annual cpt conference

hank you for joining us at the 41st annual CPT Conference.

This year’s theme is ‘All on board - succeeding through innovation, inclusion and integration’.

For the bus industry to continue to thrive it must work to engage with every sector of society and for that engagement to be reflected in its decisions and represented in its workforce.

New models for accessing transport are emerging and traditional models will have to adapt to meet changing expectations if we are to develop a stronger relationship with existing customers and to attract the passengers of tomorrow.

T

To succeed we must be innovative, inclusive and integrated.

Are we connecting with customers in the ways they want?

How does the bus fit into the increasingly relevant concept of mobility as a service? Do we have the staff capable, motivated and with the freedom to put forward innovative solutions?

The bus remains the public transport mode for the vast majority. 80% of all public transport trips in Scotland are by bus but are we as inclusive as we could be? 60% of our passengers are female - is that reflected within our organisations? How do we engage with all sectors of society to promote not only bus as a means of transport but transport as a career? What more should we do

to ensure that the customer is at the centre of our decision-making?

Given the increasing focus on customer interaction and fostering a relationship with our passengers, driving is now only one of the skills we need from our front-line staff.

As well as focusing on how we engage with society we should turn our attention on how we, as an industry, work in partnership on elements such as integrated travel, information provision and promotion of the bus and coach. Additionally, as smart and integrated ticketing becomes more prevalent across Scotland we must consider how we integrate with and learn from other modes.

There are synergies between public transport modes beyond the issuing of tickets.

If our ambition is to position bus and coach at the centre of the evolving passenger transport sector these are among the questions we should look to answer. The CPT Scottish Conference is a fantastic opportunity to consider our direction of travel. As we plan for future challenges it is clear we must work together and continue to be ‘all on board’.

George Mair fcilt Director, CPT UK – Scotland

Cameron House, Loch Lomond, is the venue for this year's CPT Scotland Conference, which takes place on October 3-4

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CPT CO NF ERENCE

OUR SPEAKERS Our line-up of speakers w ill prov ide their thoughts on the direction of travel for the industr y Over seven years in Reading the Company won many awards for customer service, based on a programme that transformed the way the staff felt about themselves and their work.

He moved to Bristol as Managing Director of First West of England in October 2014.

G IL ES F E A R N L EY

Managing Director, First UK Bus Giles Fearnley has been Managing Director of First Group’s UK Bus Division since February 2011.

In 1991 he led a management buy-out of Blazefield Holdings which operated bus networks principally across Yorkshire and Lancashire. He remained as Chief Executive for two years following the group’s sale to Transdev plc in 2006. In the mid-1990s Giles took a “sabbatical” from the bus industry into rail and was one of the founders of Prism Rail plc, which operated four UK passenger rail franchises. He was appointed as Chief Executive and led the group prior to the sale in 2000 to National Express. He then served as Chairman of Grand Central, the open access rail operator, prior to its sale to Arriva in 2011.

At various times, Giles has served as Chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies and President and then Chairman until 2011, of the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

A M A NDA M C M I L LAN

OBE

Chief Executive, AGS Airports Limited Amanda McMillan was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton (AGS) Airports Limited in December 2014 following the sale of the three airports to Ferrovial and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) from Heathrow Airport Holdings.

A qualified Chartered Accountant, Amanda is responsible for leading and developing a high profile, national business that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and supports over 8,200 jobs.

In addition to her role as CEO, Amanda is also the Managing

L EO N SMITH

TOP ROW (left to right): Giles Fearnley, Amanda McMillan, James Freeman MIDDLE ROW (left to right): Leon Smith, Humza Yousaf MSP, Robert Jack BOTTOM ROW (left to right): Chris Yiu, Stéphanie Rivet, Prof Phil Blythe, Will Whitehorn

Director of Glasgow Airport – a position she has held since 2008 after joining what was then BAA in October 2005. Prior to that, Amanda also worked for worldwide drinks business Diageo, and global accountancy firm KPMG. In June 2013, Amanda received an OBE in recognition of services to business and tourism.

joined the state-owned National Bus Company as a Senior Management Trainee.

In Fareham he led an employee buy-out of the company, which became People’s Provincial Buses.

In 1990 he moved to Bristol as Managing Director of Badgerline Transit Developments, involved in the development of new types of public transport, including rapid transit and alternative fuels. With the merger of Badgerline Group and GRT to create First Bus, James briefly left the bus industry to join the educational charity Common Purpose, where he became Regional Director for the Midlands.

In 1999 he re-joined the bus industry taking senior roles in Birmingham, Oxford, Warwickshire and Northampton before moving to Reading as Chief Executive Officer of municipallyowned Reading Buses in 2007.

JA MES FREEM A N

Managing Director, First West of England James Freeman comes from Bath and has been passionate about public transport in general (and buses in particular) pretty well all his life. It was natural, therefore, that his early employment would be with the Bristol Omnibus Company, which he joined 41 years ago, in March 1975, as a junior clerk. After taking a history degree from Southampton University he

OBE

Captain, GB Davis Cup Team Leon Smith OBE is a British tennis coach. Leon has been captain of the Great Britain Davis Cup team since 2010, and captained Great Britain to win the 2015 Davis Cup. Leon played national-level junior tennis but did not become a professional player. He began coaching professionally at club level aged 18. He has focused on elite players since 1998, and became national performance officer for Tennis Scotland that year. Two years later he helped set up a tennis academy at the Next Generation club in Edinburgh. He rejoined Tennis Scotland as LTA academy coach, and became national training coach for Scotland in 2004.

Leon has coached several Scottish junior players, most notably Andy Murray. Leon worked with Murray from age 11 to 15. Leon and Andy remained friends, and Leon assisted Andy at the French Open in 2006 during a period when Andy had no full-time coach.

Leon became the LTA’s national under-16s men’s coach in 2005 and the under-18s coach in 2008, and was later appointed Head of Player Development in Men’s Tennis. He was appointed Head of Men’s Tennis simultaneously to his appointment as Davis Cup captain, a position he held until 2014. He also served as Head of Women’s Tennis between 2011 and 2013.

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SPE AKER PRO F IL ES

HU M ZA YO USA F

MSP

Minister for Transport and Islands in the Scottish Government.

Humza Yousaf MSP is Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Pollok and Minister for Transport and Islands in the Scottish Government.

Born in Glasgow in 1985, he graduated from the University of Glasgow with a degree in Politics.

He is also an alumnus of the US State Department’s prestigious International Visitor Learning Programme. Humza went on to work in the Scottish Parliament as an aide to the late Bashir Ahmad MSP before he was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow Region in May 2011. He was a Parliamentary Liaison Officer to the former First Minister Alex Salmond and was appointed Minister for External Affairs and International Development in September 2012, before taking up his current ministerial role in May 2016.

Humza has been involved in community work, from youth organisations to charity fundraising, for most of his life, including being media spokesperson for the international non-governmental organisation Islamic Relief. He also volunteered for community radio for 12 years and on a project providing food packages to homeless people in Glasgow.

ride from a fully licensed private hire driver at the tap of a button.

The company argues that a city with Uber has more economic opportunities for its residents, fewer drunk drivers on the streets, and better access to transportation for everyone who lives there.

Chris was previously Director of Digital Participation at SCVO, Director of Digital Government at Policy Exchange, and has also held roles at McKinsey & Company, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.

Through the CSA network he also ensures that there is significant cross-government cooperation on science, engineering and technology issues.

At Newcastle University Phil’s research portfolio covers a wide range of areas where ITS has been applied to transport. His primary research is forward looking and attempts to bridge the technologypolicy gap in terms of what technologies may evolve to meet future policy objectives or indeed influence future policy thinking, particularly in the smart city/smart transport domain. Internationally, Phil manages a portfolio of research projects funded by the EPSRC, Europe, Industry and Government.

He is a member of the ERTICO (ITS Europe) Supervisory Board and advises the Commission on ITS research strategy. He chairs the IET’s Transport Policy Panel and has acted as an advisor to the UK and European governments in various areas of intelligent transport and more recently also in the connected and autonomous vehicles, electromobility and smart cities agendas.

STÉP H A N IE RIV ET

Head of Commercial, Stagecoach Group plc Stéphanie Rivet joined Stagecoach Group in late 2012 as Head of Commercial. Her role is to drive the Group’s Digital Strategy across its different divisions in the UK and North America.

Stéphanie set up Stagecoach Digital in 2015, where she brought in new skills and expertise from other industries in order to support its ever growing digital agenda and drive further innovation to its customers.

Stéphanie has extensive experience in the transport sector, having worked for Eurostar and Virgin Rail Group in the past. She has taken a leading role in several rail industry advances, such as fares simplification, development of revenue management solutions and new ticketing solutions.

WIL L WH ITE H ORN

Deputy Chairman, Stagecoach Group PLC, President, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Will is one of a handful of transport executives who has worked in every aspect of the industry - road, rail and air.

Having learnt to fly at 16 as an RAF cadet and after graduating from Aberdeen University, he became a helicopter crewman in the North Sea Oil industry for British Airways, a graduate trainee for Thomas Cook and then spent 25 years at Virgin Group.

There he worked on the development of Virgin Atlantic and helped found Virgin Rail and Virgin Galactic.

Since 2010, Will has held several non executive roles and founded The Transport Systems Catapult and a driverless pod project for Innovate UK. This year he became Deputy Chairman of Stagecoach and President of CILT.

RO BE RT JAC K

Managing Editor and Publisher, Passenger Transport Robert Jack is Managing Editor and Publisher of Passenger Transport. He has worked as a journalist, editor and publisher in the passenger transport sector for 18 years. He has played a key role in many conferences and events.

He is also a member of the UK Bus Awards Management Committee.

CH R I S Y I U

General Manager, Scotland and the North East, Uber Chris Yiu is General Manager for Scotland and the North East at Uber. With the Uber app on their smartphone, people can request a

PROFESSOR PH I L B LY THE

Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport; Director, Transport Operations Research Group, Newcastle University Professor Phil Blythe CEng, FIET is Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department of Transport and Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) at Newcastle. In his role at the DfT he provides a challenge function to the Department on the use of science and engineering evidence in policy making and also ensures the Department is best informed on new innovations and technologies that may impact on the delivery of transport schemes.

PRO G RA M M E

MON 3R D O CT

1200 – 13 0 0

Registration 1300 – 14 15

Lunch 1430 – 1530

Business session 1 Chair’s Welcome Giles Fearnley Amanda McMillan 15 30 – 16 0 0

Tea & Coffee 16 00 – 17 1 5

Business session 2 James Freeman Leon Smith 19 0 0

Pre-dinner Drinks (Great Scots Bar) 20 0 0

Banquet TUES 4TH O CT

09 15 – 0 9 4 5

Arrival Teas and Coffees 1000 – 10 5 0

Business session 3 Chair’s welcome Humza Yousaf MSP 105 0 – 1 1 20

Tea & Coffee 1120 – 123 0

Panel Session: The challenges of adapting to the digital age Robert Jack (Chair) Chris Yiu Stéphanie Rivet Prof Phil Blythe 1230 – 13 0 5

Will Whitehorn 1305 – 14 15

Lunch and close

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CPT CO NF ERENCE

OUR EXHIBITORS Lear n more about the companies and organisations that are exhibiting at this year's conference

A L E X A N D E R DE N NIS

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is the UK’s leading bus and coach manufacturer, employing around 2,000 people at facilities around the world. The fastest growing bus and coach builder in Western Europe, ADL encompasses three famous and successful marques – Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton. ADL produces a wide range of innovative and fuel efficient, low floor single and double deck buses, plus a full portfolio of coaches, welfare and mini vehicles.

Q Alexander Dennis, 9 Central Boulevard, Central Park, Larbert FK5 4RU Q 01324 621972 Q www.alexander-dennis.com

of industries including passenger transport. We pride ourselves on the expertise of our staff, our caring approach to customer service, our close relationship with our technology partners and our ability to work closely with our customers to understand their short, medium and longerterm business objectives; in order to provide tailored innovative solutions that fit their current and future requirements.

Q Castle Computer Services, Stewart House, Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill ML4 3HB Q 0845 230 1314 Q www.castle-cs.com

L AZZE RINI

Lazzerini is a national and international reference point for the design, development and production of seats for bus, school bus, trains, ships, cars and specialist automotive sectors.

Committed to the most stringent and recognised qualifications, Lazzerini is qualified to ISO 9001, ISO TS 16949 automotive standard and also the environmental qualification ISO 14001.

Q Lazzerini Srl, Viale G.Pieralisi 21, 60030 Monsano (AN), Italy Q +39 0731 60681 Q www.lazzerini.it

E P M ORRIS & COMPANY

CASTLE CO M PUTER SERVICES

Castle Computer Services is a leading provider of business software, IT infrastructure, cloud solutions and managed services throughout the UK, across a range

Here at E P Morris, we work with bus operators and local authorities to analyse, optimise and streamline your business processes, make savings and maximise profitability.

We offer a hands-on, complete service, helping transport organisations to implement industry best practice and manage their network. We specialise in BSOG certification, operational audits, concessionary travel and operations management software.

Q EP Morris & Company, 20 Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Bromsgrove B60 4DJ Q www.epmorris.co.uk

PA RKEO N TRA NSIT

Parkeon’s systems are supporting mass transit schemes which are multi-modal, easy to use and in tune with the needs of 21st century living. Parkeon is helping operators optimise efficiency through automatic fare collection platforms, fleet management

systems, hosted back offices and real time information technology.

Bringing these transportation solutions together provides transit authorities and transport operators with a future-proof pathway to optimal performance, ensuring that technology always keeps pace with the need of customers.

Q Parkeon, 10 Willis Way, Fleets Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset BH15 3SS Q 01202 339339 Q www.parkeon.co.uk

TRAVE L INE SCOT L A N D

Traveline Scotland is the national public transport information service for Scotland. Covering all public transport operators and modes, users of our service are able to plan journeys between any two locations in Britain. They can also look up timetables and view live real-time departures for any bus stop, tram, Subway or rail station. In addition, we provide visitors with the latest travel and disruption information, direct from transport operators all in one place. We make public transport information available via our website, call centre and awardwinning mobile apps.

Q Traveline Scotland, 2 Walker Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7LA Q 0871 200 22 33. (Calls cost 12p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.)

Q www.travelinescotland.com

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8th–10 th May 2017

The Hilton Hotel

BLACKPOOL!

The conference theme is “Driving the customer experience” designed to demonstrate to delegates and our industry suppliers how they can improve their business by embracing a customer experience ethos with the Customer at the heart of everything we do.

The conference will showcase various aspects of how we can deliver excellent customer experience through technology, information, vehicle design and good old customer care.

Mon 8th May The Scania sponsored Album 2017 Golf Day Followed by an evening Heritage Tram Ride, Harry Ramsden’s Fish and Chip Supper and presentation evening.

Tues 9th May Conference and Exhibition – including speakers such as Claire Walters from Bus Users UK & Edwin Booth, Booth’s Supermarkets.

Evening – Lancashire Supper in the Royal Suite with comedian and local musicians.

Wed 10th May Conference & Exhibition – Ian Jones (Backhouse Jones), Adrian Grant (TAS Partnership) and many others will provide their insight in to how you can embrace a customer experience ethos to put the customer at the heart of everything you do.

Evening – Gala Dinner in the Royal Suite with entertainment, raffle and auction

To book your place visit

www.albumbus.co.uk Ad.indd 2

23/09/2016 09:36

STAY INFORMED AND SAVE MONEY ENVIRONMENT LOW CARBO N BUSES “My constituents have every reason to look forward to enjoying a reliable, responsive, high quality service”

Lothian is on-trac for East Coast launkch

Council-owned firm announces details of East Lothian network ACQUISITIONS

INNOVATION & TECHNO LOGY

Live journey planning is now available on Google Maps, Trams and Lothian BusesEdinburgh websites and the Transport for Edinburgh app

Lothian Buses has announced timetable and fare details of its new East Coast Buses subsidiary which will launch on August 14.

The new operation has been created to take on the Musselburgh and North Berwick depots of First Scotland East.

A deal was secured in June for council-owned Lothian to take on operations from the two sites following First’s decision to pull out of East Lothian (PT135).

East Coast Buses will commence operations with two main services linking North Berwick with Musselburgh and apps, Edinburgh and access to free andwi-fi Dunbar with across our bus and tram network, Haddington and Edinburgh. this latest innovation underlines Fares will be based on a simple our commitment to harness and customer-frien technology that improves ourdly zonal customer service.” system, mirroring that already Transport data specialists in place Lothian’s Lothian ITO World andat the City of Country Buses Edinburgh Council have operation. also supported Inthe addition initiative. there As will also an agency for Google’s be three public day ticket transit data, ITO provides options for passengers: offering data conversion and CountyDay, quality

improvement services to help ensure public transport information in Google Maps is as consistently accurate as possible.

“We are excited to have partnered with Lothian Buses, Tim the City O’TooleCouncil of Edinburgh to speak at and Google to bringevent Glasgow Edinburgh’s real time information into in October DEVELOPMEN Google Maps,” said Mike Jacklin,T ITO Booking has now opened World commercial for the and delivery director. next meetingthe “Providing of travelling the Young Bus publicManagers access to accurate, reliable Network, real-time information from which will be held at the Grand Central Hotel in their mobile phones through Glasgow onasOctober applications 19-20. such Google Maps increasesThe autumninevent, confidence using which is being publicheld transport and improves in Scotland for the first time, their travel options.” will hear from five senior industry Transport for Edinburgh is the latest transport operator to integrate www.passenger service information transport.co.uk with Google’s mapping service.

Last June Arriva partnered with thePT_Issue140_p08-09 technology giant to9launch the same service across its UK bus business (PT110). In doing so it became the first bus operator in the UK to partnern with Google to provide service information.

SCOTS DATE FOR YOUNG MANAGERS

Edinburgh real time data now on Google

Transport for Edinburgh claims a Scottish first as real from Edinburgh Trams and time information Lothian Buses is integrated into Google Maps INFORMATION

can now provide ‘real world’ Transport for Edinburgh Lothian Buses and Edinburgh has service information for bus teamed up with Google and Trams websites, meaning to launch tram users in the city. It will a live bus and tram updates allow variety of methods are now on the Google users to access accurate in tech giant’s mapping service. use that allow customers directions between any two to Google Maps on desktop places discover the very latest transport in Edinburgh, taking into and mobile now uses real-time account information. delays and diversions, with predictions to deliver more live “We appreciate just how updates from every bus and accurate directions between tram important it is for our customers in the fleet. It means that any two places in Edinburgh, if a bus to have timely and accurate or tram is delayed, alternative taking into account delays information and I’m delighted and journey options will be provided diversions, with live updates that we’ve been able to work from that may allow passengers every bus and tram in the to with Google on being the fleet. reach their destination faster. first Using real time information Scottish city to introduce this The same information is data feeds from both Edinburgh also service,” said Jim McFarlane, fully integrated with the chair Trams and Lothian Buses, Transport of Lothian Buses.

Google for Edinburgh “Along with app and the our travel and mobile ticketing

20 | 22 January 2016 PT_Issue126_p20-21

East Coast Buses will launch on August 14

unlimited travel for one day across that residents, workers and the network with the exception businesses across East Lothian of the city zone; CountryPLUS , will continue to enjoy reliable offering unlimited travel on all transport links that support East Coast services in all their zones for daily travel needs,” said Richard £7.50; and Network Day, offering Hall, Lothian’s managing unlimited access to all Lothian director. day Meanwhile, Iain Gray, the services, Airlink and Edinburgh MSP for East Lothian and a long-time Trams for £9. critic of First’s stewardship Lothian also intends to of the local bus network, welcomed commence a series of special the launch of the new subsidiary. events and roadshows to “I showcase think my constituents have every the new East Coast network and reason to look forward to fleet of buses in the run-up enjoying to the a reliable, responsive, high launch of services. quality service from East Coast Buses,” “These new routes will ensure he said.

figures, including Fir FirstGroup chief stretching from the Scottish executive Tim O’Toole, who Borders will make and Ayrshire, across to Fife a keynote speech o and north on the evening of to Dundee and Aberdeen.

October 19.

The event will also hear from The following day will hear fro from Ralph Roberts, the MD of expanding the managing directors of fo four Scottish independent operator Scottish bus opera operators. Kicking off McGills. Meanwhile, Elsie Turbyn, proceedings is Tom Bridge, the MD at managing director of National Stagecoach West Scotland.

He will be Express subsidiary Xplore Dundee, followed by Andrew Jarvis who is the completes the line-up.

MD at Stagecoach East Scotland.

Further details about the Between them, Bridge and Jarvis event, and on how to secure control a fleet of over 900 a buses aand place, can be found online at 2,500 employees, with a net network youngbusmanagers.org.uk.

JUDGING UNDER WAY Last week saw judging get underway for this year’s UK Bus Awards, the results of which will be disclosed at a gala ceremony in London on November 23 following a shortlist announcement in October. “We’re very pleased indeed with the response to this year’s call for nominations,” said UKBA chairman Tony Depledge.

“Our revised categories have created a huge response. ” TRENTBARTON ORDERS Respected Heanor-based bus operator Trentbarton has announced that it has placed a £3.5m order with Labert-based bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis for 22 new Enviro200 midibuses that will enter service later this year. The vehicles, which will feature a high specification, will be introduced on the operator’s ‘Mickleover’ and ‘Nines’ branded routes out of Derby.

produce only water vapour at the tailpipe, have proven to be almost four times more fuel efficient than their diesel equivalents.

“The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project has been a great success story for Aberdeen and all of the partners and funders involved in it,” said Barney Crockett, Aberdeen’s lead member for hydrogen. “In the space of just a year since we moved into the operational phase, the project has outperformed expectatio ns.

“These vehicles have replaced 10 diesel buses on the city’s streets, cutting the amount of toxins polluting our air on a daily basis and helping us work towards making Aberdeen a cleaner, greener city, with a clear focus on low carbon technologies.”

Crockett added that the project was having a number of other spin-off benefits, including facilitating the introducti on of other hydrogen-powered vehicles.

“We have successfully cemented our position as a leading hydrogen city,” he said.

Steve Walker, managing director of Stagecoach North Scotland, said: “Reaching the first year of 12 months since their introdu operation is a huge milestone fuel cell buses have travelle ction into service, Aberdeen’s 10 hydrogen for the Aberdeen d more than 250,000 miles Hydrogen Bus in service Project. We are really pleased with how the vehicles are performin ALTERNATIVE FUELS g with a purpose-built maintenan on the road and we have Last week saw the first birthday ce Aberdeen and Westhill had a with facility for the vehicles. significant amount of positive of Aberdeen’s £21m hydrogen the remaining four operated The trial has seen a fleet by feedback from our passenger bus project and it has allowed of 10 First Aberdeen on the X40 s on Van Hool fuel cell buses route the quality of the buses.” stakeholders in the project enter between the park and ride site at to service with local operators Meanwhile, David Phillips, reveal some of the progress Bridge of Don and Kingswell that Stagecoach North Scotland s. managing director of First has been made over the and Over the last year, these last 12 First Aberdeen. Stagecoac vehicles Aberdeen, added: months since the project h is “They’ve been have travelled over 250,000 was first employing six of the vehicles an effective addition to our launched (PT104). on miles and carried more than its X17 route between central Aberdeen fleet and the feedback The Aberdeen Hydrogen 440,000 passenger Bus s on the two we’ve had from both passenger Project has seen the largest routes. Meanwhile, the hydrogen s single and drivers has been extremely fuel cell bus fleet in Europe production and refuelling take station, positive.

More to the streets of the Scottish public transport which is owned and operated city. by journeys are made by bus It has also seen the creation BOC has refuelled the vehicles than any of the other mode and it’s important UK’s first hydrogen productio more than 1,600 times. we n continue to embrace changes and bus refuelling station, The buses, which produce that along Barney Crockett no benefit both the passenger harmful emissions at source and and the environment.”

16 | 18 March 2016

Hydrogen bus pr ct reaches first birthoje day

“The project has outperformed expectations”

www.passengertransport.co.uk

20

IN BRIEF DEPOT SAVES 107-MILE TRIP Stagecoach North Scotland has invested £750,000 in a new depot at Portree on the Isle of Skye.

The new depot is now the base for 15 buses which operate throughout the island and boasts the latest on site engineering and maintenance facilities with bluetooth vehicle lifts in addition to the latest compressed air technology. It means that all maintenance work on the Skye fleet will now be carried out in Portree, ending the need to send buses 107 miles to the operator’s Fort William depot for work.

“The previous depot gave us limited opportunity to maintain the vehicles so this will make our operations in Skye much more efficient,” said Steve Walker, the operator’s managing director.

5 August 2016 | 09

“This innovation underlines our commitment to harness technology that improves our customer service”

“I want to work in partnership with operators”

The hydrogen fuelling station, part of the bus project, has built as the introduction of other facilitated hydrogenpowered vehicles in Aberdeen

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Derek Mackay: ‘I want to work in partnership with operators’

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

‘Summer of Smart’ wil l take Scotland forwar d

This summer will see major vision for delivering smart, progress towards the Scottish Government’s integrated ticketing, and there’s more to come

concern about this vision, but Mackay claimed that it was shared

by CPT, which represents them.

“I had a really productive meeting with the directors earlier today on that,” he said.

Addressing the conference after Mackay, Stagecoach chief executive Martin Griffiths commented on the minister’s speech: “That was really refreshing, believe me as someone who spends a lot of time with our elected politicians and particularly in Westminster ... If we get the right policy agenda we then have to look at ourselves and do what we can do.”

Commenting further on the situation south of the border, he said: “We have a fantastic will be accepted on different UK transport minister my cards, enabling customers slight problem is I don’t can know how much control he’s got travel across multiple operators over transport policy.” with the same card. For example, Griffiths said that he had harnessing the inter-operable sought a meeting with Nicola platform offered by ITSO, Sturgeon, Scotland’s first Scotland’s minister, holderstransport minister in the wake of last says re-regulating buses would of a ScotRail smartcard general but calls can ‘not be helpful’, election. “I wantedMay’s loadon industry to help him to reassure to deliver smart, integrated a 10-journey carnet ticket myself that the support was transport for there Glasgow’s ClydeFlyer POLITICS for the industry,” he explained. bus service position very clear,” he said.

The meeting suggested to onto that card (see panel Scotland’s transport minister had a challenge for them. him below).

“I want to work in partnership He said that the government’s support signalled that he has no plans his “big ask” of the industry for Scotland’s major bushascompanies with operators to deliver was retaining the deregulated to introduce bus franchising, on to support his vision for system but smart, outcomes ... and I have no - Stagecoach, First, Lothian was because their mailboxes he has urged plans integrated transport. the bus industry to Buses. were to return to the re-regulation no longer full of complaints McGill’s and Nationalhelp him to deliver his vision “I’ve made it clear to my about Express for of the buses. I think it would civil the industry, as they had seamless inter-modal ticketing. previously servants that this is the next have pledged to deliver not be helpful in an already big multi-at this been five or six years ago.

Speaking thing that I want to achieve week’s CPT operator smart ticketing difficult and challenging ...

“It’s over to us in this room,” Conference public acrossat Cameron House, because smart ticketing I sector landscape. What I think he concluded. “As long as Scotland’s largest cities thein do annual gathering of Scotland’s will make public transport we make 2016/17. want to focus on is making even it work they’ll be supportive. bus industry, Derek Mackay, the These cities - Aberdeen, more attractive,” he said. bus industry more attractive, Dundee, So my message minister is let’s of make transport and the “Knowing that it is part of sure Edinburgh and Glasgow, accessible and affordable.” the it does because rightly, as and islands, saidtheir he wanted to give franchise for rail and ferry, an His speech was well received it is the surrounding areas - account elected politician or an elected the industry bus industry that is the next fora degree of stability by the audience, but Mackay big administrator, if it’s not working almost three-quartersaround also player in smart ticketing (73%)funding and great of and policy. they should reserve the right work is already underway to Scotland’s population. He recalled facing questions - but my intervene. Our job is dead from MSPs in the Scottish vision is big, it is nationwide, simple cross- just don’t let it happen.

Abellio took over the parliament ScotRail last week, during modal, cross-boundary and cross“My message to you all is franchise on April 1 last which he was asked repeatedly operator. And the reason don’t year. for that is give them the about re-regulation of buses. excuse to say that that from a customer point One of the reasons the of view the industry isn’t “Icompany made the government’s performing ... that makes the most sense.” was selected for the contract Martin Griffiths The ball is very much in our court Bus operators have voiced now. was the experience www.passengertran

Minister has no to regulate busesplans

Smartcard for Scotland’s smart ticketing journeys in 2013/14). Since technology will vision, along with the National smart ticketing was launched on be live across Concessionary Travel Scheme, the Glasgow Subway in October every ScotRail ferry franchises and the 2013, over 100,000 Bramble cards route by the end Glasgow have Subway. The National been issued and 13 million of this summer Concessionary Travel Scheme smart journeys are made very year. in the biggest now accounts for over 30% ever expansion of smart of bus According to Transport Scotland, electronic journeys in Scotland (41 million ticketing on Scotland’s railways, 2016 will be the year that it products was announced this week.

Transport minister Derek Derek Mackay Mackay joined ScotRail and Cathy Alliance Craig at commercial director Cathy Craig Glasgow at Glasgow Central station to launch the ‘Summer of Smart’ - an important step towards achieving ScotRail’s “contractual obligation” to achieve 60% of its parent of company, Dutch state railway journeys by sm smart by 2019.

NS, in delivering ng smart PT_Issue121_p10-11 Annual, monthly and weekly ticketing in 11 The Netherlands. Joost Mortier, season ticket holde holders can Abellio’s project director currently use smar smartcards on four for transport integration at routes in Scotland Scotland’s ‘central belt’.

ScotRail, was program director for

By April 1 all railway stations the in introduction of this smart Scotland will have ITS ITSO-enabled ticketing system, OV-chipkaart, ticket machines and valid validators.

And by the end of the summer, smart season tickets will be available on all of ScotRail’ ScotRail’s for transport said: “This remaining 24 lines. is an important step towards It’s a key landmark in delivery of smart-enabled delivering Mackay’s vis travel 10-journey ClydeFlyer vision carnet on a new smartcard products, that brings benefits “that all journeys on Scotl to Scotland’s Clyde commuters using passengers and operators bus, rail, ferry, subway and some alike.

The new 10-journey tickets tram of McGill’s busiest bus routes McGill’s is the first of Scotland’s networks can be made using will offer customers a convenient one are set to benefit from a five major bus operators form of smart ticketing” new and flexible way of travelling; to ticketing”. smart ticketing trial introduced the introduce commercial Smart ticketing will be ex smart GoSmart card, which carries extended from last week. the ticketing using products beyond season tickets to Saltire Card branding on that can the one Customers side be loaded on any Saltire on the operator’s majority of ticket types by Card.” for the trial, is pre-loaded 2017, ClydeFlyer routes can now before Commenting on the and all ticket types wil travel and can be topped will be available up with purchase a 10-journey carnet announcement, McGill’s on smart by 2019, includ on additional 10 journeys, as including some and a new smartcard for use between managing director Ralph multi-modal tickets. when required, on any ClydeFlyer Largs, Dunoon, Inverclyde Roberts said: “Smart-enable The ScotRail franchise is and bus or at SPT Travel Centres. d Glasgow city centre. ticketing offers a host of one of four “building blocks” benefits Derek Mackay, minister for our customers.”

Robert Jack Managing Editor

“The ball is very much in our court now”

sport.co.uk

6 November 2015 | 11

Clyde commuters GoSmart with McGill’s

14 | 4 March 2016 PT_Issue129_p14-15

www.passengertransport.co.uk

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www.passengertransp ort.co.uk

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