Monthly Archives: December 2023

Out now: Issue 302 of Passenger Transport

Issue 302 of Passenger Transport is published on December 1. Contents include:    LEAD STORY UK cities need million more bus and rail usersBritain’s big cities should significantly increase public transport commuters to catch up with European counterparts, says Centre for Cities think tank  NEWS Deal could see LCR gain greater rail powersMemorandum of understanding aims to explore potential for…

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Women in Bus and Coach visit Parliament

Event at House of Commons saw industry leaders and MPs from all parties hear from members, supporters and allies of the new national initiative  Members, supporters, and allies of the ‘Women in Bus and Coach’ initiative in Parliament last week   Women in Bus and Coach, the initiative to support women in the bus and coach industry, were welcomed by…

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A Bus is a Bus: The Costs of Excess Customization (EnoTrans)

Bus purchases represent one of the largest investments for most transit agencies in the United States. According to the American Public Transportation Association, in 2020 about 11 percent of all transit capital expenditures went toward passenger bus vehicles (known as “rolling stock”.)  The standard 40-foot bus is the workhorse of public transit in the United States, responsible for over 58 percent of…

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How is the New Lot Doing …

… And What Has Changed? The news of the take-over of GoCoach by Hulleys was something of a surprise, but, at least officially, both are going concerns with good management.  The sale of its Central and East Scotland business by First was an even bigger shock as, outwardly at least, the business looked sound. There was good branding … …and…

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Transport must wait as election looms

  With the government focussed on defying the odds and clinging to power, and Labour being cautious, transport is in the long grass  The prime minister Rishi Sunak hosting a Cabinet meeting last week   And so the long run into the general election has begun. It is the period of a Parliament when only initiatives that are calculated to…

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A mood-lifting trip should start with us

  Public transport isn’t just about essential journeys. It can also be about fun days out, but this opportunity is too often overlooked  I don’t think the transport industry does enough to extol the virtues of a trip out from a well-being perspective   Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I guess that’s how ‘Er Indoors must have…

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HS2 digital concrete test to cut carbon (TunnellingJournal)

A successful trial of a ground-breaking digital measuring system for concrete has led to a roll-out across multiple sites on the UK’s HS2 project, cutting carbon and driving efficiencies on the construction project. VERIFI® is a pioneering technology that enables real-time monitoring, measurement, and management of fresh concrete properties during transportation. By utilising on-truck sensors linked to proprietary patented algorithms,…

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What Goes Round, Comes Round

New Technology? Earlier this week, fbb noticed that one of the headlights on the limo was faulty. He well remembers, back in his youth, that “motoring tips” articles advised the driver to “keep a set of bulbs in the glove box – for emergencies”. fbb never did but neither did he ever have an illumination emergency. Then along came “sealed…

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Monday’s Friday Reads – 4 December 2023

• Class 730s start running for LNWR (BusAndTrainUser) • London Underground thefts rise by 83% in a year (BBC News) • The world’s first railway station identified (Rail Engineer) • 1976: The Train Station with No Trains: Video (BBC Archive) • Greyhound Stations Go Extinct, Travellers Left Out in the Cold (Streetsblog USA) • Milan contemplates city centre car ban…

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Parking under pressure: Why 3 cities raised prices on the best spots (SmartCitiesDive)

Variable-price parking is a new way of valuing urban real estate and incentivizing residents to make different transportation choices, advocates say. Finding free or inexpensive curb parking in a crowded, expensive downtown feels like hitting the jackpot. But these parking spots offer drivers too much of a bargain, according to Donald Shoup, an author and distinguished research professor in the…

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