Passenger Transport: September 17, 2021

YEARS 2011 | 2021

ISSUE 249 21 SEPTEMBER 2021

NEWS, VIEWS AND ANALYSIS FOR A SECTOR ON THE MOVE NEWS

RDG warns on reduced commuting

06

Group highlights impact on centres

ENVIRONMENT

Siemens asks Scotland to go faster

Wearing a face mask is the key safety measure for more nervous passengers

‘Operators should not rush back to normal’

New research by Transport Focus concludes that operators need to keep up additional Covid-19 measures and communications to reassure passengers Although restrictions have eased and passenger volumes continue to recover, public transport operators have been warned not to “rush back to normal”.

New research by transport user watchdog Transport Focus, for which Passenger Transport was given an exclusive preview, reveals that while many people are ready to ‘move on’ others remain concerned about using public transport.

Beyond social distancing: building confidence in public transport was produced following online and other discussions this summer.

It concludes that operators need to keep up additional Covid-19 measures and communications to

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reassure passengers and help them feel safe.

“Some people have been travelling throughout without batting an eyelid, others are really, really nervous, they don’t want to go back [to using public transport] ... Therefore, what the operators need to do is to keep up the safe message,” said Transport Focus

“What the operators need to do is to keep up the safe message” Anthony Smith

chief executive Anthony Smith.

Space for social distancing is still important, but people appreciate that it won’t often be practical on public transport. People are focussed instead on what they can control. For now, wearing a face mask is the key safety measure for more nervous passengers.

Transport Focus found that one in two say they won’t use public transport unless passengers are required to wear face coverings.

Smith urged operators to display signs or make announcements that reinforce guidance on mask use and inform about cleaning rotas to provide reassurance.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 04

14

Firm urges action on decarbonisation

COMMENT

‘Don’t get complacent on punctuality’

18

Alex Warner has a warning for rail

COMMENT

‘We must get better to lure motorists’

22

Ray Stenning urges attention to detail

CARRERS

Wills is new Brighton boss

31

Go-Ahead names Harris successor

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15/09/2021 17:08

CONTENTS

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

The waiting game - will the commuters come back?

An analysis of Google mobility data undertaken

by ING Research found that Covid has had a much greater impact on public transport in the UK than comparable countries in Europe. Public transport volumes (measured by trips to transit Robert Jack stations) over a seven-day period last month were Managing Editor only 4% below pre-Covid levels in France and Switzerland. They were 10% down in Germany, 11% down in Italy, 16% down in Belgium and 17% down in Spain - but 29% down in the UK. Only the Netherlands had a comparable result (25% down).

Why so? ING cited the service-focused nature of the British and Dutch economies, which makes stay-at-home working easier. Another explanation is that nowhere in Europe has a commuter rail network as vast and dense as London and the South East. Additionally, could it be linked to the strong ‘avoid public transport’ messaging in the UK? Transport analyst Chris Cheek believes that while the gap between existing passenger volumes and pre-Covid levels will reduce, a large group of commuters are not going to return. His own modelling suggests that rail will lose around 13% of commuters (14.5% in London) permanently, and bus around 8% (9.3% in London).

Transport for London boss Andy Byford is rightly urging us not to prematurely assume that commuters will not return (see page 9).

The sector must work harder than ever with stakeholders to persuade them to return - but a Plan B is needed in case they don’t.

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

Telephone: 020 3950 8000 EDITORIAL editorial@passengertransport.co.uk ADVERTISING ads@passengertransport.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@passengertransport.co.uk ACCOUNTS accounts@passengertransport.co.uk Passenger Transport is only available by subscription. Subscription rates per year; UK £140 (despatch by Royal Mail post); Europe/Eire £220; Worldwide (airmail) £280 The editor welcomes written contributions and photographs, which should be sent to the above

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address. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without the publisher’s written permission.

Printed by Cambrian Printers Ltd, The Pensord Group, Tram Road, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA © Passenger Transport Publishing Ltd 2021 ISSN 2046-3278 SUBSCRIPTIONS HOTLINE 020 3950 8000

IN THIS ISSUE 16

CASTLE SHOWED HOW TO GET THINGS DONE

Harold Wilson said he wanted a ‘tiger in the tank’ of his transport policy when he appointed Barbara Castle. “She is arguably the most significant and dynamic Secretary of State for Transport there has ever been,” says Jonathan Bray.

ORGANISATION

PAGE

Adventure Travel Alexander Dennis Brighton & Hove Bus Users Crossrail Delaine Buses Disability Rights UK Edinburgh Trams Eversholt Rail First Cymru FirstGroup Greater Manchester CA GWR Hitachi Liverpool City Region CA LNER London TravelWatch Lothian Buses Lumo Network Rail Nexus Office of Rail and Road Oxford Bus Company Rail Delivery Group RMT Union Siemens South Wales Transport Stadler Stagecoach Group Stagecoach Oxfordshire Thames Travel TransPennine Express Transport Focus Transport for Edinburgh Transport for London Urban Transport Group Western Greyhound WPI Economics

8 12 12 12 9 12 12 10 6 8 6 11 7 7 5, 12 7 9 10 6 7 6 7 12 6 6 6 8 6 12 12 12 6 1, 4, 5 10 6, 9 5 13 6

20

RETHINKING RAIL FOR A POST-COVID WORLD

26

REFORMING ROAD PASSENGER TRANSPORT

29

PROMISES OF PLENTY, BUT CUTS ARE COMING

“The last 18 months have been a time of unparalleled change and disruption,” says Giles Bailey.

He argues the time is right to fundamentally reconsider how we use space on trains as well as the role of the national rail network.

Reform is in the air at the edges of public transport, but what else could be reformed to truly benefit road passenger transport?

Nick Richardson offers his thoughts on some simple reforms that would lead to big improvements.

Great Minster Grumbles: Our Whitehall insider imagines what’s going on inside the minds of the mandarins at Great Minster House, home of the DfT. There’s lots of talk about spending, but the chancellor has also made clear he wants departments to make cuts.

REGULARS NEWS ENVIRONMENT INNOVATION & TECH COMMENT GRUMBLES CAREERS DIVERSIONS

03 14 15 16 29 30 32

17 September 2021 | 03

15/09/2021 18:09

NEWS ROUND-UP

Government ‘not able to deliver on buses’ Industry analyst Chris Cheek believes the impact of Covid and a lack of funding will hinder England’s National Bus Strategy. Mel Holley reports COVID RECOVERY

“Unprecedented uncertainty,” is how noted industry financial analyst Chris Cheek describes the current bus market, with no prospect of enough government funding to achieve the aspirations of its newly-published National Bus Strategy for England.

“The big issue is that nobody knows what’s going to happen over the next couple of years.

Meanwhile the government has all these wonderful aspirations but doesn’t really have any idea of what’s involved.”

Speaking on the ITT Hub Lunch with Leon podcast Cheek said: “There is no prospect of the sort of money that we would need to see to achieve what they want in the National Bus Strategy.”

DON’T RUSH BACK TO NORMAL Continued from Page 1

Smith believes that it will be neccessary to maintain this approach throughout the winter and into spring 2022.

Encouragingly, confidence in public transport appears to be growing. In January 2021 three in 10 said they weren’t using public transport because they don’t feel safe, which has decreased to less than two in 10 now. This confidence is expected to increase over time. Around three in 10 are as comfortable now using public transport as they were before 04 | 17 September 2021 PT249p04-05.indd 4

His comments come as the Spending Review hangs over the Department for Transport, with no clarity that the Treasury is prepared to make the money available that the strategy document talks about. Increases in frequency, lower fares and net zero by 2040, require new doubledeckers costing £350,000 each.

“There will be a hope that the industry could become selfsustaining again with enough modal shift,” Cheek added.

“If you do the sums on what the Climate Change Committee

wants in modal shift, then you’re talking about a doubling of bus patronage over the next 10 years.

“If you look at demand post-Covid we are never going to get back to the same levels.”

Having analysed journeypurpose trends over the last 12 months, Cheek predicts commuting is going to fall by 1011%. For shopping the latest retail footfall statistics are 25% down compared with pre-Covid.

He continued: “In bus terms that feeds straight through into the number of passengers we carry.

“The big issue is that nobody knows what’s going to happen over the next couple of years” Chris Cheek Covid. A further two in 10 say they will be as comfortable as before within the next six months.

However, it’s not just safety concerns that are preventing people from returning to public transport. Smith points out that many people were effectively given a pay rise in March 2020 when they were no longer required to pay for a public transport season ticket in order to commute to work. Persuading them to forgo that financial

windfall, especially given the lack of enticing part-time travel options, will be a challenge.

Illustrating the problem, one former commuter told Transport Focus: “I need a good reason to want to spend £25 to go to work and back when the other option is to spend nothing and work from home.”

Smith said that this underlined the need to make the travel experience as pleasant and affordable as possible.

“I need a good reason to want to spend £25 to go to work when the other option is to spend nothing and work from home”

And they’re not coming back.”

He predicts an even worse position for rail. “Buses only rely on commuting for 20% of their demand; on rail it is 47%,” Cheek said. “The big increase in rail travel for the last 20 years has been the business travel boom.

And that’s gone away, so the rail industry’s in big trouble.”

For the next five years, the bus industry is going to be subject to a support/subsidy mechanism, he argued.

“If we can get modal shift going, and if we can achieve growth in demand across the country resulting from that, then we could recover,” Cheek said. “But the real worry is what damage has been done in the meantime.

“It is very disturbing to see that car traffic levels went back to 100% straightway in April 2021, have stayed there, and are starting to creep above it.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ITT Hub Lunch with Leon podcast: itthub.net/shows/lunch-with-leon

Transport Focus highlighted the need to get people to try public transport again. For the most Covid-cautious, only time and a reduced number of Covid cases will be enough for them to feel safe to do so. Others may find that one good experience could be all it takes to reassure them.

This is supported by the fact that around nine in 10 passengers told Transport Focus that they felt safe when they travelled by train or bus in the last seven days.

However, of those that were regular public transport users before the pandemic, four in 10 do not feel enough is being done to ensure coronavirus safety on public transport. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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Castle showed how to get things done. Page 16

City region’s BSIP sets out ambitious bus plans Liverpool City Region plans bus priority, BRT and fares reform BSIP

The Liverpool City Region (LCR) has announced what it describes as bold plans to deliver radical improvements to local bus services as part of its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

In early 2020 Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said that franchising the region’s bus network was now the “leading option” (PT227). The combined authority said last week that this had not changed, but the BSIP “would help deliver big improvements”.

Matt Goggins, assistant director for bus, told members of the region’s transport committee this week that the BSIP will act as an update to the LCR Bus Strategy, which was published in 2016, and restate the region’s ‘Vision for Bus’.

This sets out four broad themes

for the improvement of the local bus network, namely improved punctuality and reliability of local bus services; better ticketing and costs of travel; improved ‘network design’ (hours of operation, service frequencies, network coverage and integration); and better on-board experience.

Goggins added the BSIP “will address each of these areas through clear interventions and associated investment requirements”.

Key areas of focus include bus priority improvements on several corridors, including scaling up and advancing the delivery of the proposed ‘Green Bus Routes’.

There would also be network enhancements, fare reduction initiatives and deployment of more zero emission vehicles.

Goggins also revealed tentative plans for Bus Rapid Transit schemes, focused initially on Wirral Waters and Paddington Village. Meanwhile, revenue

Transport Focus’s BSIP workshops Sessions aim to help LTAs develop passenger charters Transport Focus held a briefing and discussion session last week to support Local Transport Authorities develop the passenger-centric elements of their emerging Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs).

The session built on the watchdog’s guidance document Passenger Charters for Bus Service Improvement Plans and

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heard from LTAs about their experiences and challenges.

Transport Focus says the sessions aim to build on the National Bus Strategy which expects BSIPs to drive improvements by committing to a bus passenger charter.

These charters aim to set out what passengers can expect from bus operators delivering local bus

support would be made available to accelerate the introduction of Metrobus branding across the bus network, in line with a clear local transport identity.

A levelling-up project in Halton would offer revenue support to enhance the bus network and infrastructure in Halton in order to fully integrate it into the wider network. Flexible funding would support the preferred option of franchising or, alternatively, an enhanced partnership.

The BSIP will be supported by a 12-month delivery plan which will describe the actions, milestones, lead responsibilities and timescales to be delivered over the forthcoming year.

Commenting on the BSIP plans Rotheram said: “Thanks to the failed deregulation of the 1980s, too many bus services don’t work for the people who use them.

“I’m determined to fix that.

Getting around our region should be quick, cheap and reliable.”

services across their area.

Last week’s session saw discussion around a number of areas, in particular how the success of charters can be measured; the pros and cons of consulting on their introduction; and how a charter can be a marketing tool for growth.

Transport Focus says it is keen to work with all LTAs as they develop their BSIPs and they are encouraged to contact bus policy advisor Mike Bartram at mike.bartram@transportfocus. org.uk for more information.

UTG REPORT BACKS BUS SPENDING Current funding well short of bus strategy goals FUNDING

A new report by the Urban Transport Group has shown that the forthcoming Spending Review will need to make significantly more funding available for buses if the aspirations of the national bus strategy are to be to met.

The report, Back the Bus to Level Up: The case for bus revenue funding and reform of how it is provided, uses UTG’s ‘metropolitan bus model’ to look at what levels of additional revenue funding would be needed in the six largest city regions outside London if the bus strategy’s goals are to be met.

The model found that if revenue support for bus services in the six largest city regions increased by between £1.7bn and £2.3bn a year above pre-pandemic levels then bus services and networks could be significantly enhanced (by between 145% and 165%).

UTG also found fares could be reduced by between 10 and 20%.

This in turn would drive growth in patronage of between 15 and 34% by 2026/27, meeting some of the key objectives of the bus strategy.

But the report also warns that it remains unclear how the government intends to allocate the £3bn it has pledged for buses. It it were divided equally between capital and revenue, by transport authorities and by year this would amount to less than £6.5m a year in additional bus revenue funding for each city region and risks being insufficient to meet the aspiration of the strategy.

The report also describes the way in which bus funding was allocated during the pandemic as “patch and mend” which mirrored the prepandemic system of bus funding which has “no consistent or coherent objectives”.

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15/09/2021 17:54

NEWS ROUND-UP

RDG warns on impact of reduced commuting Train commuter market was worth £30bn to businesses RECOVERY

New research by the Rail Delivery Group has highlighted the potentially dire impact on city centres and high streets as new commuting habits begin to form.

The latest figures show that rail commuting is currently just 33% of pre-pandemic levels. While rail patronage is expected to increase this month, the RDG warns it could take years to return to numbers last seen in 2019.

However, although commuting and business journeys by rail are still well below pre-pandemic levels, leisure journeys are recovering more quickly, suggesting that many people feel confident travelling by train.

LOW COST LUMO TAKES ON PLANES First pledges 60% of all fares will cost £30 or less OPEN ACCESS

Despite the impact that the pandemic continues to have on rail patronage, FirstGroup has confirmed its new London-to-Scotland open access operator will commence operations from October 25.

However, the new operator - named Lumo - plans to take on the low cost airlines rather than rival train operators with its new service. It will offer fares between the two capitals from as little as £14.90.

FirstGroup says that over 74,000 people fly between London and Edinburgh each month and its service will be tailored to offer a 06 | 17 September 2021 PT249p06-07.indd 6

But despite this bright spot, the recovery of car journeys far exceeds the growth in leisurerelated rail travel. RDG points to government data which shows that the number of car journeys has almost reached pre-pandemic levels at around 96% but the overall number of people taking train trips is still lagging behind at around 60%.

The research by WPI Economics for RDG finds a 20% shift of pre-pandemic train passengers to road would lead to 300 million extra hours of lost time due to traffic congestion each year.

The West Midlands (five million hours), Greater Manchester (four million) and West Yorkshire (four million) would be the worst affected city regions outside London (169 million).

WPI Economics’ work also

demonstrated the extent to which city centre coffee shops, pubs and retailers could also suffer if rail commuting doesn’t pick up.

RDG says train commuters travelling to city centres play a vital role in supporting local businesses by spending, on average, £12 on food and drink, £8 on shopping and £6 on entertainment and culture on each journey. Pre-pandemic, this totalled a £30bn a year boost for local businesses from train commuters.

“For many former Monday to Friday commuters the future is undoubtedly going to be a mix of home and office working but the extent to which people return to the workplace and whether or not they take the train to get there is going to be crucial,” said Andy Bagnall, RDG director general.

comfortable, convenient alternative to flying that is affordable for all.

Some 60% of all single fares will be available at a cost of £30 or less.

Lumo trains will also call at Newcastle, Morpeth and Stevenage.

From launch day until December 11 there will be two return trips on weekdays and Sundays with a single return service on Saturdays.

It is anticipated that services will be expanded to up to five return services each day from early 2022.

FirstGroup has invested in five new five-coach Hitachi AT300 trains to operate Lumo services.

Each has seats for 400 passengers.

A LumoEats service will allow passengers to pre-order food from a wide range of cafes and shops up to six hours before departure.

Meanwhile, LumoLuggage will offer

passengers a door-to-door luggage courier service.

“Travelling in the UK should not cost a fortune,” said Helen Wylde, Lumo managing director. “We believe everyone has the right to travel in style. We are empowering people to make green travel choices that are genuinely affordable without compromising on comfort.”

Lumo launches on October 25

on London’s roads

IN BRIEF

RMT BLASTS ANTI-VAXERS The RMT union says it has raised the issue of ‘Masks Don’t Work’ Covid conspiracy theory posters that have begun appearing across the transport network with Transport for London. The posters, which have been reported elsewhere, have razor blades attached to their reverse which are exposed when the poster is removed. “Any anti-vax conspiracy theorist resorting to this disgusting practice of lacing their propaganda with razor blades needs to know that they will face criminal prosecution,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.

MORE METRO TRAINS Nexus has confirmed it has ordered an additional four new trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro system. It brings confirmed orders Nexus has with Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler to 46. The extra trains have been ordered after the transport executive secured £95m from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund for the ‘Metro Flow’ programme. This aims to boost service frequencies by dualling three sections of line between Pelaw and South Shields.

SIEMENS UPGRADES TPE 185S Siemens Mobility is working with train operator TransPennine Express and ROSCO Eversholt Rail to upgrade TPE’s 51-strong Class 185 fleet. The work will give the train operator access to a catalogue of cloud-based reporting tools and applications that aim to boost performance.

It will also improve reporting of any issues to depot maintenance teams that will, in turn, allow them to plan depot maintenance tasks more effectively.

www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 17:19

“I welcome the good collaboration that has taken place”

ORR praises industry response to IET cracks Interim report finds industry acted swiftly to withdraw fleet SAFETY

The Office of Rail and Road has commended the rapid industry response to the withdrawal of Hitachi Class 800 IET trains after stress corrosion and fatigue cracks were discovered during routine maintenance inspections.

In June, ORR published its review of the impact on passengers which found train operators affected by the cracks provided clear and consistent information to passengers during the disruption. Now its interim review has probed the technical aspects of the cracks.

It reveals that during scheduled maintenance activities on GWR Class 800 and Class 802 units in early April, cracks were found in the area of the bolster close to the yaw damper bracket and anti-roll bar fixing points. These

SECOND PHASE OF NET OPS LAUNCHED Strategy aims to deliver a better user experience IMPROVEMENT

Network Rail has launched the second phase of its ten-year Network Operating Strategy, aimed at improving operations in the rail industry.

The first phase published in summer 2020 focused almost wholly on issues within Network Rail. Also known as Net Ops 2, the new phase of the strategy has been developed in partnership with colleagues from across the rail industry. Many of the www.passengertransport.co.uk

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cracks were initially suspected to result from fatigue, which was subsequently confirmed by the technical investigation. Eight trains that were significantly affected and withdrawn.

However, in early May further cracks were also identified along the weld line where the lifting plates attach to the vehicle body.

Initial assessment concluded that there was a risk of the lifting

plates detaching.

ORR says the prevalence of the cracks on many vehicles in both the GWR and LNER fleets resulted in the decision on May 8 to withdraw all Class 800, 801 and 802 units from service until each had been checked and a case for safe operation of vehicles with cracks had been made. Stress corrosion cracking occurs when susceptible materials are exposed

GWR detected cracks on its Class 800 and Class 802 units in early April

themes from the key requirements set out in Net Ops 1 were mirrored in the research for Net Ops 2. It sets out a series of recommendations on how to better enable operational teams to deliver improved train services.

The document brings together operational views from across the industry into a set of clear improvement targets. The consultation process used to formulate the strategy has been created with input from senior leaders in the operational delivery of train operating companies and freight operating companies, as well as from key supporting organisations including the Rail Safety and

Standards Board, Rail Delivery Group and the Institution of Railway Operators.

It focuses on three core areas for improvement; people, change and technology, and process. In addition to those three priorities are a series of goals and actions that operational teams can take to help guide them in developing their operations models and structures.

The strategy is a part of Network Rail’s Train Service Delivery strategic theme, which aims to improve how operational professions are developed whilst delivering a high performing railway.

“NetOps2 is about collaboration,

to a specific corrosive substance while subject to stress.

The regulator’s report found that once the cracks were identified, the industry worked collaboratively to swiftly withdraw the trains and then to establish a suitable process for assessing which trains were able to return to service.

The regulator’s interim report finds that since being put back into service, trains have performed as specified, with no unsafe conditions or harm arising from the cracking.

“Hitachi made the sensible decision to withdraw all trains,” said Ian Prosser, the chief inspector of railways. “Since then, the majority of trains have been put back into service with no unsafe conditions and no harm arising from the cracking. I welcome the good collaboration that has taken place.”

ORR continues to work with Hitachi and the industry and expects to publish a final report in December. It will establish the root cause of the cracking and will review Hitachi’s plan for long term fleet recovery and management.

coming together as a whole industry to use our experiences and expertise to ensure that we’re working towards creating a railway we can rely on now and in the future,” said Oliver Bratton, director of network strategy & operations, system operator, “The strategy endorses the need for operations to develop its people, embrace change and new technologies that will enhance ways of working, and examine agile processes and opportunities through freight.

“It is critical, now more than ever, that we have a common vision for Operations which this strategy sets out to address” 17 September 2021 | 07

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NEWS ROUND-UP

Passengers wait for buses at Swansea bus station on August 28

Swansea’s free buses could leave a legacy

City used money from its Covid regeneration fund to offer free bus travel in August. It looks like it will have a lasting impact Rhodri Clark reports COVID

Free bus travel for everyone in Swansea last month looks set to leave a lasting legacy, with three-quarters of the passengers surveyed saying they would use the bus more often as a result of the offer.

Six operators took part in the initiative from July 31 to the end of August. Bus journeys throughout Swansea and the Gower were free of charge on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

Swansea Council arranged the initiative using money from its £20m Covid regeneration fund.

The aim of the free travel was to encourage the city to recover from the pandemic’s financial impact while encouraging people to use buses instead of cars. Buses carried approximately 220,000 08 | 17 September 2021 PT249p08-09.indd 8

people on the free travel days.

The council said First Cymru had seen passenger numbers double. Adventure Travel’s Gower services witnessed a 70% increase in passengers, despite the generally overcast weather.

The council surveyed more than 450 people who availed themselves of the offer. More than 75% of respondents said that using the buses on the free days had encouraged them to use buses more frequently.

Adam Keen, managing director of Adventure Travel, said:

It captured people’s attention and got them onto a bus” Adam Keen

“This campaign looks to have done exactly what it was intended to. It captured people’s attention and got them onto a bus. Better still, the survey suggests that many of the new travellers will travel again, which is the best possible outcome.

“As an operator, we applaud this initiative and look forward to more of the same across Wales.”

There may have been some spill-over to adjoining counties where fares continued to apply while travel was free in Swansea.

Swansea-based South Wales Transport said its services had seen increased footfall as a result of the free offer, even in the Neath area - where fares continued to apply. This was despite Neath Port Talbot council choosing to offer free parking in town centres

throughout August.

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said, “We launched Free Ride Swansea to help families and businesses that struggled due to the pandemic. Families have told me what a difference it’s made for them. They’ve been able to enjoy days out without worrying about the cost of travel.

“It‘s also boosted the local economy with people travelling to the city centre, our attractions and shopping centres across Swansea.”

Mark Thomas, cabinet member for environment enhancement, said: “Along with our aim of supporting families and businesses, we really wanted to make a case for residents choosing to travel on buses in the future and for them to leave the car at home.

“The results of the survey certainly suggest that people are willing to make this change from time to time and make use of public transport. This is great news, not only for the council in reducing congestion on our roads but also for public transport companies.”

The council plans to repeat the free travel during the next two school holidays, October halfterm and Christmas, and has said the offer could be a feature of all school holidays in future.

Bev Fowles, managing director of South Wales Transport, applauded the initiative but said there were concerns about pensioners - who can travel free of charge at any time - making much less use of buses than they did before the pandemic.

“We estimate that about half the OAP journeys still haven’t returned,” he said.

“I think the fear of Covid remains. I’m sure it will remain until there’s a surge of support for bus [from political leaders].” www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 17:19

“I argue tenaciously for TfL and I argue tenaciously for TfL’s customers”

Byford keen to avoid ‘death spiral’ at TfL London’s transport commissioner says he will argue ‘robustly’ with government over a commitment to raise Transport for London fares London transport commissioner Andy Byford told London Assembly members earlier this month that he is keen to avoid Transport for London entering a “death spiral” of service cuts and rapidly increasing fares as a result of arduous requirements from the government for the organisation to balance its books.

In June TfL agreed a £1.08bn funding package from the government, its third since the onset of the pandemic (PT243).

The deal provided funding until December 11, but committed TfL to fare increases of RPI +1% from next January under the deal.

However, in a plenary session of the London Assembly, Byford told members that the fare increase was not yet a done deal.

“The expectation is we would raise fares by RIP+1%, so right now that would look like a 4.8% increase,” he said. “I have to stress that that has not yet been agreed, it has not been decided and that would have to be discussed with the TfL board.”

Byford added his general philosophy around fare rises was there is a tipping point beyond which you should not go, or people will migrate to their cars.

He continued: “If you make public transport unaffordable people are less likely to use it and they will migrate to their cars which is self defeating.”

In response to a question from Green assembly member Sian Berry regarding the planned fare increase, Byford admitted he www.passengertransport.co.uk

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had not pushed the issue with government, especially following its own decision to defer a decision on increasing rail fares in 2022.

“We’ve got to engage with them very shortly, but you can be certain of - and this goes beyond the fares debate - I argue tenaciously for TfL and I argue tenaciously for TfL’s customers,” he said. “That’s particularly the case where I see that the TOCs are somehow being treated in a more beneficial manner. That to me is beyond unacceptable and it goes beyond just fares. I will have no problem is raising that robustly with government.”

Byford also told members he was not opposed to reviewing TfL’s network in response to the so-called ‘new normal’ of changes in the way people work and travel into London.

“The good news is that right BYFORD PUSHES ON CROSSRAIL London transport commissioner Andy Byford told London Assembly members that Crossrail was on track to open in then first half of 2022. “I have set the team a challenge to get to the front half of that opening window,” he added.

Andy Byford

now, things are looking a little more positive,” he said. “The weekend just gone the buses were up to 75% and the Tube just recently hit 1.8 million riders in a day. On the weekends it’s hitting around 60%. We are keeping this under review and I want this done properly, we’ve got to do it calmly.

“It’s very easy to be steamrollered into making service cuts before you’ve properly understood what demand is and I am determined to resist that.

Yes, we may have to make some tweaks; I’m not tone deaf to what’s going on.”

Byford added that after 32 years working in the sector he had learnt to resist the “two siren calls that get you into problems - the mass slashing of service and/or cuts to infrastructure maintenance”.

He continued: “You do them quickly and you repent at leisure; it’s never a good idea. If you are not careful you get into a bit of death spiral whereby you reduce the service, so then the intervals between services are even longer, so it’s more crowded and then less reliable, so even fewer people will ride and they will get in their cars.

“It’s really hard to recover from that. Again, I stress, we are not saying we are tone deaf to working patterns that look like they are changing, but we need to calmly review that and make sure that we provide the right levels of service to help keep people riding public transport, to get people back on public transport. We’ve got to do this properly.”

on London’s roads

IN BRIEF

TUBE TO BATTERSEA Transport for London has confirmed the Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station will open on September 20. There will be an initial peak time service of six trains per hour on the extension, increasing to 12 trains per hour by mid-2022. There will be five trains per hour during off-peak times, doubling to 10 trains per hour next year. TfL is also working with the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Nine Elms Vauxhall Partnership to deliver a number of streetscape and active travel improvements around the Nine Elms and Vauxhall area to complement to new stations.

‘DANGLEBAHN’ SPONSOR Dubai-based airline Emirates has confirmed it will not renew its sponsorship of the cable car between North Greenwich and the Royal Docks next year. The airline said “it is now time to pass the baton onto a new partner”.

Transport for London says over 13 million passenger journeys have been made since the controversial transport link opened in 2012 and it has now kicked off the search for a new commercial partner.

WATCHDOG’S BUS ALLIANCE London TravelWatch has launched a new ‘Bus Alliance’ which aims to reverse the decline in bus ridership in the capital. The Alliance includes organisations like Unite, Transport for All, London First, the Campaign for Better Transport, members of the London Assembly and representatives of London boroughs. It will initially be making the case for the bus to retain the current levels of frequency, in order to help with London’s post-pandemic recovery.

17 September 2021 | 09

15/09/2021 17:19

NEWS ROUND-UP

Lothian’s remit would be broadened to include public transport delivery

Edinburgh revises plans for transport delivery Council concludes that bus operator Lothian is best placed to deliver ‘multi-modal public transport delivery’ in and around Scottish capital REFORM

Edinburgh Trams looks set to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lothian Buses as part of wider plans by the City of Edinburgh Council to reform transport delivery in the Scottish capital and abolish Transport for Edinburgh.

A council working group has proposed reconstituting the bus operator and widening its remit to include reponsibility for “multi-modal public transport delivery” in the city. Lothian would be responsible for delivering all council-owned public transport in Edinburgh, rather than being responsible for bus alone.

It would also be responsible for anticipating and developing new transport modes. “Opportunities for growth of public transport within Edinburgh and the wider region should be identified and developed to support and 10 | 17 September 2021 PT249p10-11.indd 10

enable policy delivery and for the commercial sustainability of the company,” added the council.

The council working group had considered three different corporate structures to take forward transport operation in the Scottish capital - a single transport company for all modes; a ‘parent’ company responsible for strategic decision making, but with subsidiary operational company or companies; and a refresh of the existing three entity structure with new corporate documentation and shareholder agreements.

While the single company option had been the preferred option of the council, it was a less attractive option as the

working group believed it would significantly increase the industrial relations risk while failing to deliver benefits that could not be achieved through the other options. The group also expressed concerns regarding using the existing structure.

“Discussions then focussed on their preferred option to create a single structure responsible for strategic and operational decision making with subsidiary companies holding operational assets as required,” explained Paul Lawrence, City of Edinburgh Council’s director of place.

The working group concluded, amongst other things, that a single board with a single executive

“The revised Lothian company would be responsible for delivery of multi-modal public transport”

team is critical to achieving the integrated approach which is a key driver of reform.

The group also felt a unified culture was essential for future integration and growth, recognising that any sense of “modal supremacy” should be avoided as this could be a threat to employee morale.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s 91% shareholding in Lothian will pass back to the council from Transport for Edinburgh. The remaining shareholding in the business will continue to be owned by East Lothian, West Lothian and Midlothian councils.

Ownership of Edinburgh Trams would move from Transport for Edinburgh, which would then be abolished, to Lothian. However, any profits or losses from the light rail operation would be excluded from dividends to the minority shareholders.

“It is important to stress that the revised Lothian company would be responsible for delivery of multi-modal public transport,” added Lawrence. “Therefore, no pre-eminence of any particular mode in the approach to delivery will be permitted, rather, the focus of the group will be on mobility, customer service, and commercial and environmental performance.

This approach will be reflected in every aspect of the organisational design of the company.”

There would also be changes made to the board with the recruitment of a new executive chair and chief executive, the latter post having been vacant since the departure of Richard Hall in early 2020 (PT228).

The board of Transport for Edinburgh would be stood down and any assets or liabilities of Transport for Edinburgh would be transferred into the council or the reconstituted company. www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 17:19

Don’t get complacent about punctuality. Page 18

Government backs regional ‘co-branding’ Regional authorities to create their own public transport identities FUNDING

The government is encouraging England’s eight mayoral combined authority regions to develop a local identity for all public transport networks within their areas as part of the new City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding mechanism.

The scheme has its roots in the Intracity Transport Fund which was announced in the spring budget statements in 2020 and 2021. It will see up to £4.2bn over five years ringfenced to mayoral combined authority city regions who will compete for a share of the funding.

The scheme was renamed as CRSTS this summer and it aims to release “unprecedented investment in local transport networks”, as “a major driver for

significant change”.

As part of the change other funding streams - including Integrated Transport Block (ITB) and Highways Maintenance funding - have been rolled into CRSTS. The governments says the move will simplify the funding landscape and move towards a greater consolidation of funding streams. It will also allow city regions much more flexibility to decide and develop long-term strategies that integrate all their local transport priorities.

“One important weakness of many of these great city regions, affecting their productivity, is the quality of their local transport

“City regions are encouraged to establish their own brands for transport services”

‘Better buses and more Metrolink’ Greater Manchester makes its pitch for CRSTS funding Greater Manchester’s combined authority has revealed ambitious plans for public transport as part of its submission for City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding.

“Transport is central to our ambitions for a levelled-up Greater Manchester,” said mayor Andy Burnham and the region’s

www.passengertransport.co.uk

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10 local authority leaders in their CRSTS pitch to the government.

The plans include major enhancements to the planned ‘Bee Network’ with greater bus priority interventions and 50km of ‘Quality Bus Transit’ corridors to assist with the creation of a ‘London-style’ public transport network. Investment in active travel measures aims to support

networks, particularly public transport, compared to London and their counterparts in Europe,” noted the government in its briefing document.

“This new CRSTS, which is an unprecedented investment in local transport networks, is a major driver for significant change.”

The government said that London’s transport landscape was changed by offering the capital several successive multiyear financial settlements. It added that the first round of CRSTS funding, subject to future spending reviews and the success of the programme, could be the first of a series of five-year transport settlements for the mayoral combined authorities.

CRSTS will sit alongside other local funding streams, such as funding commitments for buses and cycling and the Levelling Up Fund, which will still be available to these eight regions.

levelling-up via town and city centre regeneration while passenger facilities on the Bee Network would be improved to “deliver a seamless, safe travel experience for all”.

The combined authority also says CRSTS funding would kick start the next wave of Metrolink light rail expansion with an extension of the Airport Line to Terminal 2 at the airport an early priority. Development work would also commence to identify priorities for future extensions.

“A London model will not be achieved overnight, but the journey has started and the direction is clear,” added the government.

“These settlements could be used to develop mass transit networks and sustainable transport options, open up new areas of the region for employment, leisure and housing, and create real innovation in transport to solve problems.”

Local contributions of at least 15 to 20% will be expected and higher proposed contributions will be scored positively in bids.

Bids must show a commitment to driving growth through infrastructure investment; “levelling up services”; and encouraging modal shift from private motoring to public transport and active travel.

It also seems likely the scheme will see the birth of new regional identities for transport networks in these areas.

“Building on the government’s transport revolution, city regions are encouraged to establish their own brands for transport services, promoting local identity, loyalty and accountability,” said the government’s briefing document.

“To emphasise the integrated and networked nature of the service, and the role played by government funding, agreements will also include commitments to co-branding with the new national rail and bus brands, similar to the arrangements during the era of the then British Rail and National Bus Company.”

The government says it will allocate funding settlements with each mayoral combined authority this autumn.

“We will agree exact submission dates with each place individually to increase the speed at which they can be assessed, and discussion started,” it added.

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15/09/2021 17:19

NEWS ROUND-UP

Stagecoach auditor fined for failings £2.2m fine for Ernst & Young relates to 2016-17 accounts REPORTING

The Financial Reporting Council has fined Ernst & Young (EY), one of the ‘Big Four’ accounting firms, and partner Mark Harvey for failings in its audit of Stagecoach’s 2016-17 results.

The accounting firm was fined a reduced penalty of about £2.2m due to mitigating circumstances and given a severe reprimand, the FRC said in a statement. Harvey also received a severe reprimand and a reduced fine of £70,000.

The failings admitted by the audit firm relate to three specific areas for 2016-17 - defined benefit pension scheme obligations; provisions for insurance claims relating to accidents; and “an

onerous contract provision” relating to the InterCity East Coast rail franchise.

The FRC said the most serious deficiencies in the audit concerned the lack of sufficient evaluation and “challenge” by the auditor and EY’s experts. The regulator also felt EY had failed to challenge management about material assumptions underlying the financial statements.

“Whilst it is not alleged that the financial statements were in fact misstated, in several material instances, the respondents failed to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence and to apply sufficient professional scepticism in their conduct of the audit,” said the FRC. It added the “content and extent of the audit documentation” EY were required to prepare was of “a

low quality which did not record the full extent of the procedures and judgements made”. However, the regulator said the breaches were not intentional, dishonest, deliberate or reckless.

Claudia Mortimore, deputy executive counsel to the FRC said: “The audit failings in this case were extensive and related to a number of fundamental auditing standards including the requirement to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence, adequately evaluate expert evidence, apply sufficient professional scepticism and challenge management, and prepare proper audit documentation.

“The sanctions imposed reflect the seriousness of the breaches and are intended to improve the quality of future audits.”

BUS USERS AIMS AT ACCESSIBILITY Online events seek to support BSIP submissions ACCESSIBILITY

Bus Users and Disability Rights UK are to host a series of online events that aim to help local transport authorities and bus operators understand the challenges and barriers people with disabilities face when travelling by bus.

The ‘Let’s Talk Accessibility’ events will take place on September 20, 21 and 22 and aim to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are considered by operators and LTAs when developing their Bus Service Improvement Plans.

To find out more and to book a place email events@bususers.org.

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QUESTION OF TRADITION AT DELAINE Lincolnshire-based Delaine Buses has continued its tradition of placing new buses in service on the first day of a new registration age identifier period by introducing a new Alexander Dennis Enviro200 into service in September 1. The ‘71’ plate bus follows two similar buses over the last twelve months, introduced ‘70’ and ‘21’ number plates.

on London’s roads

IN BRIEF

MERSEY FERRY PROGRESS The Liverpool City Region combined authority has reported a steady increase in passenger numbers on the Mersey Ferries since the River Explorer Cruises resumed in May. Meanwhile, despite abandoning plans to produce new vessels in May 2021, the combined authority is now considering its options after the two bidders involved in the project had made approaches with a view to addressing affordability issues.

AN OXFORDSHIRE OFFER Bus operators Oxford Bus Company, Thames Travel and Stagecoach have joined forces to offer a special 30% discount off the cost of 12 trip tickets purchased through the operators’ websites or ticketing apps. The campaign is being backed by both Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council and aims to encourage more passengers to return to bus travel.

The month-long campaign will culminate on World Car Free Day on September 22 when residents will be encouraged to leave their private vehicles at home.

FREE BUSES UP THE DOWNS Bus operator Brighton & Hove will this weekend offer free travel on its ‘Breeze Up The Downs’ network of three services as a result of a partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council in the run-up to World Car Free Day on September 22. It forms part of the council’s week-long celebration of events, activities and giveaways for Car Free Day, asking residents and visitors to think about how they travel to, from and around Brighton & Hove and promoting the importance of active and inclusive travel.

www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 17:20

We must get better to lure motorists. Page 22

Sorry saga of Western Greyhound concludes Liquidator completes winding up six years after firm’s collapse INDEPENDENTS

The saga surrounding the collapse of Cornish independent bus operator Western Greyhound appears to have been settled after the liquidator concluded its winding up of the business.

The company had been founded by former Badgerline managers Mark Howarth and Robin Orbell in the late 1990s and had grown to the points where it had become the dominant player in the Cornish bus market.

However, the business was brought to its knees after two mysterious depot fires, the first of which in May 2013 destroyed 34 buses, around a third of the fleet.

As problems mounted the business was sold by Howarth with the Liskeard-based operations passing to Go-Ahead subsidiary Plymouth Citybus. The remainder of the

EXTRA FUNDING FOR SCOTS BUSES Up to £42m allocated to support bus recovery FUNDING

The Scottish Government has approved funding of up to £42m between October 4, 2021 and March 31, 2022 to enable bus operators to maintain services while patronage recovers from the effects of the Covid pandemic.

This is in addition to Transport Scotland maintaining concessionary reimbursement and bus service operator grant payments at pre-pandemic levels. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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operation was sold to bus industry entrepreneur Michael Bishop in late 2014.

However, just months later Western Greyhound was placed into administration as a result of issues relating to difficulties in obtaining insurance cover.

Portland Business Recovery were appointed as administrators to manage the company’s affairs.

Steps were taken to sell the freehold offices and yard at

Summercourt together with the bus fleet and other assets.

The former employees had been made redundant by the company without notice and Portland assisted them to make claims, which were met from The National Insurance Fund, for arrears of pay, holiday pay, redundancy and payment in lieu of notice.

In February 2016 the administration was converted to

34 buses were destroyed in the first mysterious depot fire in 2013

It is the latest tranche of what is substantial funding for bus services in Scotland. In 2020-21 the Scottish Government made up to £191.3m available to operators as patronage collapsed as a result of the first lockdown. In June up to £35.4m in additional funding was made available to cover the period between June 28 and October 3. This was in addition to up to £61.4m that the Scottish Government had already provided in 2021-22.

Commenting on the latest round of funding, transport minister Graeme Dey said that although patronage was increasing, additional support is still currently required. He also

encouraged Scots to continue to avoid busy services and to “walk, wheel or cycle where possible”.

Dey continued: “This funding of up to £42m means we can continue to fund operators between October

Dey: ‘support is still currently required’

creditors’ voluntary liquidation with Portland being appointed as joint liquidators. The process was required to enable the funds from the disposal of the company’s assets to be distributed to creditors. Although the sale of the assets was relatively straightforward the agreement of the claims proved more problematic. As a result, the liquidation has only recently concluded.

Lengthy negotiations took place with the secured creditor regarding the level of settlement to be paid to them from the sale of the freehold. Portland successfully agreed a substantially reduced settlement which enhanced the amount of funds then available for preferential and unsecured creditors in the liquidation.

The sudden closure also subsequently gave rise to a significant number of former employees making Employment Tribunal claims as a result of the company not being able to fully consult over redundancy. This gave rise to protracted legal action to determine the level of claims which were eventually agreed at approximately £200,000.

2021 and March 2022, to fill the gap between the additional costs of running services due to Covid-19 and reduced ticket income as demand recovers.”

The move has been welcomed by the bus industry in Scotland. Paul White, director for the Confederation of Passenger Transport in Scotland, said: “CPT will continue to engage with the Scottish Government to ensure that bus services remain resilient and that the sector is best placed to facilitate increasing passenger journeys and play its part in other shared objectives such as decarbonisation, social inclusion and accessibility.”

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15/09/2021 17:20

ENVIRONMENT

Siemens asks Scotland to go further and faster Immediate railway electrification decisions needed DECARBONISATION

Scotland is leading the way on transport decarbonisation but can go further and faster to speed up electrification plans, introduce hydrogen/battery trains and reduce reliance on ‘dirty diesels’, according to Siemens Mobility.

William Wilson, CEO of Siemens Mobility Limited, said: “There’s no doubt that the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and Scotland’s Railway are focused on decarbonisation.

They’ve already committed to targets ahead of those in England.

“The real question is, are those targets achievable under current plans? The answer is yes, if government and industry work collaboratively, but speed is essential.”

Current plans to decarbonise Scotland’s railway network, with a 2035 target enshrined in law, are challenging. Some 1,800 single track kilometres of electrified railway have been identified as required to hit targets.

Siemens Mobility’s analysis highlights that, to support Scotland’s targets, urgent decisions need to be taken on which routes to prioritise for electrification. Viewing the railway as a whole system, including trains, track and signalling, and considering the latest innovations to make electrifying routes quicker and more efficient is also essential.

Additionally, Siemens Mobility has identified a number of key rail routes which would benefit from 14 | 17 September 2021 PT249p14-15.indd 14

hydrogen or battery trains, helping address connectivity and transport poverty issues in rural areas.

From information released by Transport Scotland, Siemens Mobility has identified a number of major routes, currently operating diesel trains, for replacement and upgrade by 2035.

This includes a combination of full and discontinuously electrified routes (where trains run on electric power where it is available, and switch to an alternative source as necessary) and the introduction of hydrogen and hydrogen/battery bi-mode trains to help replace current diesel and diesel bi-mode fleets.

The Scottish government’s current decarbonisation plans already include greener new A map of the Scottish railway and with Siemens Mobility suggestions as to what type of clean energy is best suited for each part of the nation’s rail network

Full electrification Transition solution of hydrogen/battery technology prior to electrification Permanent hydrogen/battery technology

trains for the West Highland lines, the Far North and Kyle of Lochalsh lines and the Stranraer line. A further four railway lines have been highlighted where partial electrification, using green bi-mode trains, could be used as an interim solution to full electrification and help Scotland meet its targets more quickly.

These are: the Fife Circle, the Borders Railway, the Highland Mainline and the Aberdeen Mainline.

Wilson added: “It’s clear that to meet the 2035 targets, Scotland needs to remove dirty diesel trains from the rail network, continue to introduce green alternatives and work at speed. And that doesn’t mean relying on diesel bi-mode technology.”

He continued: “There’s been much said about the short-range and low-speed of hydrogen trains. That’s simply incorrect.

Our solutions are capable of travelling at 100mph, have similar acceleration to an electric train and have up to a 600-mile hydrogenonly range. In addition, electric, hydrogen and battery trains are faster, cleaner and greener than the diesels they will replace.

“There’s also a lot of chatter about the need to offer either hydrogen OR electric technologies. Again, that’s misleading. They can be used in tandem to offer a well-rounded solution to Scotland’s transport challenges of today.

“What is absolutely clear is the need to act quickly.

Scotland’s climate challenges are real and current, and meeting decarbonisation targets will only happen if action is taken now.”

Visualisation of one of the new carbon cutting shelters

UK’S MOST SUSTAINABLE BUS SHELTERS

Bromsgrove shelters will be 100% ‘off grid’ INFRASTRUCTURE

Worcestershire County Council is installing new sustainable bus shelters in Bromsgrove. Powered using a combination of wind turbines and solar panels, these will be the first shelters in the UK to be 100% ‘off grid’ and it is estimated that each shelter will save 3.6 tonnes of carbon over 10 years.

Developed in partnership by 21st Century Passenger Systems and Etesian Green, each shelter will have real time passenger journey information displays and in-built lighting. They will also feature the first interactive transport information display to be powered by renewable energy.

This project directly supports several other transport and environmental initiatives from the council. As well as helping to meet carbon reduction targets, the shelters and interactive displays will connect the recently launched ‘Bromsgrove on Demand’, or BOD, transport service to the train station.

Worcestershire was the first council to seriously investigate the potential for using renewable energy across its transport infrastructure and the first to install a solarpowered, real time passenger information display back in 2016. www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 18:00

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY

TfW website aims for multi-modal equality New website aims to offer sustainable mode agnostic information INFORMATION

Transport for Wales has launched a new website with the aim of giving similar prominence to all modes of sustainable transport. The site also reflects that most users now use smartphones to access this kind of information.

Previously, information about rail services was provided on the website of KeolisAmey’s Wales and Borders company.

Renationalisation of train operations last February presented an opportunity for information about TfW and the rail services to be delivered through a single website.

When the test version of the website was shown to TfW’s board in June, board members emphasised that all modes must be “treated equally and given more prominence on the front page”. They felt that the current design “looked like a rail product”.

The relaunched website features a train journey planner at the top of the front page. However, rail is the only mode where TfW directly provides the service.

This journey planner is accompanied by a ‘Plan your complete journey’ heading, which currently links to the Traveline Cymru website.

To the left of the train journey planner is a list of links to pages with information for different categories of people, companies and councils. The pages include information about different modes. For example, information www.passengertransport.co.uk

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The journey planner is accompanied by options for multimodal travel

for “young travellers” highlights the Welsh Government’s bus discount card for 16-21 year olds alongside railcards.

In many respects, the website remains rail dominated. For example, the ‘Service status’ page is entirely for train journeys, and ‘Our network map’ excludes bus routes. It even omits the Blackwood to Ystrad Mynach station and Cardiff Airport to Rhoose station buses, which are for rail passengers only.

The website design is “future proofed” so that information about other modes can be added easily in future, for example if bus data feeds become available.

Dave Williams, TfW’s IT and digital services director, told Passenger Transport: “This brings together the TfW Rail and TfW Group websites and is a big step forward, taking us from being predominantly rail focused to multi-modal.

“The new website, and the updated app we will soon be launching, makes it easier for people to make better travel choices and can help drive

behaviour change towards public transport and active travel.

“We are trying to create a onestop shop for rail, bus and active travel and our ambition is as the website develops, we become people’s first choice for planning and paying for travel.

“We’ve designed the new site to be task-led, responsive and mobile first.” Research into how people used TfW’s old websites found that the majority were accessing the sites via mobile devices.

“We’ve also simplified the user journey to make it much more appealing. For example, the ticket buying function is now on every page,” said Williams.

He said Phase 2 of the website would bring together more modes of travel, such as Fflecsi demand-responsive services, and would make improvements to the journey planning capability.

“This is an important step to reach our goal where our website and app have first class mobility as a service capability, giving our customers the freedom of choosing how they want to get to their destination.”

on London’s roads

IN BRIEF

BUS STOP ASSISTANCE Bus manufacturer Volvo is working with Chalmers University of Technology to examine opportunities offered by autonomous driver support.

The system assists bus drivers in situations that require high precision and safety, such as approaching and stopping at a bus stop. The system regulates the bus’s speed and steers automatically, allowing the driver to focus on what is happening around the bus.

OPTIBUS OFFICE Scheduling technology company Optibus is expanding its UK and European presence with a new London office in Spitalfields. Around 20% of Optibus’s employees will work from the location. Dave Joshua, Optibus general manager for Europe, said the new office will create additional space for the company’s rapidly growing team.

BUS BACK BETTER PACKAGE Bus ticketing and payments specialist Flowbird has launched a new bus technology package for operators as they plan Enhanced Partnerships with local transport authorities. It will ensure bus operators are compliant with the contactless payments and capped ticketing elements of the National Bus Strategy.

PASSENGER DISCOUNTS Bus operators using Passenger’s ‘premium commerce’ platform can now create discount codes that can be entered during checkout by a user to receive an amount off their ticket purchase.

The move aims to help operators grow patronage, promote services and reward use with discounts.

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15/09/2021 18:00

COMMENT

JONATHAN BRAY

Castle showed how to get things done

Harold Wilson said he wanted a ‘tiger in the tank’ of his transport policy when he appointed Barbara Castle - and that’s what he got On September 8th more than 350 people took part in the first of the ‘Gender on the Agenda’ events that Urban Transport Group is sponsoring; a good indicator that this is an issue whose time has come. Meanwhile on October 9th a statue will be unveiled in Blackburn of former local MP Barbara Castle, on what would have been her 111th birthday. Seems like a good time then to tell the story of Britain’s first female Secretary of State for Transport. She is arguably the most significant and dynamic Secretary of State for Transport there has ever been. And the author of what was the largest piece of non-financial legislation since the war the 1968 Transport Act. First the context. In the mid-1960s, Britain was going through a crash transformation, from muddling on with clapped out Victorian transport systems and urban forms, to full on consumer boom modernism. Towns and cities were being rebuilt along clean lines; tower blocks were reaching upwards; and the roads were getting wider.

Government transport policy was a bought-and-paid-for mechanism for encouraging the growth of the motor industry.

Terraced houses and steam engines weren’t beloved and desirable as they are now: they were an embarrassment. The car and lorry were in the ascendency (by 1966 the roads were carrying 90% of passenger mileage and 60% of freight ton mileage).

Meanwhile Britain’s Victorian railway had been worked to the bone during the war.

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Post-war it had to modernise as quickly as state funds would allow whilst taking a battering from road competition. By the early sixties the railways were struggling with a mountain of debt and had fallen out of fashion compared with the liberation of the car and the open road. The Beeching axe was seen as just the start. Phase two would have butchered what was left - the East Coast Main Line would have gone from London to Newcastle and stopped there. Bus use was in free fall.

At the same time there was carnage on the roads. 8,000 deaths a year - which is not surprising when people could drink as much as they liked before driving as fast as they liked and with nothing to restrain them from hurtling through their own windscreen as a consequence.

And then, in 1966, came Barbara Castle.

Transport was a job she never wanted - after her first ministerial appointment at overseas development she was hoping for one of the top three cabinet posts. But in the end transport was the job she enjoyed the most. Harold Wilson said he wanted a “tiger in the tank” of his transport policy and that’s what he got.

“Despite her reputation as the ‘red queen’ there was pragmatism as well as radicalism”

In many ways the role played to Barbara Castle’s strengths. A gift for harnessing positive publicity in her favour - helpful in what can be a high profile department. And a determination to craft the right solution to difficult and complex problems where the typical politician would have chosen the path of least resistance. She also realised that at transport she had the opportunity to bring all her long held views on the need for a planned approach to the economy to fruition through the prism of one important element of government policy.

Despite her reputation as the ‘red queen’ there was pragmatism as well as radicalism in what she did in her short time in the post.

On the radical side, she established Passenger Transport Executives for the major conurbations, whose job it would be to produce master plans for transport in their areas, run local bus services and turn around the urban rail networks that had survived the Beeching era. With London Transport also now coming under the control of the Greater London Council for the first time, the city regions would have accountable transport authorities whose job it was to provide high quality and integrated public transport.

The PTEs’ initial tasks included getting to grips with welding local bus services into integrated wholes and deciding what to do with the ailing rail networks they inherited.

Tyne and Wear went for the radical option of converting their decrepit local heavy rail network into a new and integrated Tyne and Wear Metro. Merseyside utilised ‘loop and link’ tunnels in Liverpool to turn around its urban rail network. Greater Manchester had less luck in getting funding for a rail tunnel (the ‘PiccVicc’ tunnel) to link its southern and northern rail network - though ultimately the successful Manchester Metrolink tram network has proved to be a more than adequate alternative.

Castle complemented the creation of strategic city region transport bodies by raising urban public transport investment, so that it was more on a par with roads, and providing more funding for bus services. She also established the concept of the ‘social railway’ - the principle that government can subsidise unprofitable railways where they bring wider social and economic benefits. The era saw a significant write off of BR debt, too, and much of the publicly owned canal network was saved www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 15:05

“There are great temptations to play safe, and then I think a slow moral corruption sets in”

Barbara Castle showed us that you need to go out there and relentlessly sell radical change

Barbara Castle, Minister of Transport (1965-68)

for leisure use.

On the roads Castle took what she saw as the pragmatic approach, accepting that acting as King Canute was not an option: the country had made its choice and an increase in private car use was inevitable. The original Beeching rail closure programme was largely allowed to play itself out - although she did pluck some routes from the inferno and set a floor for the network well above what was envisaged in the second Beeching report. There’s no doubt that we should now have a bigger rail network than we do (some of the largest annual contractions of the network happened on her watch) but we could have had a lot smaller one if she hadn’t steadied the ship. And the railway’s decades long slow comeback also has its roots in her www.passengertransport.co.uk

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tenure.

Castle was also determined to make the roads safer. Just as sensible measures to reduce death, injury and risk on the roads now are drowned out by vitriol in the media and by boorish petrolheads, so they were then. This included death threats which she turned to her political advantage (she made sure the press got pictures of her going to the pub with her husband and the newly assigned detective on tow).

She persevered (naturally) and speed limits, breathalysers and seat belts were the result.

The 1968 Transport Act was where it was all meant to come together (and mostly did); a grand design for an all encompassing new integrated transport policy. It was a policy that would accommodate the reality of

growing demand for car ownership and use (whilst improving road safety), rescue and revive public transport, pave the way for traffic restraint and integrated networks in urban areas as well as tidy up a host of other transport miscellany (from the canal network to the safeguarding of historic transport relics).

She fought to keep as much of her vision intact as she could: the new Act required a record-breaking 45 committee sittings and faced considerable parliamentary opposition (Enoch Powell described the bill as ‘evil’).

But she left transport before the process was completed, and her successor Richard Marsh was all too amenable to ditching what he could, including some radical proposals which would have kept more freight on rail through a new system of licensing for lorries which was felled by the road haulage industry and its unions (thanks lads).

So what are the lessons for today for anyone with clout in transport and who wants to do something with that clout? A stand out is that you need to go out there and relentlessly sell radical change: Castle always had her press people in for the key decisions, and led from the front on making the case. But perhaps more than anything it is to heed these words of hers: “There are great temptations to play safe, and then I think a slow moral corruption sets in… the higher you go, the more you’ve got to lose. It becomes easier to argue with yourself.

And it can be a very tricky thing indeed, this.

You need timing and you need judgement and you need courage.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jonathan Bray is the director of the Urban Transport Group. Throughout his career in policy and lobbying roles he has been at the frontline in bringing about more effective, sustainable and equitable transport policies.

21 September 2021 | 17

15/09/2021 15:05

COMMENT PERFORMANCE

ALEX WARNER

Don’t get complacent about punctuality Punctuality and reliability soared when lockdown took rail users away. We must not now regard the return of delays as inevitable “The problem with you is that you are always looking for something to worry about,” is an oft-used catchphrase in the Warner household, mainly by ‘Er Indoors. She is correct, if I’m not fretting about something trivial I’ll focus on the big-ticket stuff, like lightning hitting our house and destroying the model railway in the attic. Anyway, I’ve got a new niggling source of anxiety right now and it is the creeping decline in punctuality and reliability on the railway.

Later this week, the Office of Rail and Road will be producing the most recent quarterly performance statistics and it is unlikely to make pretty reading. Although I suspect the figures won’t be sufficiently bad to make headlines, particularly as, sadly, patronage has declined so much. In some respects whether a train runs on time or not is less relevant in the lives of the nation than it was this time two years ago - but that’s a story for another day.

Whilst the PPM moving annual average for the UK rose very slightly in the period just ended to 90.9% (Period 5 - which is basically August), it had dropped to 89.1% the previous four weeks. Indeed, Period 4 was a bit of a shocker really, particularly considering the low numbers of customers travelling.

The missus would, of course, contest that this is typical unnecessary angst behaviour from me, particularly as in the month prepandemic (February 2020), PPM was as low as 83.9%, rising to 88% the following month, which, you’ll recall saw passenger numbers fall 18 | 17 September 2021 PT249p18-19.indd 18

off a cliff as nervousness around Covid crept in before Boris announced the lockdown with a week to spare ahead of the end of the period.

I would argue, though, that it is absolutely right to start getting all fidgety and anxious history, time and time again illustrates that if trends aren’t nipped in the bud at the earliest opportunity, then anarchy eventually prevails.

The crying shame is that we had the opportunity to wipe the slate clean when PPM rose to as high as 97% in the pandemic. I felt, in some quarters, I was a lone voice asking the sector to reflect on what it was doing right, bottle it and make sure that when passenger numbers rose again we were well positioned to continue the upward trajectory. Given that passengers are generally the cause of many delays, industry colleagues were not off the mark in citing that in fact they were not doing anything particularly well or different, it was just that fewer people were travelling. Even if this was the case, we had an opportunity to use the time whilst the railway was, as they pointed out, ‘self-running’, to plot how we were going to run the system again to achieve worldleading performance.

In fairness, some ‘stopping the clock’ reflection and planning in the industry has ensued - new timetable steering groups have taken place and been more collaborative and radical in their approach than before - setting out propositions that are intended to be more efficient, recognising the lower demand, but nonetheless more customer-focused than

previously. So too, the work of the Railway Revenue Recovery Group has been strategic, blank sheet of paper style and building back up. Looking at the railway as though we’re rebuilding it from scratch, without the legacy of quirks and constraints that have hindered it before, is the right use of the time the industry has had whilst hardly anyone was travelling.

Of course, it would be naive to think the railway can be rebuilt without recognition that irritations that stymie progress aren’t going to just disappear - such as trade union militancy, flat junctions, ageing infrastructure, politics between operators, infrastructure owner, local authorities, inflexible staff terms and conditions and so on. However, in creating a proposition, that has at its starting point, the needs of the customer, and working backwards from there, it is absolutely essential not to let the vision and mindset be cluttered by problem-stating. “Let the market decide,” is a truism never more relevant than now.

What I sense currently, though, in some areas, is slight complacency towards the gradually emerging deterioration in performance - almost a view that it was inevitable once passenger numbers began to grow again, rather than an intolerance of returning to the bad old days of sub-90% PPM. The problem is that agendas for meetings don’t appear to be so dominated by talk of performance like they used to - we’re in transition as an industry and distractions such as the future structure and migration to GB Railways, recovering revenue, net zero carbon environment, National Rail Concessions, Direct Award negotiations, diversity and inclusion, fares reform, home-working, mental health and so on are more appealing. They are, of course, important subjects, but they have, sometimes, taken the discussion and focus away from the old-fashioned principles of whether trains run on time or not. If meetings are around performance, some tend to be from a perspective of only achieving efficiencies, rather than better outcomes for customers.

Similarly, during a period of transition, such that we currently face, it’s easier to make excuses.

Of course, the challenges are more multifaceted. There’s clearly a looming industrial relations crisis and dare I say it, possibly a national strike on the horizon. The unions have got the hump with SWR and ScotRail’s plans to reduce services, whilst the role of the guard is bubbling away in EMR and there’s a driver www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 15:39

“Agendas for meetings don’t appear to be dominated by talk of performance” training backlog. The ‘pingdemic’ contributed to driver shortages that underpinned poor performance in Period 4 and though government policy around self-isolating has changed, the virus clearly hasn’t gone away.

The industry is also struggling from a capability perspective. I speak as someone who heads up a transport consultancy business. Whilst we’ve a brilliant team, it’s difficult trying to attract new blood. That’s been a challenge since square wheels, but technology has brought with it competing career attractions, for your bright, analytical, brainbox graduates, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, the old, hugely experienced railway operational experts have gone into retirement and not been replaced.

The capability issue is a challenge beyond the very technical level. Within consultancy, there’s a shortage of former operations director types, more so than at any point in the last 30 years.

I’ve brilliant ones on my roster, but beyond that, the operations consultants with heavyweight experience have either been away from doing jobs in the sector for so long now that their skills aren’t relevant or they don’t have the inclination to get their hands dirty and prefer to just do the odd bit of strategic thinking here or there. In the mainstream TOC environment, the already short supply of senior operational experts in leadership roles may diminish further with the inception of concessions, unless their expertise is seen as fundamental to the running of the network and they don’t think they are being marginalised by Network Rail or anyone else ‘at the centre’. We could be left with operations heavyweights commentating We had the opportunity to wipe the PPM slate clean during the pandemic

www.passengertransport.co.uk

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from the sidelines and those actually ‘doing the doing’ hamstrung by the structure in which they function and lack of levers to pull as well.

They may be too insipid because they lack the requisite experience and track record.

Gone are the days where the TOC operations director was the ruler of the network. It will also be interesting to see the approach any new entrant company might make to the industry - if the concession model is seeking to attract traditional ‘out of sector’ service contract companies, will they under estimate the importance of the tried and tested, sometimes cynical but indefatigable operational old-stager?

They know every trick in the book and have the gravitas and desire to communicate with Network Rail and other suppliers of which his or her performance depends upon.

Part of the problem is also that the industry has always culturally, more than most sectors, struggled to draw a correlation between poor customer service and customer attrition. A fantastic national advertising campaign is in full flow to attract customers back on trains again, yet I don’t see this sudden panic that the service they will be joining is going to be so bad, that they might not come back for more. Right now, and with so much energy and money being spent on the media campaign to get customers back on the railway, there needs to be constant fretting from those responsible for the delivery of the network that we may disappoint those who choose to travel as a result of our publicity.

For now, there’s a great deal of collaboration among rail industry partners on a national and regional level - more so than ever before. Talk is cheap and what is, in some places, lacking is a concerted and granular level investigation involving TOCs, Network Rail, freight for all parts of the UK rail network. Any plan must be sophisticated and not just list random initiatives without any comprehension or illustration of how the sum of these drives better performance. It must also properly quantify, forecast and then measure the impact of each initiative. You’d expect this to be the foundation upon which the railway plans and manages delivery.

It also amazes me how large swathes of the industry didn’t use the pandemic sensibly to revisit, refresh and re-brief their plans for managing information during disruption.

This would have been an ideal time to ‘stop the clock’ and churn out regional, local and

departmental plans and train (albeit online) frontline and management teams in their delivery. Understanding, once and for all, what works and what doesn’t would also have been prudent - it still surprises me how circular the whole approach to delay management is - plans still discuss the merits of co-location of control rooms with Network Rail versus regional TOC-only mini-controls, or of introducing a dedicated person in control responsible for assimilating information and spreading it internally and to customers during disruption, or the pros and cons of ‘skip-stopping’ as a means of recovering the service more quickly.

It’s as if the railway were only created yesterday, yet these are the same themes or initiatives that we’ve been discussing now for decades.

What is needed right now are a few more bores. During the course of my career, I’ve lost count of the amount of industry events or one-to-one dinners and social events with railway colleagues where I’d want to chunter on about ‘Delight the Customer Days’, football, EastEnders or inane tittle tattle about someone else’s private life and others would always turn the conversation onto PPM and the microscopic detail that underpins the latest figures, whilst helpfully sharing lessons learned of different (and sometimes failed) approaches to improving performance. Much of the time the conversation was drier than I’d hoped, but there are far fewer of these kind of social interactions and discussions than these days.

Maybe it’s down to the pandemic or perhaps I’m more boring than anyone else and don’t get invited to anything anymore, but I’ve noticed the railway doesn’t do operations like it did.

Anyway, despite ‘Er Indoors’ views, I don’t think I’m worrying unnecessarily. Leaf-fall season hasn’t really started properly yet and we’re already on the back-foot with performance. Unless we’re all over the detail, this emerging trend could become a crisis in a few months’ time, if we’re not careful.

It’s really that serious and it’s not too late to cancel the marketing campaign even if we might be cancelling the trains.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Alex Warner has over 28 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector

17 September 2021 | 19

15/09/2021 15:39

COMMENT VEHICLE DESIGN

GILES BAILEY

Rethinking rail for a post-Covid world

We have an opportunity to fundamentally reconsider how we use space on trains as well as the role of the national rail network The last 18 months have been a time of unparalleled change and disruption for the national rail industry in the UK, and generally globally. While some parts of society have stabilised in the post-Covid world, others are still dealing with disruption and the development of new business processes.

This includes office-based work, events, travel and tourism. Thus, as a derived demand, national rail is not yet able to plan for a stable near future.

The UK rail industry was also already coming to the end of its previous structure as evidenced by the Williams Review, political and public fatigue with the outcomes of the 1990s-style privatisation, the newly announced ‘Great British Railways’ structure and the eventual arrival of a redefined UK industry with HS2.

Rail remains critically important to the UK as a means of enabling economic activity via jobs, events, tourism and education, as well as a means of delivering low carbon mobility solutions. It also represents a vast historic investment in assets that need to be utilised.

The challenges in stabilising, both financially as well as operationally, the national rail network, as well as reconnecting with the previous user base for these services, are vast.

It will likely be some time before we return to the era of the previous two decades with perpetual rail demand growth and issues of crowding and capacity increases being the primary focus of the industry. Rail demand, 20 | 21 September 2021 PT249p20-21.indd 20

and transport demand in general, is likely to be much more localised, diffuse and complex in the coming months and years. UK train demand in excess of pre-Covid levels to the seaside over the recent August Bank holiday indicates the shifts in usage of the mode.

But, there are some interesting and relevant opportunities.

Rail in the UK, and particularly into the big cities, has for many years been primarily focussed on increasing peak (commuting) capacity - more trains, longer platforms for longer trains, more seats per carriage, reducing the number of standees in order to increase customer satisfaction for these commuters, increasing train and customer capacity through stations. This has been the grand engineering and technical challenge, certainly since the millennium. It was based on the assumption that by enabling more workers to get to jobs in urban areas by train, growth in the economy would be enabled.

We have now had a reset in demand. It is clear that for many workers access to central places of work is no longer related to their ability to be

“The brilliance of the car industry has been its ability to create vehicles to serve a vast number of personal user cases”

productive. Home working, flexible working and remote working is now a common, and in many cases preferred, way of working for many.

There may still be a drift back to central office based working in the coming years, but each current month of disruption integrates home working into the structure of business and life.

This in turn weakens the rail model of primarily seeking to serve peak period commuting.

Is this not an opportunity to fundamentally reconsider how we are using space on trains as well as the role of the national rail network in supporting mobility?

If the peak is to be less dominant in our thinking of mobility, can we think more clearly about addressing the needs of a wider set of travellers? Travellers who have a range of user needs?

The brilliance of the car industry has been its ability to create vehicles - as well as get governments to deliver the supporting road infrastructure - to serve a vast number of personal user cases for mobility across a wide segment of the population. Although never for everyone! In recent years many of these variations in car design have been built upon a decreasing set of base platforms in order to contain development costs and result in manufacturing scale efficiencies.

The post-Covid reset in passenger rail demand is the chance for the rail industry to adopt some of this thinking. The starting point should be to think beyond the seat! Yes, a seat is nice and may ultimately be preferred, but as a traveller I have a wide range of other spatial needs on a train journey.

These spatial needs will vary as I commute to work - some days a week, travel with a bicycle, travel with luggage for a trip, travel with a lot of shopping, travel with friends, travel with young children, may be partially injured and have limited mobility, may be very tired and want very private space, may need to perform a work or social call, or even charge a device. The list of these spatial needs is extensive, but the key issue is that there are a wide and evolving set of user cases. And, these user cases on trains do not all immediately revolve around obtaining a seat as quickly as possible and thus, as an operator the need to maximise the number of seats on offer.

Carriages should be designed to offer different spaces and environments for the www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 17:32

Before the pandemic, Dutch railway NS worked on train designs that enhance the experience for customers

wide range of user cases. This will ultimately increase customer satisfaction by offering travellers a flexible space to integrate rail travel into the evolving specifics of their journey needs. The opportunity is particularly apparent as we have a lower level of base peak demand during this post-Covid period. The UK also has the advantage of having recently invested in significant amounts of rail rolling stock capacity. This is a further opportunity to consider how this capacity is used.

A carriage that has not been maximised for seating capacity is not a wasted carriage!

The most obvious user case is regarding space for cycles, but we need to think much more widely than this. The increase in a range of micro-mobility solutions will create increasing demand for access to these types of spaces. A solution and capacity for these types of devices agreed five years ago may not be realistic today, or in another five years.

As the demand on rail services becomes more diverse and fragmented, other types www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“A carriage that has not been maximised for seating capacity is not a wasted carriage!” of users may see previously designed cycle space as useful for their needs - such as parents with push chairs, luggage - and create conflict if limited amounts of flexible space are provided versus copious amounts of standard paired seating.

There is also the wider issue of making the stations, ticket halls, access to platforms, waiting areas and platforms themselves viable for this wide range of user cases. Much good work has been done in this area via station accessibility plans, such as through lifts and minimising the platform/carriage gaps.

However, until all stations are accessible, customers will find this issue an ongoing

impediment to the use of the system.

Fundamentally, this is an opportunity for the rail industry to build back better following the pandemic. It is an opportunity to realise and accept that the primary previous user group upon which the system has been designed may not return in their previous numbers. This should not be taken as a chance to wait and try to convince these potential travellers to do what they had done before, but to seek out and support the wider range of customers who up to now had not been the focus of the industry in the design of its facilities and particularly its rail carriages.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Giles K Bailey is a Director at Stratageeb, a London based consultancy assisting businesses think about their strategic vision and innovation.

Previously, he spent nine years as Head of Marketing Strategy at Transport for London.

21 September 2021 | 21

15/09/2021 17:32

COMMENT

RAY STENNING

We must get better to lure motorists

The sad truth is that too many bus services are at best tolerable.

We need to make them desirable if we are to achieve modal shift Travelling on a number of local bus services in the south of England with some industry friends recently, I was, quite frankly, very disappointed, rather downhearted and a little furious. Oh, the ‘services’ were fine - more or less on time, reasonably clean and all the drivers drove well and were pleasant and helpful. But, but, but, if we’re expecting hordes of people to switch from cars to buses to save the planet (which is one of the many things that has to happen, I hope we all believe) we need to put in an awful lot more effort to make the switch ‘desirable’ (to coin my phrase) for them. If these examples were anything to go by, that’s far from the case at the moment.

First of all let me be fair and say there are fabulous, shining examples out there where what I’m about to describe is very much not true, where style, comfort, excitement and desire are in abundance (many due to our efforts, he said modestly) but not these, nor many others I’ve also been on recently.

On this trip the buses were, in the main, drab, dull, lacklustre and completely undesirable.

Not everything was gut-wrenchingly hideous but it was dispiriting in the extreme.

Engineer’s grey (not nice toned greys either) was everywhere; sometimes floor to ceiling, plus seats as well - soul numbingly depressing.

And chipped paint everywhere, especially around the doors - hardly showing much care or pride in the product or its presentation unforgivable and scary.

Seats themselves weren’t particularly 22 | 17 September 2021 PT249p22-23.indd 22

comfortable either; many were crammed in too close to the row in front and don’t even think about the back row as being anything resembling seats you may want to sit on.

Who in their right mind would want to switch to something bum-numbingly uncomfortable?

Even the most evangelical climate warriors will find it hard to consider such a change a realistic choice.

Seats should be comfortable wherever they are on a bus, not merely a statistic in a specification. I understand the desire to keep prices of new buses affordable, but to sacrifice passenger comfort to the degree it has been on many standard models really does fly in the face of what buses are actually for; and is insulting to passengers, too.

Scrappy messages

Several buses didn’t just rattle a bit, they rattled a lot - loudly, continuously and frighteningly. On one, a Mercedes belonging to major group (this is a bus usually praised for being better in this area), the constantly clattering roof panels were making such a din that the lady sitting in front of me was visibly alarmed and tutting loudly. That journey between Guildford and Woking she’s unlikely to look forward to next time and, more than likely, she’ll try and find another way to make it that avoids using a bus at all. That is shocking, but all too common. Just about every bus also suffered from that awful noisy juddering and shuddering of the doors every time we went over an even slightly rough bit of road.

I have spoken to engineers who have explained the problems of low floor bus construction, but I also get the perception that no-one in the purchasing side of bus companies or from the manufacturers puts elimination of rattles very high on the agenda. I suspect many of them rarely travel on a bus that regularly, and some never, so they are unaware of just how much the cacophony of rattles is something that makes bus travel not particularly pleasant, very irritating and sometimes quite scary.

And talking of noise, even with electric propulsion, passengers are still subjected to too many high-pitched whines, whirrs and whooshes from not very well designed (harmonically speaking) gearboxes, axles and all manner of ancillary fans, and bits and bobs. Shouldn’t sophisticated harmonics theory and practice be part of every engineer’s education? Make the effort, guys (that includes all genders); I reckon you could exponentially improve the aural environment for passengers using your brain power and dogged determination.

Nothing to do with the build of the bus but, I can only conjecture, everything to do with the lack of care or lack of ability by bus company management from boardroom to depot level, was the state of information available. On the same company’s buses as the frightened Guildford lady, we spotted notices on display that were years - yes, years! - out of date with telephone numbers no longer valid.

That’s uncaring and demonstrates a criminal disdain for your customers, let alone your brand. Then there were notices half covering old notices - absolutely shocking and hideously scruffy. And what about those ridiculous www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 15:16

“We REALLY have to make an enormous effort to make the bus attractive in every way” ‘service change’ A4 posters with lots and lots of tiny print of convoluted hard-to-follow over-wordy attempts to explain such changes, many of which were hard to comprehend and impossible to remember. To cap it all, most were stuck in a place where only the person sitting close by could read them, hardly a shining example of how to communicate.

And in several bus stations, or bus boarding areas, information was on display but a new user wouldn’t know how to begin understanding any of it. It was a case of going up and down looking at each display in turn until, pot luck, you find the timetable or departure list you want. But you’d have had to know in advance the route number and ultimate destination, otherwise you’d have great difficulty in finding the right one.

On too many occassions, the displays were counter-intuitive, as whoever programmed the software was merely a programmer and not an expert in communication graphics. They were no better than technical spreadsheets. If we want people to switch to bus we have to seduce them by making it as easy as possible for them to ‘read the menu’ in a way that makes it easy to understand and is actually attractive so they are drawn to it in the first place.

When someone makes a journey by bus (or train for that matter) our duty is not just to get them from A to B in one piece. That person is not a lump of unfeeling cargo, they are a customer, a sentient being with hopes, fears, dreams and emotions. They are giving up 10 minutes, half an hour or a lot more of their lives to us. It is our duty to make that 10 minutes so thoroughly enjoyable that they can’t wait to come back and pay to spend more time with us, over and over again. That is good business sense as well as simple good manners. It’s also a good thing to do if we are truly serious about encouraging more people to use the bus instead of going by car. We are, aren’t we?

And talking of cars, we are currently being bombarded with adverts for new cars, new cars to lease at very attractive prices, secondhand cars that you choose online and are delivered you your door (and they’ll come and take it back if you decide you don’t like it), and a lot of them look pretty stylish too. The commercial channels are awash with them and, of course, they’re shown on empty roads and the people enjoying a rose-tinted lifestyle. Uber are telling us not to catch a bus. Mercedes Benz had www.passengertransport.co.uk

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It can be done!

The rear seats of this bus do not compromise comfort

“When someone makes a journey by bus our duty is not just to get them from A to B in one piece” an advert on a hoarding in full view of train passengers telling them they’d have a better journey if they bought a Mercedes.

Government at every level isn’t helping, instead churning out sound-bites and hot-air talk. Tory councils on the south coast have ripped up bus lanes (and stated they’re not against them so long as they never impede car drivers). Many also bring in free car parking “to stimulate local economies” and talk about not putting restrictions on the hard done by motorist. Those gloves are off; we REALLY have to make an enormous effort to make the bus attractive in every way. Low fares and good frequencies aren’t enough on their own.

How do we respond? Here’s a chilling thought. It was reported to me that a group senior management figure was overheard to say something along the lines of, “There’s no point in putting any effort into making the bus attractive because the person has already decided to catch a bus.” Yes, they’ll also try never to make that decision again ...

And tell all their friends how crap it was.

Really good management thinking, NOT!

The above comment gives a strong hint as to why buses can present such a dull face; the wrong people with no flair for design or visual chutzpah make the wrong decisions. Not to sound too unkind, but an accountant, engineer or managing director is mostly designed by the gods to have other wonderful skills and best not let loose on things they are were never intended to be let loose on by those same deities. It’s foolish that they are. I mean, you wouldn’t expect your brilliant local plumber to use his expertise in domestic boilers to be able to perform brain surgery, as an extreme example.

You wouldn’t put me in charge of keeping your buses on the road, to use another one. I wouldn’t be so arrogant as to assume I know one end of a spanner from the other, whether imperial or metric! The aphorism,”shoemaker, stick to your last,” can be so very true.

I know things have been tough of late for everyone, but now is the moment where we can really encourage people to think about the bus as a viable option. But it’s got to be one hell of a lot better than rather too much of what’s out there at the moment. It really has.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ray Stenning is the award-winning Design Director of Best Impressions, which provides creative services to the passenger transport sector. Email ray@best-impressions.co.uk

17 September 2021 | 23

15/09/2021 15:16

COMMENT CLIMATE CHANGE

ANTHONY SMITH

Sustainable choices require interventions Targets to achieve net zero will be harder to achieve without the user navigating the complex maze to sustainable choices

What a year 2021 is turning out to be for our climate. This year has seen extreme weather affecting almost every corner of the globe this year, often with deadly consequences.

Storm Filomena’s record-breaking levels of snow in Madrid in January brought the heaviest snow in 50 years. Also in January we saw the wettest three-day period on record for North Wales and North West England in January with homes flooded in Cheshire and residents evacuated from their homes in Manchester and Merseyside. In July record rainfall killed at least 220 people in Germany and dozens in Belgium. Buildings, including homes, were destroyed in flash flooding. On to August, we saw the remnants of Hurricane Ida unleash dangerous flash floods and tornadoes across the USA and at least 44 people have died in the wake of flooding.

The recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report says: “The scale of recent changes across the climate system as a whole and the present state of many aspects of the climate system are unprecedented over many centuries to many thousands of years.” This vividly illustrates that climate change is not an abstract concept but an issue that requires addressing.

Our own insight on what transport users think shows people are generally aware that something has to happen. But as this respondent shows, there are conflicting attitudes towards taking action: “I’m pretty much confused by everything. I want a Ferrari 24 | 17 September 2021 PT249p24-25.indd 24

but I want to slow down Earth’s temperature increase. I want my drink in a cheap tough bottle, but I don’t want to harm turtles. I want a nice warm house but don’t want to pay increased charges for sustainable energy. I want my cake and eat it. Hopefully, the next generation will make a better job of it.”

Policies, action and opportunities But alongside this terrifying damage and evidence of change in 2021, the 26th United Nations Climate Conference is taking place in Glasgow in just over six weeks (October 31-November 12). The conference is widely recognised as the most pivotal moment in the fight against climate change.

As some of the recent weather events show, there is a lot at stake.

As the UK Government is the president of COP26, the government is committed to working with all countries and joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to take action ahead of COP26.

Governments of all colours across Great Britain recognise the severity of the climate crisis and have published plans to take action, and transport has now become a focus.

“There are significant expectations that government will lead”

Examples include: the Department for Transport’s Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain; Transport Scotland’s Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan; Welsh Government’s A route map for decarbonisation across the Welsh public sector that includes rail services.

These plans recognise transport’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions across Great Britain. Decarbonising provides the stimulus to make public transport more attractive together with better integration between bus and rail services as well as walking and cycle routes.

Impact of Covid-19 However, the various plans for action comes at a time of recovery and adjustment from the pandemic. The need to kick start economic growth after Covid-19 requires balancing with reducing emissions from transport, the highest-emitting sector of the economy.

But there are many questions in the wake of the pandemic where answers are as yet unknown. During the course of this summer, we published two reports Return to Rail - What Do Passengers Want and The Route Ahead Getting Passengers Back on Bus. We spoke to over 20,000 users, lapsed users and non-users to understand their experience, expectations and requirements for the future.

Both reports give an understanding of both the triggers and barriers of returning to public transport. We recognise that we are in a fast moving and unpredictable environment, that leaves many questions: To what extent will demand for public transport use recover from the unprecedented falls seen during the pandemic, and over what time period?

Given that car use is now back to pre-pandemic levels, what is the potential for even greater growth?

How do changing trip patterns and purposes alter our previous assumptions about travel demand?

How can the public transport network be reshaped to serve a wider range of trips?

Following on from these questions, once the recovery trajectory becomes known, it raises further questions about meeting climate change targets and the effect that will have on individual behaviour and modal choice. www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“People are generally not prepared to make significant sacrifices to travel more sustainably” Consumer disconnect As we discovered in our recent research, The journey towards sustainable travel, the previously described context, policy levers and impact of Covid-19, leaves the transport user somewhat disconnected as to how they can make a positive contribution.

There is a basic understanding of ‘sustainability’ but it is too vague to feel actionable. People don’t have a clear sense of what the core issue is, or the relative importance of different issues that come under the sustainability umbrella.

The report points to a difficult path through the climate change maze to achieving the goal of sustainable travel.

One respondent said: “I don’t think we’re very close to being sustainable when it comes to transport at all. It’s all about convenience, if the world doesn’t change, then how is it feasible to walk everywhere…”

We know from previous insight over many years that cost and convenience plus, to a lesser degree, choice and control of when and how to travel, determine how we choose to move around.

More recently we have seen that Covid-19 has made us change travel behaviour and are more likely to prioritise feeling safe when we travel. If we are to encourage more sustainable travel, it’s vital that the convenience side of this equation is given prominence alongside cost and value for money.

This research was conducted with the overall aim of establishing a base of knowledge about people’s attitude to sustainability in 2021.

We wanted to understand: What people think about sustainability and climate change right now?

What actions have they taken to cut their own carbon emissions and become more sustainable?

What supports/drives those actions?

Specific behaviours relating to transport and the role of sustainability/carbon in making decisions about their own transport use.

Another respondent said: “It can be hard to behave ‘sustainably’ because I am used to travelling by air and car and it’s hard to commit to sacrificing this. It’s really hard to not act selfishly - especially when it feels that my personal contribution isn’t making any difference at all. It’s really easy to get discouraged when you see bigger contributors www.passengertransport.co.uk

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When people are making choices about transport, sustainability is not a primary need or incentive

to climate change and pollution not taking enough action themselves.”

People are left unsure what they can and can’t believe about the situation overall.

This means that it is difficult for people to measure their own performance or output, or to understand what actions they could take to make a difference.

People do recognise that transport is a major cause of carbon emissions but it doesn’t come top of mind in terms of the actions they could be taking. They don’t see that there are any viable alternatives to their current modes of transport, so switch off from considering it as part of any individual actions they might take.

When people are making choices about transport, sustainability is not a primary need or incentive. Safety, convenience, ease, speed and cost all rank above sustainability when making decisions about how to travel.

People are generally not prepared to make significant sacrifices to travel more sustainably - whether that is in terms of time, cost or convenience. The compromise doesn’t feel worthwhile due to the overall negative impact

on them as an individual.

There is also an element of fairness and futility when it comes to travelling sustainably.

Some people question why they should change to a more efficient mode when other people fly regularly. Or they feel they have other areas of their life where they are more responsible.

There are significant expectations that government will lead the way through meaningful change to infrastructure before further measures to combat emissions are put in place.

There are no easy wins, so improving sustainability in transport overall will require a combination of interventions and considerations about how to address issues at: Personal Level - move solutions from ‘high impact on me, low impact on problem’ to ‘high impact on problem, low impact on me’. Any change needs to feel minimal to the individual, but effective in terms of addressing the problem. Make it measurable and something people can tangibly engage with - let them know that small changes are okay.

Social Level - don’t always lean on sustainability as a key driver - avoid the identity/ badge and focus on other benefits of sustainable behaviours. Encourage the sense of collective action but acknowledge individual realities.

Structural Level - local and central governments and industry need to lead the way - force change (as Covid-19 action has proven it can). It’s not a one-size-fits-all response and will require a combination of national and local initiatives.

We will be following up this insight with more projects - some looking at general issues and some focussed on more specific areas and modes of transport. As the report illustrates targets to achieve reductions in emissions and net zero will be harder to achieve without the user navigating the complex maze to sustainable choices.

But let’s hope the Glasgow Conference can live up to the expectations and the participating parties can agree some effective measures to halt the change. They really need to.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anthony Smith is Chief Executive at Transport Focus, the independent transport user watchdog

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COMMENT HIGHWAY REFORM

NICK RICHARDSON

Reforming road passenger transport

Reform is in the air at the edges of public transport, but what else could be reformed to truly benefit road passenger transport?

Recent debates about how bus services should be provided have hinted at wider reforms, but what is needed is a consumer’s agenda for reforming some of the processes needed to enable change. There is a multitude of rules and requirements that have to be followed, all of which consume time and money. Ironically, much of this stems from government in the first place - the same government that wants everything to happen sooner - so there is certainly scope for change. Here are some of the areas that would benefit from reform; there are others and some thought is being given to potential improvements.

Spatial planning One of the major areas - but often not understood - is the planning process. The latest big idea to zone everywhere into one of three categories is astonishingly hopeless. Not only does it misunderstand what planning is all about and how there should be an element of democracy, but it also fails to make the vital link between planning and transport.

Reiterating what has been said for a very long time, transport should be a determinant of land use decisions, not an afterthought. In the same way that central government thinks that regular reorganisation of local government is a good idea, it thinks that the planning system is failing and needs overhaul. The current arrangements take a long time but it is not planners that hold up development, 26 | 17 September 2021 PT249p26-27.indd 26

it is developers. Land acquisition is often opportunist and favours greenfield sites rather than previously-used urban sites with obvious consequences. Agricultural land can become a very lucrative asset if a developer is offering a huge sum, but it promotes urban sprawl and further erosion of the countryside.

Focusing on the wrong issue results in the wrong answer and we know that if left up to developers, we would be in a very bad place, literally, in most instances. The planning system does need attention and it isn’t that long since the last review but it should be about the process time incurred and the representation of communities, neither of which is satisfactory currently. It would also be timely to consider the ethics of consuming greenfield sites and how to ensure that access is considered as a prime determinant of planning decisions. The most recent good idea has been to avoid posting planning proposals on lamp posts, hardly the revolutionary move that is needed.

Traffic commissioners A review of the Traffic Commissioners’ roles is currently underway with the hint that their activities could be subsumed in another

“Focusing on the wrong issue results in the wrong answer ”

agency. The bus strategy for England mentions taking away the service registration function of local bus services by the Traffic Commissioners and giving it to highway authorities instead.

This makes sense if it forms part of the Enhanced Partnership process and reduces bureaucracy, but inconsistent application would further complicate the situation. We need to avoid the unhelpful scenario in which a bus operator is fined for running late services in circumstances in which it has no control penalising shoddy operators is one thing but inflicting penalties on those who are doing their best is less than helpful. The restricted scope of only dealing with problems that are referred to the Commissioners suggests witch-hunting compared with a regular review of operator behaviours for all. This is not to say that the Traffic Commissioners are doing a bad job, it’s just that changing their remit would have significant benefits, provided that independence and impartiality is maintained.

Perhaps adopting a more active role in Enhanced Partnerships would help with more regular performance monitoring.

Scheme appraisal Another old chestnut is the process by which decisions about the merits or otherwise of a scheme are informed. Essentially this is to answer the questions ‘Is it a good idea?’ and ‘Is it value for money?’. To achieve this, a complex and costly analysis is required, but the outputs are often ignored. Being derived from a process to promote highway schemes, appraisal has struggled to deal with other proposals, not least those which are based on sustainability rather than economic principles alone.

Traffic Regulation Orders Previously I have set out why introducing bus priority measures is more than a flick of a pen - it takes ages and costs a lot, largely due to legislative requirements. There are anomalies in the system that need ironing out such as the inconsistent application of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), their consultation arrangements and process of objection. Currently they may incur costs of public inquiries and long delays in a world that is now digital and has different expectations.

Clarity is needed, for example around the rules surrounding yellow box junction and bus stop clearways, both of which may or may not be www.passengertransport.co.uk

15/09/2021 15:25

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subject to enforcement through TROs. Then there is the need for signing (on separate posts of course) and the anachronism of advertising proposed changes in local newspapers.

Traffic signing follows fairly inflexible rules

Enforcement Similarly, an enforcement role may be undertaken by different agencies depending on the location and type of infrastructure or traffic. Traditionally it is the police who deal with on-street activities and moving vehicle offences, but some authorities have opted to gain more control to add to their off-street parking roles. The consumer has little clue about who does what, and again there is the problem of inconsistency. National Highways (formerly Highways England) has a team of traffic officers who are not police but have a role in traffic management and dealing with incidents - perhaps a similar role could be forged for all the other highway authorities.

There are other tasks that need to be better defined. Locating a bus stop should be straightforward but it involves the highway authority, the bus operator(s), the police, parish councils and anyone else who may be interested. Such decisions by committee may generate an unsatisfactory compromise.

Other issues such as traffic signing follow a fairly inflexible set of rules, some of which defy common sense, such as how many exemptions can be posted by the same sign and why variants of a ‘buses only’ sign (the blue one which isn’t widely understood) has to be used instead of a ‘no entry except buses’ sign in many circumstances.

Community transport Community transport is all about providing mobility where conventional services are not available. This is generally based around a local need addressed from within that community.

Government has confused the processes of applying to run services and their operational requirements to the extent that only the most determined providers have any chance of success. This is a classic case of a big set of rules to achieve a small result. If community transport is not conventional bus services then the requirements should be different; if there is direct competition with bus service tenders, then it should be subject to the same rules.

Instead we have a mess of moving goalposts which constrains the opportunities that www.passengertransport.co.uk

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“In the digital age, there are lots of ways of making processes easier” bespoke services might bring at a time when demand-responsive transport is being heralded by government as if it were new.

Evolution All these arrangements as they stand have the unhappy consequence of too many interests which are not close enough to what they should be doing i.e. delivering better bus services. There is a shared core ambition of more and better bus services which should not be deflected by multi-agency procedures, regulations and requirements.

All the agencies have evolved in their own likeness and are not working as closely and proactively as they might. There are plenty of opportunities to properly integrate their respective functions - vehicles, services, safety, monitoring etc. while retaining

independence where it is appropriate.

Surely streamlining and simplification would be a much sounder basis for improvement than bureaucracy and jostling for position. The multiplicity of rules and regulations have been adapted over time but with different variants in different places, extensive administration, lengthy decisionmaking processes and participation that ranges from information to opposition with democracy and accessibility to the process somewhat lacking. In the digital age, there are lots of ways of making processes easier, but improved coordination and simplified procedures are long overdue.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Nick Richardson is Technical Principal at transport consultancy Mott MacDonald, a Director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and Chair of PTRC Education and Research Services Ltd. In addition, he has held a PCV licence for over 30 years.

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“The truth is that public transport policy feels like it’s stuck, hit a dead end”

COMMENT

GREAT MINSTER GRUMBLES

Promises of plenty, but cuts are coming

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

Spot the contradiction in these comments from a Treasury press release announcing that the conclusions of the Comprehensive Spending Review will be announced on 27 October: “despite the worst economic recession in 300 years” ... “day-to-day spending will increase by £440bn by 2024-25 increasing by nearly £100bn a year in cash terms over the parliament”... “we will deliver a step change in capital investment ... we will invest over £600bn over five years, the highest sustained level of public sector net investment as a proportion of GDP since the late 1970s”.

Yet at the same time the chancellor has also made clear he wants departments to significantly cut their running costs.

The worst recession in 300 years and a debt mountain that has probably never been higher.

Yet here’s a government that seems only too happy to splash the cash. Hold on to your pay packets boys and girls because I’ve a hunch that the increase in National Insurance announced last week may not be the only tax grab that the chancellor will impose on us, despite the fact that the National Insurance increase means that the tax burden is at its highest level for 70 years. Indeed, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies the tax burden will now hit its “highest-ever sustained level”. Not bad for a Conservative Party that traditionally prides itself on being a party of low taxation.

How transport will fare in the spending review is anybody’s guess. I’m not optimistic.

For starters, subsidies for rail passenger services www.passengertransport.co.uk

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are surely going to have to be cut. While the funds allocated for rail investment in Control Period 6 are effectively untouchable I suspect the negotiations over the settlement for Control Period 7 are going to be pretty rough, so I would be amazed if the settlement for Control Period 7 was as generous as it was for the previous two control periods. And anybody who was working on the easterly leg of HS2 Phase 2b should probably be advised to start looking for another job - if they aren’t already.

Quite simply, the optimistic tone of the Treasury press release announcing the

What legacy will Grant Schapps leave for his successor?

Comprehensive Spending Review really puzzles me. I’m no economist, but I can’t see how you can announce increases in spending on this scale unless this is going to be matched by increases in taxation - and let’s remember that the National Insurance increase is ring-fenced for the NHS and social care, so all the spending increases alluded to in the Treasury press release will have to be paid for in other ways.

As I write there are growing rumours of an imminent reshuffle - which may or may not have happened by the time you read this. All reshuffle rumours are notoriously unreliable, but I reckon it’s a fair bet that, whenever it comes, Grant Shapps will move on. I’m not sure that in policy terms his time in Great Minster House has been a rip-roaring success - I can’t think of anything that he has done that has actually improved things, although he can’t be blamed for Covid and its impact on the transport sector, of course.

But the National Bus Strategy is undeliverable, the rail white paper was a damp squib and the decarbonisation plan did not move the transport decarbonisation agenda on one bit.

Harsh? Possibly, and Grant Shapps isn’t the first secretary of state for transport that has a modest track record, and I’m sure he won’t be the last.

That said, I take my hat off to him for being a skilled presenter. He talked up the papers I have referred to as if he had initiated some kind of major reform of public transport policy and that as a result bus and rail services will see a new golden age. They won’t, but if you review what he said at the time of the papers’ publications, that is what he had us believe.

Grant Shapps is a bit of a con artist who could sell ice to the Eskimos and sand to the Arabs.

Whoever succeeds him will at least have a difficult act to follow in that respect.

But the truth is that public transport policy feels like it’s stuck, hit a dead end. Covid has, of course, bowled a huge curve ball at us, but the truth of the matter is that while ministers happily present their policies as “game changers” for the better with the promise of more and better services, the reality is that cuts are coming to both bus and rail. Whoever takes over as the next secretary of state is going to have a tough job to explain away why the promised land that Grant Shapps has extolled is not just a mirage, but was never deliverable in the first place.

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CAREERS

Hodgson to leave Stagecoach South Bus operator boss will leave after three decades with group Stagecoach has announced that Edward Hodgson, managing director of Chichester-based bus operator Stagecoach South will leave the group next month after a career of more than 30 years.

Hodgson joined the bus industry as a travel sales clerk when he was 17 and started working for Stagecoach in 1989.

He has been managing director of Stagecoach South since 2016, responsible for a team of around 1,200 people and a fleet of nearly 500 buses.

Prior to leading Stagecoach’s bus operation in the South of England, Hodgson was managing director of the Megabus operation in continental Europe.

20,000 NOW WORK ON HS2 PROJECT Move is assisting with post-Covid recovery HS2 Ltd has announced that according to its latest figures, over 20,000 people are now working on the project, one year on from the prime minister Boris Johnson announcing the formal start of construction of Phase One from London to the West Midlands.

The company says the latest employment figures demonstrate the role that HS2 is playing in the UK’s post-lockdown economic recovery, with work having continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

It adds that companies right across the country are now forming part of HS2’s ever growing supply 30 | 17 September 2021 PT249p30-31.indd 30

A former commercial director at Stagecoach South, he also spent three years in the United States as director of the Megabus business in North America in the late 2000s.

He returned to the UK in 2011 after being appointed managing director of Stagecoach West Scotland and in 2014 also took on the role of managing director of

Edward Hodgson

chain. Contracts have already been awarded to over 2,200 businesses, 97% of which are UK-based. A further £25bn worth of opportunities are expected to flow out into the wider supply chain over the coming years.

“We’re enormously proud of the progress we’ve made on HS2 since the prime minister gave us the go-ahead last year, and despite the challenges of the pandemic,” said Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2 Ltd. “We’ve already launched our first two tunnelling machines, with more to launch in the coming months, and construction of our stations and depots are well underway.”

HS2 Ltd says it is also creating bespoke initiatives that are designed to upskill local people who are out of work with the training and

Scottish Citylink, Stagecoach’s joint venture coach business in Scotland.

Commenting on his decision to move on, Hodgson, who says he plans to take a career break, said: “I have had a fantastic three decades with Stagecoach and it’s been a privilege to have been involved in so many parts of the business.

“I’ve particularly enjoyed my time at Stagecoach South, working with so many great people and delivering fantastic services to our customers.”

Stagecoach has started a recruitment process for a new managing director for Stagecoach South. In the interim, the business will be overseen by Rupert Cox, the group’s regional director of its operations in the South of England.

accreditation they need to secure a job on HS2.

Around 1,100 individuals who were formerly unemployed have now secured sustainable employment on the HS2 project. The company says that number is expected to rise in the months and years ahead as the pace of major construction work increases.

The HS2 Chilterns work site

APPOINTMENTS UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM The School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham has announced the appointment of Paul Plummer as professor of railway strategy at the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education.

Plummer (pictured) was previously chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group. An economist by training, the university says he brings a wealth of board level experience including 13 years at Network Rail where he was responsible for network planning, development projects, system operation, regulation and strategy.

At the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Plummer will work with colleagues to help shape existing research and future research priorities aimed at enabling long term customer experience, affordability, connectivity and decarbonisation through technology and innovation.

NETWORK RAIL Toufic Machnouk has been appointed to Network Rail’s eastern executive team as director, industry partnership digital.

Machnouk (pictured) was previously programme director for the flagship East Coast Digital Programme, responsible for establishing the first major intercity digital programme on the UK network. He joined Network Rail as a graduate, starting his career in maintenance and operations.

Since then he has delivered major engineering and change projects and helped to established strategic plans.

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15/09/2021 17:12

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Ed Wills named as new Brighton & Hove MD Go-Ahead has announced Ed Wills will take on the role of managing director of Brighton & Hove and Metrobus from the end of November Go-Ahead has announced the appointment of Ed Wills as managing director of Brighton & Hove and sister company Metrobus. He will succeed Martin Harris in the post who will retire in November.

With more than two decades’ experience in the passenger transport industry, Wills is currently managing director for bus commercial development at the London-based group.

Prior to this, he was managing director of Go-Ahead Ireland between 2017 and 2020, where

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he led the mobilisation of a new bus company following a contract award from the National Transport Authority.

Between 2010 and 2017, Wills was operations director of Go South Coast where he was responsible for the commercial and operational performance of buses across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. A graduate of the University of Southampton, he began his career as a trainee at bus operator Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight. Wills will join Brighton & Hove on November 1,

and will become managing director at the end of November when Harris steps down.

“Ed brings a wealth of expertise in delivering outstanding bus services for passengers,” said David Brown, Go-Ahead chief executive. “He understands the industry from top to bottom and he has a track record of commercial success in building and managing bus businesses.

“Brighton & Hove and Metrobus have bucked the trend across the country by achieving long-term growth in bus

passenger numbers. Ed is the ideal person to build on Martin Harris’s fantastic work in serving the local community, in pioneering diversity and in introducing technological innovation.”

Commenting on his new role, Wills said: “It’s a privilege to take on this role. I’m looking forward to working with the outstanding team at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus, and to liaising closely with the community.”

Ed Wills

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DIVERSIONS

Jerusalema challenge puts staff in spotlight GWR team put in an extra shift to film dance craze Proving to be something of a social media hit over the summer was the Jerusalema dance challenge. “The what”” we hear you cry. Those taking up the challenge perform a dance to the song ‘Jerusalema’, a gospel-influenced house song.

Groups ranging from the Garda Síochána police in Ireland to the Swedish Ambulance Service have since taken up the dance – and last week it was the turn of train

The usual suspects?

SWR AIMS TO FIX BROKEN HEARTS

If you have a small person in your life you’ve perhaps gone through the agony of a treasured teddy suddenly going missing.

To coincide with National

Dancing in the gatelines

operator GWR. A total of 18 members of staff rehearsed the dance in their own time before filming the routine at Paddington station overnight, with trains acting as background props.

The idea came from a chance

Teddy Bear Day, train operator South Western Railway decided to do something about such a tragic event and highlighted some of the lost teddies that had made their way to its lost property office at London Waterloo station.

It turns out that this year alone 19 teddies have turned up at the office and haven’t been claimed and SWR has turned to social media in a bid to find their rightful owners.

Claire Mann, SWR managing director, said she hoped the move would fix a few broken hearts.

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conversation between Paddingtonbased customer ambassador Jennie Williams and Heathrow Express team leader Mary Browne.

Jennie and fellow customer ambassador Bhavik Shah then masterminded the group’s routine and the video was produced by roster manager Ricardo Frutuoso.

“We first started discussing this when we were in the third lockdown and the station was much, much quieter,” said Jennie. “Mary is a brilliant line dancer and showed me this fantastic Jerusalema Dance Challenge on YouTube.

“I said, ‘We could have a go at that - let’s do it here at Paddington’ and it took off from there.”

LOST TUNNEL TOUR Hundreds of people applied for tickets for an exclusive tour of a 400-metre tunnel that once linked Birmingham’s New Street station with Royal Mail’s central sorting office, formerly the largest building in the city. The facility closed in the 1990s and it was transformed into the Mailbox leisure development with the tunnel abandoned and frozen in time. And of the 300 who applied for tickets just 30 managed to bag a ticket for the tour!

Knitters wanted

CRAFTING A POPPY TRIBUTE Bus operator Go North East has launched an appeal for volunteers who can knit or make poppies for a display that will mark the centenary of Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

For almost 100 years, the Royal British Legion has supported members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, as well as veterans and their families. The bus operator plans to mark the occasion with a display it will unveil in November at its Gateshead Riverside depot.

Commercial director Stephen King said he hoped the north east’s knitters would get involved and bring the display to life.

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