Our youth-focussed world overlooks the talent and experience of older workers, but right now we need them more than ever before Not long before Covid kicked off, I spent some time with a very amiable pension advisor who kindly pulled together several pensions I have during my unremarkable but transient career. I’ll be honest: the whole process bored…
We must now start to look towards the spending review in Spring and make a compelling case for investment in public transport We rely on good bus, rail and tram services and walking and cycling infrastructure I have just returned from a two-week break spent travelling through rural Western America in a campervan to take photos of…
Bus industry entrepreneur Bill Hiron has sold Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent of bus operators Stephensons and NIBS, to an employee trust Bill Hiron: ‘the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea’ Eastern Transport Holdings, the parent company of bus operators Stephensons of Essex and NIBS Buses, has been sold to an Employee Ownership…
Chancellor faced criticism for raising England’s bus fare cap from £2 to £3 and increasing rail fares by 4.6% while retaining the 5p fuel duty cut Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week Rachel Reeves delivered her first budget this week with some positive news for public transport, including investments in rail infrastructure and the extension…
Frank Thorpe, the MD of BYD’s UK bus business, makes the case for Chinese manufacturer in the face of calls to ‘Buy British’ The BD11 double decker – a 10.9-metre-long, 90-passenger bus designed and built entirely by BYD in China Lately, there has been much discussion about the challenges facing British-based bus manufacturers, particularly as they face increasing…
Fiona Guthrie of RATP Dev Transit London was named ‘Best Project Manager’ at the pan-European Talent in Mobility Awards last month for her work on the Garage Life Programme. She explains how the project has helped new drivers feel quickly at home and boosted retention rates New drivers who completed the GLP programme had a significantly lower leaving rate…
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her first budget. There was some good news for public transport but disappointment too Chancellor Rachel Reeves on budget day So there we have it, Rachel Reeves’s first budget, and altogether rather less gloomy than what had been heavily signalled almost since the day Labour took office back in July. Once upon…
I’ve researched and written a new book about the future of Britain’s bus industry and the risks and opportunities that lie ahead. Here are some of my reflections Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network As so often in the past, any discussion about the bus industry’s future falls into two time periods: the near-term, covering the next five…
The UK has been leading the way on zero-emission buses, but we must keep up the momentum A Stagecoach West Scotland electric midibus in Ayr By Tim Griffen The transition to zero-emission buses (ZEBs) in the UK, has been a big success story. The UK has been leading European counterparts in this transition. In 2023 alone, around 60%…
On Wednesday, 30 October, the Labour Government announced its first Autumn Budget 2024 with the promise of fixing the foundations to deliver change. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the Autumn Budget 2024 by pledging investments in the housing market and the NHS. She went on to say that Britain inherited broken public finances and services, and therefore, she was forced to…