Passenger Transport: July 14, 2023

FORTEVERYNIGHT

‘Put aside ideological battles and reform rail’

New research commissioned by Rail Partners reveals how competition among train companies is delivering results across Britain and Europe

A reinvigorated public-private partnership is urgently required to get Britain’s railways back on the track to growth. That was the plea this week from Rail Partners, which argues that the railway still needs the independent passenger owning groups that it represents. While European railways are liberalising and seeing signs of a renaissance, Rail Partners warns that Britain’s railway could be left behind if it turns its back on the private sector. In a new report, Track to Growth: Creating a dynamic railway for passengers and the economy, Rail Partners reveals where competition among train companies is harnessed effectively

across Britain and Europe there are more customers, more services, newer trains, cheaper fares and reduced subsidy.

“Today’s report is about getting back on track to growth,” said Rail Partners chief executive, Andy Bagnall. “What matters is what works for customers and the taxpayer, so we should put aside

RDG confirms plans for ticket office cull

04

Rail industry begins consultation

ideological debates. The evidence shows that a reinvigorated publicprivate partnership is the best way to revitalise the railway.

“Train companies, domestically in the past and across the continent right now, have shown the skills needed to grow passenger numbers and reduce costs for the taxpayer.

“If reform continues to stall, the railway faces stunted recovery from the pandemic and worst case, a permanently smaller network. But with the right reforms, the railway can return to growth and act as a catalyst for a stronger, greener economy.’

FULL STORY ON PAGE 8

NatEx changes see Bradford leave group

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No room for NXWM boss in new structure

Why we need the politics of dignity

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Jonathan Bray on the role of political equity

Alex Warner on rebranding drivers

Neil Graham joins from EMR

“With the right reforms, the railway can return to growth”

Andy Bagnall

WINDSOR WONDERS Bus builder Alexander Dennis has supplied seven new Enviro400s to Reading Buses. The new double deckers introduce new identities for the company’s Windsor Express routes, formerly used the Green Line brand

Rebalancing rail’s privatepublicpartnership

With the government’s rail reform agenda stuck in limbo, and the prospect of a new government with its own ideas about how to fix our railways, Rail Partners picked a good time to make its plea for continued private sector involvement on Britain’s railways. Rail Partners wants the private sector to continue to be able to play a role, and one where they can use their commercial nous to make a difference. Publishing a new report this week, the trade association for Britain’s independent passenger transport groups contrasted the increased liberalisation on Europe’s railways with the mood in the UK, where private sector companies are sometimes seen as the root cause of the sector’s many problems - despite the fact that the government now has a tighter grip on them than it ever did on British Rail.

There are many who will dispute that the post-privatisation bounce in passenger volumes was due to the commercial swagger of the new private sector operators. Other societal factors contributed to that growth and there were plenty of examples of (sometimes spectacular) private sector failures. But there were also successes, like Chiltern Railways and the open access operators. There are embers from which the dimmed flame of private sector involvement can be re-kindled.

The challenge going forward, as it always was, will be finding the right balance of responsibilites between the public and private sectors in a reformed - and hopefully reinvigorated - railway.

HAVE YOUR SAY Contact us with your news, views and opinion at: editorial@passengertransport.co.uk

IN THIS

16 GO-AHE A D LONDON P LACES BI G ORDER

BYD UK and Alexander Dennis have taken a repeat order from Go-Ahead London for a further 141 batteryelectric buses, taking the total to be delivered to the operator during 2023 to 299 vehicles. They will be supplied by the end of 2023.

16

CA

MPA I G NERS LAUNCH

‘FEWER F L I G HTS C H A RTER’ Campaign for Better Transport is challenging the government and airlines to do more to reduce aviation’s growing carbon emissions by giving passengers ‘realistic’ journey times when booking and free train tickets as part of a 10-point plan for reform.

22

CA N WE DO MORE ON ACCESSIBI L ITY?

There have been big changes, but there’s still some way to go to ensure that everyone has access to public transport, says Nick Richardson “Recently-created facilities demonstrate that inclusive design benefits all users,” he adds.

25

O I L PRICES A ND

‘ P UTIN’S CONUNDRUM’ Oil Market Report: James Spencer from Portland reveals that the impact of the latest round of sanctions against Russia has been muted and Russian oil exports now actually surpass levels last seen before the invasion of Ukraine.

Robert Jack Managing Editor

RDG confirms plans for ticket office cull

Rail industry launches long-anticipated consultation into proposals that could see the vast majority of railway station ticket offices closed

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) confirmed perhaps the worst-kept secret in recent industry history on July 5 when it announced that train operators would start a statutory 21-day consultation over the closure of most railway station ticket offices.

Precise details about which station ticket offices will close or indeed those that will survive the cull have not been released.

The RDG said where adopted, the proposals will see ticket office staff transitioning to multi-skilled customer help roles. It said the move would mean a more visible and accessible staff presence across the network as a whole

at stations during staffed hours, on ticket concourses and on platforms.

It claimed that current ticket office arrangements were stuck in the 1990s when the rules on how to sell tickets were set ahead of the privatisation of British Rail. The RDG claimed that then 82% of all tickets were sold at ticket offices, compared to just 12% on average today, a downward trend which accelerated during Covid-19.

The RDG continued: “Bringing staff out from offices would allow the railway to respond to that generational shift in customer behaviour, in common with many other industries and organisations that have long since done so, such as Transport for London, most airlines and many banks and supermarkets.”

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive

Watchdogs confirm consultee roles

Public urged to have its say over train operator plans

Both Transport Focus and London TravelWatch have confirmed their roles as statutory consultees for stations in England outside London and London respectively over proposals to close railway station ticket offices.

Transport Focus has confirmed it will look into whether the changes will impact the ability to

buy a ticket or other rail products, the level of staff presence at stations and operators’ ability to deliver services for disabled passengers.

The watchdog said it was important to note that each train company has produced its own proposals - so there are 13 separate consultations running simultaneously rather than one,

of the RDG, added: “Our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a much wider range of support, from journey planning to finding the right ticket and helping those with accessibility needs.”

In response to an urgent question in parliament over the proposals from shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, rail minister Huw Merriman said he was pleased that the rail industry had decided to launch the consultation process.

“First and foremost, this is all about taking expert ticketing staff into the parts of the station where currently they are not seen,” he said. “If only 10% of tickets are sold across the ticket counter, crudely, that means that 90% of passengers are not accessing that

member of staff.

“The idea is to take the staff member on to the platform to help passengers purchase tickets via a ticketing machine or online. 99% of tickets can be purchased in that manner, so there is no reason why this will not be an improvement.”

He said that if staff did not wish to make the transition to the new customer-facing roles then “the train operators will need to look at that”.

Referring to the current stalemate with trades unions over plans to reform working practices, he added: “The sad reality is that there is an offer on the table that would guarantee no compulsory redundancies up to December 2024, but the union leaders refused to put that offer to their members.”

The unions reacted to the proposals with anger.

“The decision to close up to 1,000 ticket offices and to issue hundreds of redundancy notices to staff is a savage attack on railway workers, their families and the travelling public,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.

national consultation.

“Transport Focus will need to send a separate response to each consultation, commenting on the stations it covers,” the watchdog added.

Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith added: “It’s important for people to have their say. We urge passengers to look at the proposals and tell us what the ticket office changes might mean for them. Transport Focus will make sure passengers’ views are heard.”

“Travellers will be forced to rely on apps and remote mobile teams to be available to assist them rather than having trained staff on stations. This is catastrophic for elderly, disabled and vulnerable passengers trying to access the rail network.”

The TSSA union called on the public to oppose the mass closure of ticket offices and accused the industry of trying to “bring in redundancies by stealth”.

“We will continue to oppose ticket office closures which make no sense when it comes to running a railway for all and building up services in the postCovid era,” said TSSA interim general secretary, Peter Pendle.

“Ticket office staff are hugely

Andrew Garnett Deputy Editor

valued by the travelling public, and we urge commuters to resist these foolish plans by sending the government a crystal-clear message that they are on the wrong track.”

RDG said train companies will continue to engage constructively with unions at a local level to manage the transition in a way that works best for staff.

“Our commitment is that we will always treat our staff, who are

hugely valued and integral to the experience our customers have on the railway, fairly, with support and extra training to move into new more engaging roles,” added Starr. “We also understand that our customers have differing needs, which is why the industry widely sought the views of accessibility and passenger groups when creating these proposals and will continue to through the consultation. We encourage

those who wish to take part to go to their local train company website or visit Transport Focus or London Travelwatch.”

Train operators said the planned changes would be phased in gradually in order to ensure a smooth transition and that ticket vending machines across the railway network would be improved and upgraded.

“Ticket office facilities will remain open at the busiest stations and interchanges, selling the full range of tickets while the transition takes place,” RDG added. “Following these changes, if a customer is unable to buy a specific ticket before boarding the

train because it was unavailable at the station, they would be able to buy one during their journey, at a ticket office en-route, or at their destination.”

Stations without ticket offices already make up 43% of those operating across the UK, with a further 40% being staffed part-time. In some cases, such as Bicester Village, those ticket offices are purpose-built and supported by a passenger reception desk. In other cases, ticket office facilities have been converted into community hubs, coffee shops and cafes while staff support passengers at gates and on station concourses.

“Our proposals would mean more staff on hand to give face-to-face help with a wider range of support”

Jacqueline Starr

The public consultation over the proposals will close on July 26

NatEx restructure sees Bradford out of a job

New set-up brings together bus and coach operations

LEADERSHIP

Mobico, formerly known as National Express Group, has become the latest major public transport operator to launch a restructuring exercise.

The move will see the group’s UK-based operations consolidated with a new single senior management team led by Tom Stables as chief executive, from August 1.

In a message to colleagues seen by Passenger Transport, Stables said the new structure would “strengthen our ability to be the best transport operator, and by doing that encourage customers to switch to our modes of transport and ditch their cars”.

He added that the new combined structure, which brings together the group’s coach operations in the UK

NETS PARTNERS WITH LIFTANGO

Collaboration aims to bring together expertise

TECHNOLOGY

National Express Transport Solutions (NETS), the private coach hire arm of National Express, has partnered with Liftango to launch Trio - an innovative passenger transport technology for shared mobility solutions.

Trio enables the bespoke design and development of passenger transport services for corporate clients and local authorities.

The solution combines the

with its bus business in the West Midlands would also “reduce silos and increase collaboration”. Stables also claimed the unified management team would “increase our ability to respond to a challenging market”.

“The single integrated executive team will replace the bus and coach boards that happen at the moment,” he said. “Senior leaders will report into this new team. There will be some changes in terms of roles, responsibilities and departments. Regrettably, some

roles will no longer be required.”

Stables will remain as chief executive of Mobico’s UK and German operations, but in the UK he will be supported by John Boughton as commercial director. Former service delivery director Ed Rickard becomes network director with Mark Heffernan moving to the role of chief operating and safety officer.

Catherine Woolfe’s role as UK marketing director is expanded as the new combined customer and marketing director, while new business director Antony Goozee becomes local authority relationship director.

Former express coach division managing director Chris Hardy becomes strategy and transition director. Meanwhile, Kate Reynolds and Rachel James retain their roles as corporate affairs and communcations director and HR director respectively.

The greatest casualty from the reshuffle appears to be David

Bradford, managing director of National Express West Midlands.

Bradford joined National Express as commercial director of the UK bus division in 2011 from FirstGroup where he worked in various roles across its UK rail, bus and North American operations.

Since promotion to managing director of the bus operation in 2018, he gained a reputation for transforming the business through a deep partnership with the region’s combined authority and championed the introduction of a low fares strategy.

Announcing that Bradford had decided to leave the group, Stables paid tribute to his talents: “I want to place on record my deep thanks to him for the positive impact he has had on our business.”

A spokesperson for National Express confirmed to Passenger Transport the restructuring and that Bradford would leave the group. “We thank David for his service, and his passion and commitment to the travelling public of the West Midlands,” they said. “We remain focused on serving our customers and communities.”

scale and transport management expertise of National Express Transport Solutions with Liftango’s data-driven technology platform including; demand-responsive transport technology, passenger application and management information. The new Trio service uses advanced modelling techniques to analyse travel patterns and transport inequity to create a tailored solution.

“There’s a growing demand from clients looking for a smart turnkey solution to support their transport needs,” said Tony Taylor, sales and business development director at NETS.

DUBLIN EXPRESS TO BELFAST

National Express business launches new route

OVERSEAS

National Express subsidiary Dublin Express has announced plans to invest around £8.5m in a fleet of eight new Caetano Levante III coaches over the next 12 months for its new Dublin to Belfast route which commences later this month.

The new Dublin Express service will be operated by Quinn’s Coach Hire of County Tyrone with 16 trips per day in each direction from Belfast city centre’s Glengall Street to Dublin

Airport and Dublin city centre.

The investment also means the creation of 40 new jobs in drivers, management, maintenance and retail predominantly in Belfast and Dungannon. This builds on Dublin Express’ success in operating high frequency services between Dublin Airport and Dublin City.

“We’ve been receiving a high volume of requests from customers asking for this service which itself stood out as an under-served route,” said Dublin Express’ general manager Rory Fitzgerald. “We estimate the number of Northern Ireland residents using Dublin Airport annually at over one million.”

Bradford has led National Express West Midlands since 2018

Trade concerns see Coach & Bus UK axed

Vehicle manufacturer woes have impact on planned event

EVENTS

In the face of rising vehicle manufacturer withdrawals and attendee concerns, the organisers of the Coach & Bus UK show, which was due to take place from November 8-9 at the National Exhibition Centre, have decided to cancel the event.

Organisers Diversified Communications said the decision has been driven by an unprecedented and exceptional combination of external factors. They added that by taking this decision, the organisers can focus on delivering the biennial Euro Bus Expo that is next due to take place in 2024.

“First, the many industry

‘NOTHING WOULD GET ME ON A BUS’

Transport Focus probe finds 50% won’t go by bus

RESEARCH

Research by Transport Focus has revealed that almost half of people who do not use buses said that nothing would convince them to give bus travel a go.

The watchdog probed the views of more than 2,000 people in March 2023 to understand the current barriers to bus use and what more could be done to persuade people to travel by bus.

In the research the majority of non-users said they don’t travel by bus because they prefer to travel by car (70%). Other reasons included the bus being less convenient (27%)

forces affecting new vehicle production that is impacting on manufacturers’ needs to exhibit this year,” said event director Helen Conway. “These include supply chain difficulties, full order books, significant business model changes and budget constraints following the pandemic.”

“Second, is our responsibility to deliver returns for our exhibitors. A lack of vehicles at the show is likely

IN BRIEF

ROTALA’S ADL ORDER

to impact visitor footfall, and we don’t feel that is a risk we can take. Third, is meeting the expectations of our visitors, who have wellbased preconceptions of the size and scale of the show from its long-standing history of success.”

Responses from show stakeholders illustrate the communal disappointment about the cancellation, but also affirm strong support and optimism for future events.

Graham Vidler, chief executive of industry trade body and key show partner, the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) said: “It’s the right decision, as it gives manufacturers and suppliers the space to adapt to current market challenges. We look forward to a bigger and better showcase for the industry next year.”

Alexander Dennis has announced that it has taken orders from AIMlisted transport group Rotala for 67 Enviro200 single deck buses. The move follows Rotala subsidiary Diamond Bus North West’s success in winning contracts for Transport for Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network. The order will be split across three vehicle lengths of 11.8m, 10.8m and 9.7m. All will have Alexander Dennis’s SmartPack efficiency technology and feature Bee Network branding.

NEWPORT AND FLIXBUS

and journeys taking too long (26%).

The survey found the top factors that would increase bus use amongst non-users were if buses were more frequent (16%), better value (14%), more reliable (14%) and offering a wider range of destinations/went directly to destinations (14%).

However, as many as 49% of the 295 non-bus users said nothing at all would encourage them to leave their car at home in favour of travelling by bus.

Meanwhile, 55% who no longer use the bus last did so before the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Compared to the same survey carried out in March 2022, 24% said they were using buses more often than at the same time a year agobut a similar number (23%) replied they were doing so less often.

A total of 37% of former bus users reported they were not at all likely to use the bus again - compared to 17% for fairly likely or very likely.

Of the 1,432 Transport Focus quizzed who do not hold a concessionary travel pass, 45% reported they had not heard about the government’s £2 fare cap. Just 20% reported they had heard about the scheme and used it.

Among those who don’t currently use buses, a tenth say the fare cap scheme would encourage them to use buses, but 75% said it was unlikely to influence them.

“While it is not possible to be definitive, it appears that most people are now unlikely to willingly change their travel habits unless their personal circumstances change,” concluded Transport Focus.

FlixBus has announced councilowned operator Newport Transport will launch its first ever dedicated express airport routes in the UK. The new service will link Swansea, Swansea University, Port Talbot, Bridgend, Cardiff, Newport and Bristol with London Heathrow, and Gatwick Airport. Newport MD Scott Pearson said the partnership demonstrated the operator’s objective to “diversify our workstreams and deliver profitable growth to support and grow other areas of our business”.

BUS FRANCHISE PETITION

A petition calling for Bristol’s bus network to be franchised and brought into public control has been launched. Created by the Reclaim Our Buses campaign, the petition has the backing of community organisations and trade unions. The group points to Greater Manchester’s decision to franchise its bus network with the Bee Network that will start to launch in September. In response, West of England mayor Dan Norris said while bus franchising could be an answer to the future of the region’s buses, such a move does not come without risk.

Focus will switch to Euro Bus Expo

Rail Partners makes case for competition

Report shows how managed competition is working on the continent and supports the case for private sector role in a reinvigorated British railway

RAIL REFORM

In a new report, Rail Partners sets out the significant and complex challenges currently facing Britain’s railway and calls for a reinvigorated public-private partnership.

The challenges identified in its report - Track to Growth: Creating a dynamic railway for passengers and the economy - include the blurring of responsibilities and accountabilities between different parts of the system, prescriptive and no-longer-fit-forpurpose contracts, an outdated fares system, changed travel patterns resulting in millions of pounds lost in revenue, and drawn-out industrial action.

A response, often making national headlines as a panacea to these issues, “is placing the blame exclusively on train companies and calling for public ownership”. But Rail Partners, the trade association for independent passenger owning groups, points out that public control is far greater today than under British Rail, with the government micromanaging even the smallest of commercial decisions.

It argues that reforms have been needed for several years and the pandemic compounded the problem and accelerated the need for drastic change.

The report sets out analysis by economic consultants Oxera, confirming the role the private sector played in stopping the decline of the railway postBritish Rail. An operational

deficit was closed, taxpayer subsidy reduced freeing up money for infrastructure, and ultimately, passengers returned in record numbers. Although it acknowledges that franchising in its latter days needed reform, it maintains that harnessing privately-owned train companies in the delivery of passenger services “was transformative for customers and the railway”.

As Westminster continues to debate how to meet the challenges the railway faces, Rail Partners commissioned research by Arup and Frontier Economics to examine the experiences of our European neighbours and how

train companies on the continent have boosted passenger numbers and created better outcomes for customers.

It says the European Union has sought to tackle the inefficiency of public monopoly operators who have been slow to innovate and adapt. They have done this by allowing new operators to compete both ‘for the market’ through bidding for contracts and ‘on rail’ through direct competition on the same routes with open access competition.

The findings from the study reveal that where there is competition both for contracts and by operators on the same

THE BENEFITS OF COMPETITION

Reduction in subsidy by 15-50% - subsidy has reduced where contracts were competed for rather than directly awarded, freeing up public money.

Operational efficiency gains of 20-50% - where national and regional European governments have adopted a competitive tendering process, rather than direct awards, operational efficiency gains have been realised, allowing for more services on the network.

Increased service levels up to 60% on some routes - in the countries examined where operators compete on the same routes, evidence shows that the number of departures rose, offering more choice to passengers.

An increase of up to 40% more passengers on routes where operators compete - while demand on regional competitively tendered lines outperformed untendered long-distance lines in some countries.

Fares falling by 15-50% on routes where there is competitionopen access operators offered fare reductions of between 15% and 50% immediately following entry, with fares being typically around 20-60% lower than that of the incumbent over time.

route, there are significant benefits (see panel).

“This is one of the most wide-ranging studies on the emerging impacts of rail liberalisation in the EU to date,” said Rail Partners chief executive Andy Bagnall. “We can draw on the experience of managed competition across Europe to deliver benefits here in Britain.

“The evidence from European railways clearly shows that, if we get reform right, and train companies are harnessed in the right way, competition will deliver significant benefits for the customer, and ultimately reduces subsidy, bringing public spending down.”

Rail Partners’ report offers a series of policy solutions based on the evidence. While accepting that greater public control through an arms-length body is needed to give the system greater coherence, operators need freedom within that system. Allowing decisions to be made closer to the customer in a public-private partnership “is the right answer”.

Responding to the Rail Partners report, Michael Solomon Williams from Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This is a welcome report with important priorities that focus on improving rail for passengers.

“We must learn from examples of successful international public-private partnerships and ensure that the expertise of UK train companies is supported by government to achieve the best outcome for the public.”

He also expressed support for Great British Railways to be established, fares and ticketing reform and more open access operators across the country, “following the successful growth of passengers across operators on the East Coast main line”.

TOCs cut time needed to process delay repay

Regulator hails progress on processing compensation claims

COMPLIANCE

Most train companies in the UK have made progress in simplifying the process of claiming delay compensation, according to the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) first review of train companies’ handling of compensation claims. Since the launch of the Delay Compensation Code of Practice in April 2022 as a licence condition, the majority of train companies now process claims through automated systems, resulting in an average resolution time of under three days compared to five days for manually processed claims.

The percentage of approved claims has also increased to 79.1%

FOUR-YEAR DELAY FOR SWR ARTERIOS

Pandemic and software bugs behind late delivery

ROLLING STOCK

South Western Railway’s £1bn fleet of Arterio electric multiple units faces a four-year delay, with the first train not now expected to enter service until the end of this year. Originally scheduled for December 2019, the high-capacity trains were ordered in 2017 to operate on SWR routes from London Waterloo to Reading and Windsor in Berkshire. Out of the 90 Class 701 trains that were ordered, only 54 have been delivered so far, and of those, only 42 have been deemed suitable. The significant delay has been attributed to the impact of the pandemic and

in 2022/23 from 77.4% in the previous year, with no significant change in the rejection rate due to the adoption of automated processes.

However, the ORR’s review identified areas where some train companies need to improve their provision of information about delay compensation.

The regulator has urged companies to ensure passengers can claim compensation by post and enhance their efforts to inform passengers about delay compensation, such as including links to compensation information when tickets are purchased online and promoting compensation on-board trains.

The ORR’s annual complaints statistics for 2022/23 also revealed a 23% increase in closed complaints by train operators

major software issues.

Last December, the Department for Transport stated that the trains, manufactured by Alstom at the former Bombardier plant in Derby, would be in service “as soon as possible in 2023”.

The train drivers’ union ASLEF previously reported problems with door obstacle detectors, coupling processes, faulty windscreen wipers, and difficult-to-open cab doors. However, trains with similar mechanics and systems are functioning effectively on the Elizabeth Line, London Overground, and other networks.

SWR has not yet committed to a specific date for their entry into service, but it is understood that December is the earliest possibility, according to media reports.

compared to the previous year.

However, due to a 46% increase in passenger journeys during the same period, the number of complaints per 100,000 journeys decreased by 16%. Punctuality/ reliability, sufficient space on trains, and ticketing were the most common causes of complaints.

Stephanie Tobyn, the ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform said: “I am pleased to see that our code of practice has contributed to improving the process for claiming delay compensation and that the majority of train companies are taking their responsibilities seriously.

“It’s important that all train companies ensure that passengers understand their entitlement to claim compensation.”

Initially, the trains were intended to operate on Reading and Windsor lines before being extended to the entire SWR suburban network. A total of 50 depot drivers have commenced training on simulators. However, none of the operator’s 768 mainline drivers have commenced formal training to operate the new rolling stock yet.

IN BRIEF

STATION MOST AT RISK

London’s Liverpool Street station and the former Great Eastern Hotel have been identified as amongst the most at risk Victorian buildings in England and Wales by the Victorian Society. Developer Sellar’s proposal to remove a portion of the station’s roof and construct a 10-storey hotel and office block is seen as setting a concerning precedent for the Grade II* listed building, according to the society.

MORE TRAINS FOR THE DLR

Transport for London has exercised an option to purchase 11 additional new Docklands Light Railway trains from Spanish manufacturer CAF, funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This will bring the total number of new trains ordered for the network, which will be introduced from 2024, to a total of 54.

A VERY BIG LUMO

Low cost open access operator Lumo ran its first ever 10-car service on June 24. The lunchtime service from Edinburgh to London King’s Cross was operated by two five-car units coupled together, offering more than 800 seats.

FINALLY A TICKET TO RYDE

Only 54 Arterios have been delivered so far

Ryde Pier Head station on the Isle of Wight has reopened following refurbishment of the 686-metre-long Ryde Pier. Engineers have installed a new weather screen to protect rail passengers while they wait at Ryde Pier Head station, replaced 172 metres of track, and installed 143 metres of new steel rail bearers, as well giving the station a new lick of paint.

“It’s important that all train companies ensure that passengers understand their entitlement to claim compensation”

LGA issues warning on concessionary funding

Current funding arrangements are unsustainable it claims

FUNDING

The Local Government Association has warned that local authorities in England are increasingly being forced to fund free concessionary bus travel from their own resources.

It claimed the way that England’s national concessionary travel scheme is funded is unfit for purpose and prevents councils from investing in more reliable services. New LGA analysis reveals there was a £452m gap in the funding councils receive from government for the scheme compared to the actual number of journeys made last year.

It said this is forcing councils to plug the gap from their own

stretched budgets. Discretionary bus services - such as free peak travel, community transport services, reduced fares and school transport - have had to be scaled back by local authorities across the country for them to top-up the statutory national scheme from their discretionary budgets.

The LGA said the government needs to fully fund the concessionary fare scheme to ease the pressure on stretched local budgets, protect cherished bus services and help people travel during the cost-of-living crisis as part of a long-term, reformed bus funding model.

This would allow councils and operators to reverse historic cuts made to local services, introduce new routes, keep fares down and encourage modal shift.

“The free bus pass is a lifeline

for many in our communities. It allows many vulnerable residents to go shopping, pick up medication, and attend doctors’ appointments,” said Linda Taylor, the LGA’s transport spokesperson.

“Our analysis shows that the scheme is not being adequately funded, leaving councils to try and find nearly half a billion pounds every year from their own overstretched budgets to keep it running. This is completely unsustainable.

“It is vital this scheme is properly funded so councils can protect bus routes and reinvest in local networks. By providing long term funding for buses across the country, councils can invest in improved services, attracting more people to use public transport.”

CILT (UK) REVEALS AWARD SHORTLIST

Awards for Excellence will be held in September

AWARDS

A number of operators and people have been shortlisted for this year’s CILT (UK) Awards for Excellence.

In the Diversity Champion category, Imran Sama, an inclusion and culture partner with Stagecoach has been shortlisted. The Perth-based group has also been shortlisted in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing category.

In the Operations Management category, Northern Trains has been shortlisted, while The Go-Ahead Group has been shortlisted for the People Development Award alongside Lumo, FirstGroup’s open access train operator.

In the Passenger Transport category, Lumo receives another shortlisting where it sees competition from council-owned bus operator Reading Buses and Transport for London for the Elizabeth Line. Transport for London has also been shortlisted for the Transport Policy and Planning Award. Gemma Redson, commercial manager at Reading Buses is shortlisted in the Rising Star category, while First Bus is up for the Technology Innovation Award for its driverless bus trials.

“The Awards for Excellence are regarded as one of the highest honours in the industry and I’m pleased to report that the standard this year was especially high as well as a record number of entries,” said Andrew Weatherill, CILT (UK) interim chief executive. “At CILT(UK), we continue to celebrate, recognise and applaud innovation across the profession, and this year’s Awards for Excellence will yet again provide a unique opportunity to promote key achievements across our industry.”

The winners will be announced in London on September 28.

A NEW CHAPTER AT BRIGHTON & HOVE Bus operator Brighton & Hove has announced a brand refresh that will see the operator ditch its red, cream and black livery that’s almost 20 years old for a new teal and aqua colour scheme. “Our brand livery has not changed much since the 90s, but we, and our city, have changed hugely in that time,” said Ed Wills, Brighton & Hove managing director. “That’s why we’re transforming our brand to more accurately represent the spirit of who we are today and the unique, vibrant city that we serve.”

West Yorkshire warns on further bus cuts

Funding from BSIP+ scheme not enough to stop more withdrawals

FUNDING

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has confirmed it will allocate £3.8m of funding from its share of the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) scheme to protect bus services that are threatened with withdrawal, but warned further cuts may be coming.

The region was allocated the third highest share of BSIP+ funding when the scheme was announced in May (PT290). The allocations are part of the government’s longer-term strategy to support bus services in England until April 2025.

In a briefing to members, Thomas Lock, WYCA’s bus

FARE CAP HAS BIG IMPACT ON STATS

Bus fares now the same as they were in late 2000s

TICKETING

The impact of the £2 fare cap on bus fares in England has been laid bare in the latest quarterly bus statistics released by the Department for Transport.

The local bus fares index decreased by 2.1% % in England between March 2022 and March 2023. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 10.1% over the same period.

For other areas the local bus fares index changes was a 6.0% increase in fares in London; a 4.3% decrease in England’s former metropolitan counties; a substantial 11.4%

policy manager, admitted the region’s bus network has faced ongoing challenges which threaten the full realisation of West Yorkshire’s vision for buses.

“These challenges include, primarily, suppressed patronage,” he explained. “The number of people travelling has never fully recovered... patronage has steadied at around 85% of prepandemic levels.”

Lock said that these challenges were compounded by a 30% increase in the cost of running bus services, and he noted that four of the region’s bus operators have either been forced into administration or ceased trading. These problems had led to significant service cuts and dramatic rises in the cost of providing tendered services.

He also warned that new

decrease in non-metropolitan areas. Scotland recorded a 1.7% increase in the fares index while Wales register a 3.0% increase.

When CPI is taken into account, the fares index at constant prices reveals a 10.6% fall in the three months to March 2023 in England outside London. The former metropolitan counties report a 3.6% fall with the non-metropolitan areas recording a 15.9% fall. In contrast, London reported a 4.6% increase over the same period. Wales reported a 1.1% increase with Scotland reporting a slight fall at 1.3%.

Fares dropped by 7.6% across the whole of Great Britain in the year to the end of March 2023. In England outside London, the decrease was 13.9%. Again the non-metropolitan areas led the way once again

emergency funding streams for bus operators are 50-60% of the previous levels of support and further service changes are expected between July and September 2023.

Lock continued: “The combined authority is currently seeking confirmation as to the full extent of changes anticipated, however, the total value of these is likely to be more than funding granted to offset these changes.”

He said the combined authority is urging operators to postpone any service reductions until September 2023 due to the time needed for preparation and arranging alternative services.

Lock added the deployment of BSIP+ funding should be flexible and adaptable to network challenges with funding allocated at the discretion of officers.

with a fall of 17.6%, ahead of the 9.8% decrease reported in the metropolitan areas.

The figures also reveal, at constant prices, that bus fares now cost the same as they last did in the late 2000s in both the metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Overall, Great Britain’s bus fares were last at this level in 2009.

IN BRIEF

BLAZEFIELD PUBLIC INQUIRY

Transdev Blazefield’s Rosso business has been called to appear at a public inquiry on September 7 to answer allegations of failing to operate registered local bus services. Local media reports in May 2022 suggested Rosso had cut more than 800 journeys in a single week as the operator struggled with a severe staffing crisis.

DRT PILOT AXED

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has announced it is to end the pilot of the Leeds Flexibus demand responsive transport pilot as a result of poor patronage just 18 months into the service’s three-year trial. An average of 242 passengers used the service in east Leeds each week, but with a flat fare of £2, and concessionary passes being accepted, the service costs a substantial £16.03 per passenger to deliver.

STAGECOACH AND BT OFFER TICKETS

Scheme offers 10% saving to certain BT employees

TICKETING

Stagecoach has launched its first ever UK-wide corporate ticketing scheme in partnership with BT Group. The scheme means that all employees who work at BT or EE Contact Centres across the UK will have access to a 10% saving on 7 and 28 day MegaRider tickets.

The launch fo the new scheme makes use of developments within the Stagecoach Bus App, allowing organisations across the UK to partner with Stagecoach to offer their employees discounted tickets when purchased using their bus tickets through the app.

British bus fares fell by 7.6% in the year to March 2023

“Patronage has steadied at around 85% of pre-pandemic levels”

HS2 terminus budget criticised by MPs

The budget allocated for the construction of the London terminus of HS2 has been labelled as ‘unrealistic’ by a cross-party group of MPs

HS2

The budget allocated for the construction of the London terminus of Britain’s high-speed railway line, HS2, was deemed “unrealistic” from the outset, according to a report from a cross-party group of MPs. The government’s decision to delay the construction will result in an additional cost of at least £200m, they warn.

The rebuilding of Euston station to accommodate the high-speed trains has proven to be a major challenge for the increasingly controversial HS2 project. The endeavour has faced delays and significant cost overruns, with the projected expenses now potentially surpassing £70bn, up from the initial estimate of £37.5bn in 2013.

In an attempt to rein in the escalating costs, the government announced earlier this year its plans to temporarily suspend work at Euston and the final stretch of track, which will be a 7.2km tunnel into central London. In the interim, HS2 services will terminate at Old Oak Common station in West London, which is currently under construction.

Additionally, work on the section between Birmingham and Crewe was delayed by two years. The government justified these measures as a means to put the project on a “more realistic and stable footing”.

According to the report from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, the earlier

budget estimates for the new HS2 station at Euston were “completely unrealistic.” The committee states that at the time when the decision was made to pause the work, the estimated cost for the station was £4.8bn, far exceeding the original budget of £2.6bn.

The PAC calls on the Department for Transport to provide greater transparency in its six-monthly updates to MPs. Previous updates to parliament on cost pressures at Euston did not disclose the risks that construction costs could be significantly higher than unexpected for the station left

undisclosed by the DfT.

The committee also highlights that the upfront costs of halting the rebuild work will initially amount to £200m for taxpayers. However, the government “does not know what the additional costs and impacts will be from its decision to pause construction”. The government has also failed to grasp the full impact of inflation on the Euston rebuild.

Meanwhile, the MPs found that despite eight years of planning, the government has not reached a consensus on the design and goals for the station.

In 2020, ministers already downscaled plans for Euston by reducing the number of HS2 platforms from 11 to 10. However, a National Audit Office report earlier this year revealed that this revised plan was still £400m costlier than the original proposal.

The PAC report highlights that the consequences of the

delay on local residents and businesses are still “unknown.”

The HS2 construction sites at Euston, which have undergone demolition in recent years, are situated adjacent to homes and commercial establishments.

The report also concludes that the government has not learned from past troubled major infrastructure projects like Crossrail, the long-delayed but now successful east-west underground railway in London. Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier said the expansion of Euston station was a project that was “floundering”.

She continued: “This is a multibillion pound scheme which has already caused major disruption to the local community put on pause. The pause, ostensibly to save money, is not cost free - mothballing and possible compensation for businesses which have lost work will all need to be added to the HS2 tally. The government must now be clear what it is trying to achieve with this new station, and how it will benefit the public.

“Our report finds that a wildly unrealistic budget for HS2 Euston was set in 2020 in the expectation that it would be revised. The government must demonstrate that it is not just repeating the same mistakes of unrealistic costings. HS2 Euston has shown us that forging ahead over-optimistically in an unclear direction is clearly not the right approach.”

In response, the government affirmed its commitment to delivering HS2 from Euston to Manchester in a cost-effective manner, highlighting its decision earlier this year to rephase the construction of Euston to achieve a financial balance and continuing work on an affordable design for the new Euston terminus.

“The government must demonstrate that it is not just repeating the same mistakes”

Euston rebuild has proven to be a major challenge

Report advocates high speed rail in Midlands

East Midlands region would benefit from ‘shifting geographies’

INVESTMENT

A new report by Transport for the East Midlands has presented a compelling case for better high speed rail links across the East Midlands region.

Full speed ahead: bringing high speed rail to the East Midlands highlights the advantages of extending HS2 to the East Midlands and Sheffield, as outlined in the UK Government’s Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP).

Integration of HS2 with other projects, such as the Midlands Rail Hub and Midland Main Line electrification, would also enhance connectivity between cities and towns in the East Midlands and major centres like London and Birmingham.

Once HS2 is fully operational, the number of people within a

SECOND NEW GWR STATION OPENS

Marsh Barton station opens to passengers

INVESTMENT

Marsh Barton station in Exeter opened to passengers on July 4. The £16m project has been delivered by Devon County Council in collaboration with Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) and built by construction and civil engineering firm GRAHAM.

The station will be served by hourly GWR services between Paignton and Exmouth, with additional services at peak times. It will improve active

90-minute rail journey of Derby will increase by over 500,000, and an additional 600,000 people will be within 90 minutes of Chesterfield. The report claims these “shrinking geographies” will result in more employment opportunities for East Midlands residents and greater trade for local businesses.

The report’s analysis indicates that HS2 will nearly double the number of jobs in high-value, rail-linked sectors within an hour of Nottingham by rail, and almost quadruple the number of jobs within two hours.

The reduced travel times made possible by HS2 will effectively bring major urban areas closer to the East Midlands. The report

adds that this means London will seemingly “move” 60 miles north to Northamptonshire in relation to Derby, Chesterfield, and Nottingham, while Birmingham will “shift” 30 miles northeast between Derby and Loughborough, relative to Nottingham.

This shift in proximity will enable residents to reach the capital much faster for work, business, or leisure purposes.

Maria Machancoses, chief executive of Midlands Connect, expressed her enthusiasm for the report’s conclusions, emphasising the significance of high speed rail for the Midlands region.

She stated: “The East Midlands is an area so poorly served by rail at the moment; with these proposals in place, connections from North to South, and East to West, will be quicker and easier.

“The case for delivering HS2 from Birmingham to the East Midlands is overwhelming.”

VIRGIN’S ‘BRAND CATASTROPHE’

REPUTATION

Internal company emails revealed in a $250m lawsuit suggest that Virgin Group was on the verge of a “brand catastrophe” due to challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The case, currently underway in London’s High Court, involves Virgin’s legal action against Floridabased rail operator Brightline, which briefly operated as Virgin Trains USA from 2018 until ditching the 20-year licensing deal with Virgin Group less than two years later.

Brightline used an exit clause in its contract, claiming the Virgin brand had lost its “international high repute”. The train operator also claimed some of Virgin’s own employees appeared to agree with this assessment as a result of public criticism of the tax arrangements of Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic’s request for a UK government bailout during the pandemic while asking staff to take unpaid leave.

In response Virgin said Brightline’s claims were “cynical and spurious”.

travel links between Alphington, Marsh Barton, and the Riverside Valley Park.

The station was opened by transport secretary Mark Harper, who also used his visit to the south west to see the newly-opened Dawlish sea wall. “I am delighted to see the completion of these major projects, delivering a government commitment to improve a vital rail route for passengers in the South West,” he said.

Marsh Barton is the second of three new GWR stations opening this year along with Reading Green Park (opened in May) and Portway Park & Ride (due to open this summer).

“The case for delivering HS2... is overwhelming”

Maria Machancoses

Brightline used exit clause to ditch Virgin Trains brand

Mark Harper celebrates the opening of Marsh Barton with stakeholders, guests and railway colleagues

“The East Midlands is an area so poorly served by rail at the moment”

No more TrawsCymru electric buses until 2025

Despite introducing eight new electric Yutong single deckers on the T1 TrawsCymru service in March, no more will be acquired until 2025/26

VEHICLES

No more electric buses will be bought for the TrawsCymru network until 2025/26, Transport for Wales has revealed. The Welsh Government has committed to operating the entire network with electric or low-emission buses by 2026.

Eight new Yutong electric buses began to operate the T1 Carmarthen to Aberystwyth route in March, using new depot facilities in Carmarthen. Vehicles are substituted during the day, since the route is too long and hilly for a day’s operation on a single charge. First Cymru operates the service on-behalf of TfW.

Pelican Bus and Coach, which supplied the Yutong vehicles, worked with Carmarthenshire

Council and TfW to develop a bespoke vehicle specification for the service. They offer a number of modern features including reading lights, tables, cordless charging and USB sockets, arm rests, information screens and an air purification system.

This month, TfW said the vehicles’ introduction had been very positive overall. “There’s very little, if any, negative feedback. Patronage is up. There have been no vehicles running out of battery halfway into Aberystwyth, as predicted by some.”

The next roll-out of electric vehicles, expected in 2025/26, would probably involve a bigger order for buses than on the T1 because it would cover a range of TrawsCymru routes.

TfW will conduct research at stops and on vehicles to find out what has driven the patronage increase on the T1. Huw Morgan, TfW’s head of integrated transport, said: “The electric buses are one element of this, but there are lots of other elements we’ve introduced as well. We’ve redesigned the fare sets so they’re

distance-based. We’ve gone for single leg pricing, where the single fare now is half the return.

“The timetable is much better than it was in the previous iteration of the service. There are more journeys at the end of the day - it’s a longer [operating] day.” He also said the buses had been well specified, with impressive information screens.

“All of these elements make up that quality package - it’s not just about one thing. People say if you lower the fares, more people will travel. They will only travel if the bus is reliable and consistent and gives them a good experience.

“We wanted to do this as a package of what we’d like to be delivering in future, and this is the first real example where we’ve looked at lots of different elements of the journey.”

There has been further delay to the new hourly T22 service between Caernarfon, Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. Six electric buses were ordered for this and the nowdefunct Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog T19 in 2020, but the project ran into depot planning complications.

A new depot with electric charging facilities has now been established in Porthmadog. The T22 has been retendered, with a deadline last week for bids.

TfW expects it to commence in September using four vehicles, currently in storage in Anglesey.

The other two buses ordered in 2020 have been transferred to Newport Transport for use on the T7 Chepstow to Bristol service. TfW said they will remain there after the T22 begins. They are capable of a full day’s work on the T7 route on one charge. They are supplemented each day by a Euro VI diesel bus, which is also compliant in Bristol’s Clean Air Zone.

First Cymru operates eight electric buses on the T1 TrawsCymru route

“The electric buses are one element of this, but there are lots of other elements we’ve introduced as well” Huw Morgan, Transport for Wales

53 South East stations set to go contactless

More than 400 stations to accept Pay As You Go

TICKETING

The government has announced expansion of contactless Pay As You Go rail ticketing in south east England with 53 extra stations introducing tap-in tap-out ticketing by the end of the year.

Pay As You Go is already available at over 350 stations across London and the South East. Now the government has announced that number will jump to over 400 as a result of a new partnership with Transport for London (TfL) and train operators c2c, Southeastern, South Western Railway, London Northwestern, and Chiltern.

The government said it has been actively pursuing reforms of rail ticketing in recent months,

as part of its commitment to simplifying and modernising fares and ticketing across the entire network. This includes significant measures such as implementing extended single-leg pricing on the LNER network.

“By encouraging more people to use our railways through simpler and more convenient ticketing, the government is helping to not only bring our railways into

the 21st century but enable more people to travel for work and pleasure, in turn helping to deliver on our priority to grow the economy,” said the Department for Transport.

Rail minister Huw Merriman added that one of the best ways to get more people using the network was to ensure journeys were as simple, flexible and convenient as possible.

“The government’s programme for rail reform prioritises exactly that,” he added. “By removing the stress of finding the best deal in advance or having the right ticket ready to go at the barriers, the extension of tap-in tap-out ticketing is the next step of our plan for rail reform and we’re working towards Pay As You Go being rolled out beyond the South East through the Midlands and up to the North.”

TfW still working on South Wales pilot

Pay As You Go pilots still on track despite delays

Transport for Wales has confirmed that it is still working on Pay As You Go ticketing pilots for South Wales. In January 2022 it said the initiative would commence in autumn 2022, but the launch of the first pilot is still awaited.

The aim is to run separate pilots on rail and bus initially, before combining them to trial multi-modal Pay as you Go. Huw Morgan, TfW’s head of integrated transport, told

Passenger Transport this month that the initiative would start with rail passengers being invited to tap in and out at two gated stations - Newport and Cardiff Centraland at Pontyclun, west of Cardiff, where validators will be installed at the platforms.

He said there was progress with tap on tap off ticketing on buses in South Wales, with Stagecoach and Cardiff Bus offering the facility on their own products. TfW was working with Visa on

a solution which would allow operators’ different ticketing and payment services providers to tokenise transactions, which would be able to flow between the systems.

In North Wales, tap on tap off is already available on most bus routes with adult day fares capped at £6, in line with the 1bws paper ticket introduced in 2021 across all 27 bus operators. All operators in the region use Ticketer and Littlepay. “The ‘taps’ are all decrypted the same way,” said Morgan.

Work is under way on potential new bus products for North Wales, such as weekly or four-

Pay As You Go is widely used across London and the surrounding area with TfL data showing that more than 75% of all Tube and rail Pay As You Go journeys regularly made using contactless payment cards or mobile devices, compared to 25% in 2016. Plans have been announced for a pilot Pay As You Go ticketing scheme in Greater Manchester with confirmation expected later this year.

“We have long called for fares to be made easier and more flexible - our extensive fare consultation in collaboration with Transport Focus in 2019 overwhelmingly demonstrated the need for modernising rail fares,” said Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group.

“The introduction of contactless, Pay As You Go payments is a significant step in the right direction. It eliminates the need to queue at ticket machines or pre-book paper tickets, allowing passengers to simply tap their contactless cards or devices to pay for their journey.”

weekly capping of adult fares. However, making the provision multi-modal across North Wales would present major challenges because many train fares within the region are considerably higher than £6. A Wrexham to Holyhead off peak return by rail, for example, costs £40.50.

“Pay As You Go for rail is very much seen as an urban solution, rather than necessarily a panWales solution,” said Morgan. “The vision certainly would be to roll out multi-model rail and bus ticketing across the main urban centre of Wales as a minimum.”

Moves forms part of rail fare reforms

“We have long called for fares to be made easier and more flexible”

Campaigners launch ‘Fewer Flights Charter’

Free train tickets and more realistic journey times form part of Campaign for Better Transport’s plan to reduce the environmental impact of aviation

AVIATION

Campaign for Better Transport

is challenging the government and airlines to do more to reduce aviation’s growing carbon emissions by giving passengers ‘realistic’ journey times when booking and free train tickets. Publishing its ‘Fewer Flights Charter’ on July 6, the transport charity has outlined a 10-point plan to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment and give travellers better information.

The Charter calls for realistic journey times which include airport processing time, and better information about carbon emissions so that travellers can make more informed choices when booking domestic flights. It also calls for free train tickets

BYD-ADL SUPPLY SHEFFIELD ZEBS

Enviro200EV buses will be publicly-owned

ZERO EMISSION BUSES

Alexander Dennis and BYD UK have announced that they will supply four single deck buses to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. The four electric BYD–Alexander Dennis Enviro200EV single deck buses will be the first zeroemission buses in Sheffield, reducing emissions inside the city’s Clean Air Zone, which launched earlier this year. They will convert the Sheffield Connect service to electric operation. Linking destinations around the heart of the city and

to encourage international passengers to ditch the car when travelling to the airport and reforms to aviation taxation to reduce the overall number of domestic and private flights. Norman Baker, from Campaign for Better Transport, said:

FEWER FLIGHTS CHARTER

“The government’s strategy for achieving net zero aviation relies on technological advancements which are decades away when we need to cut carbon emissions now. The only way to do that for fewer flights to operate and our 10-point charter offers a way to

Require airlines to show realistic travelling times for domestic flights; Publish CO2 emissions for domestic flights and the equivalent rail option; Require airlines to offer free rail tickets to the airport for passengers taking international flights; Introduce a domestic flight reduction target; Introduce a tax on domestic aviation fuel; Reverse the cut in Air Passenger Duty for domestic flights; Introduce a new rate of Air Passenger Duty for all private jet passengers; Apply VAT to every private jet flight; Penalise airlines for flying empty aircraft unnecessarily; Invest in more railway lines and stations and improve fares and ticketing.

running up to every 10 minutes, the route provides residents and visitors with easy links to and from train, tram and other bus services.

The 10.2-metre long buses will be publicly-owned by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, which will provide them to the bus company chosen to operate the service. They have been part-funded by the UK Government’s Zero-Emission Regional Bus Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

Martin Dunleavy, regional sales manager at Alexander Dennis, said:

“We look forward to playing our part in supporting South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard’s vision to transform the public transport network with the four publicly-owned zero-emission buses for the city of Sheffield.”

immediately reduce the aviation sector’s impact on the climate whilst simultaneously boosting the rail market.”

Domestic and international aviation emissions have been steadily rising, growing by 124% between 1990 and 2019, making aviation the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. Last week’s Climate Change Committee report highlighted the UK’s lack of progress in reducing carbon emissions from transport and in particular that new technologies alone are not enough to reach net zero by 2050.

With the aviation sector failing to address its impact on the climate in any meaningful way, Campaign for Better Transport is urging the government and airlines to sign up to its Fewer Flights Charter to help give people greener, more sustainable transport options when travelling within the UK, and immediately start to reduce carbon emissions from flying without waiting for new technologies to take effect.

GO-AHEAD LONDON BYD UK and Alexander Dennis have taken a repeat order from Go-Ahead London for a further 141 battery-electric buses, taking the total to be delivered to the operator during 2023 to 299 vehicles. In total, 169 Enviro400EV double deckers and 130 Enviro200EV single deckers are expected to be supplied by the end of 2023.

EPM solution for TfW

Transport for Wales to improve efficiency of network with Contract Performance solution

Transport for Wales is to improve the performance of their TrawsCymru contracted bus services with the adoption of EPM’s new solution, Contract Performance. Developed for local transport authorities the system manages all stages of contract procurement, management, and performance analysis in one intuitive platform.

A key aim of Transport for Wales, a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government, is to improve the quality of the service delivery of their contracted network to encourage people to use public transport.

TfW is keen to manage contract performance efficiently and consistently using the data available from systems that support bus operations to automate monitoring and analysis, rather than it being a manual and time intensive task.

Working in partnership with TfW in overcoming its challenges, EPM designed a powerful solution that enables TfW to manage all stages of contract management, including performance analysis. The solution standardises processes as well as providing them with the capability to

benchmark operators against key performance indicators.

The intuitive solution provides an overall performance score for the contracted network and for individual operators using a combination of existing data from EPM and third-party solutions. Bus operators are scored based on three key standards: reliability, driver, vehicle and operator processes, which includes vehicle maintenance.

Integration with the EPM Insights platform provides advanced analytics, the reporting capability allows TfW to drill down into the data and investigate the root cause of any identified issues and gain a deeper understanding of individual operator scores. The powerful management information provides actionable insights to drive network improvements and improve passenger satisfaction.

Lee Robinson, development director for Mid, North and Rural Wales at Transport for Wales said: “We are confident the Contract Performance solution will support us in achieving our goal and that it will provide us with valuable in-depth knowledge and understanding of the TrawsCymru contracted network.

“A key aspect of the platform is monitoring the performance of our contracts and having on-demand visibility of this will enable us to develop improvement plans and ensure a quality service is being delivered to meet the needs of our local communities.”

ROUND-UP

TFWM TRAVEL APP

One app, one account, covering everywhere

APPS

Plans to launch a West Midlands-wide travel app giving everybody access to all transport modes in one place for the first time have taken a major step forward. Transport for West Midlands has appointed FOD Mobility Group to help design, develop and deliver the new wide-ranging mobility as a service app using their Mobilleo MaaS platform.

The app will offer customers a new approach to travelling around the West Midlands. Users can plan journeys, receive live travel information, book and pay for all local transport options – including buses, trains, trams, e-Scooters, walking, cycle hire, taxis, Demand Responsive Transpor, car rental, car club and parking. Wherever the user wants to travel to, the app gives them the most convenient, costeffective and sustainable option, tailored to their individual preferences.

This is a step towards TfWM’s ambition of one app, one account, everywhere they could want to go, accessible at their fingertips.

It is designed to revolutionise public and shared transport in the region by making it easier and quicker for people to get information, choose more sustainable travel and find the best value fares. It will replace the existing TfWM app.

The development has been funded from the Department for Transport’s Future Transport Zone programme.

NORMANDY PAYG

Users can travel around with a simple swipe

TICKETING

With the FAIRTIQ mobile postpaid pay-as-you-go (PAYG) app, passengers can now travel with complete flexibility, without having to worry about buying a ticket in advance. This new e-ticketing system will gradually be rolled out across Normandy. Since June 28, the FAIRTIQ app is available on the Twisto (Caen la mer) and LiA (Le Havre Seine Métropole) networks, as well as on Nomad Car routes 111 and 122, which link these metropolitan areas.

Users open the FAIRTIQ app and swipe to start their journey, then swipe again at the end to complete their journey. The application calculates the best applicable fare and charges it afterwards.

ARRIVA CLICK IT ARRIVES IN ITALY

Booking app for ondemand public transport

DRT

Arriva Italy has partnered with ioki, a leading platform provider for digital solutions in Europe, to develop an app-based solution for booking on-demand bus services in the province of Cremona. The Arriva Click IT app works by grouping passenger journeys with similar start and end destinations to provide ‘on-demand’ transport solutions. In Italy, the on-demand bus operations will be served by Arriva’s Stradibus. Previously these services required a telephone call to book.

“It will provide us with valuable indepth knowledge and understanding”

Lee Robinson, TfW

JONATHAN BRAY

Why we need the politics of dignity

Public transport can bestow dignity on both a city and its citizens. Politics determines whether it does - and we need more of it

December 1, 1955: Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man on a bus in Montgomery and was arrested. This led to a year long bus boycott which ultimately led to segregation on city buses being lifted (in theory at least). In the process Rosa Parks became an enduring symbol of the civil rights movement in the US. In 1963 these protests became a model for the response to the colour bar on employment on municipal bus services in Bristol - a policy broken by boycotts, campaigning and non violent direct action.

October 2019: Santiago, Chile. Secondary school students began a campaign of fares evasion. They are doing it in protest at fares increases on what was already a relatively expensive transit system for the region - and in the context of a wider cost of living crisis. Before long this escalated into widespread protests and rioting which led to a state of emergency being declared. Something similar happened in Brazil in 2013 in the ‘Revolta do Busão’ (bus rebellion) where protests about public transport fares were the spark for wider protests about government corruption and economic inequality.

It’s interesting how often public transport becomes the trigger and arena where fractures in the social fabric find expression. Often it’s something to do with dignity. The dignity that public transport can provide through allowing people to participate in civic life, particularly because those with the least are often most

reliant on public transport. And perhaps also because of the public theatre of public transport use lends itself to the playing out of wider social tensions. Buses in particular are a largely unsupervised social space, where the existing passengers are the audience for the interaction between the driver and passenger. As was the case for Rosa Parks (the driver she defied in 1955 had, on an earlier occasion, taken her fare at the front of the bus - then driven off before she was able to get back on the bus at the rear of the vehicle to access the seats designated for black people).

It’s perhaps in the US that the politics of dignity are most explicitly emphasised on transport. Its role is both in providing access to the civic and in acknowledging and addressing the sins of the past (reflecting the legacy of Rosa Parks and the wider civil rights movement). In the US you will find free fares schemes introduced not on the basis of fond hopes of attracting middle class people out of their cars but solely on the basis of providing access to opportunity for excluded communities. You have a transportation

secretary in Washington who says: “…highways routed directly through black and brown neighborhoods, often in an effort to divide and destroy them, continue to affect the well-being of the residents who remain. In other cases, we see inequities in our failures to invest, as with transit deserts that leave out the communities that most need affordable transportation options, or contracting opportunities for transportation projects that fail to engage and utilize women and people of color.”

And in New York City you have a transport authority that has been leading the way on supporting minority and women owned business to take up the contracting opportunities it offers (half a billion dollars worth and counting). Here in the UK, on transport, the politics of dignity are not as explicitly focussed on outputs as they can be in the USA but more often on seeking to ensure that the diversity of transport organisations themselves better reflects the diversity of the areas they serve.

At this point I would like to widen out the argument to say that transport can not only give dignity to individuals in a city it can also lend dignity to the city itself. Or as the chief executive of London Transport, Frank Pick, wasn’t afraid to say, in 1935: “Underneath all the commercial activities of the board, underneath all its engineering and operations, there is the revelation and realisation of something which is in the nature of the work of art… it is in fact a conception of a metropolis as a centre of life, of civilisation, more intense, more eager, more vitalising than has ever so far been obtained.”

Where a transport authority prioritises good design, where there is an ambition and a generosity of spirit, a city’s public transport can enhance a city’s identity and add to its allure. The example of London Transport is well known but Montreal’s Metro system is another good example. Montreal had been dreaming of a subway for decades but it finally happened under the determined and visionary leadership of mayor Jean Drapeau in the 1960s. It also tied in with the city hosting Expo 67, often cited as the most successful World Fair of the 20th Century. The coming together in Montreal of the right people at the right time, from many disciplines, led to the creation of a subway system of enduring character, where art, architecture and engineering fuse and flow,

“Some people in the sector’s dearest hope is that the politics will be taken out of transport. Not going to happen”

and which in turn shaped the city’s character. Some people in the sector’s dearest hope is that the politics will be taken out of transport. Not going to happen. If democracy were to be further eroded I can guarantee it won’t be because of a burning desire of politicians to make the working lives of transport professionals more predictable. Politics determines what we have now and will determine how it changes. Indeed we could do with more political energy, more of the politics of dignity focussed on public transport in the UK - instead of it all being to do with the culture wars over cars. Be it air quality charges and low traffic neighbourhoods in London, or radical plans to tackle traffic in Oxford and Cambridge, it’s limiting the free movement of cars which gets more people mobilised, argumentative and prepared to act.

We could do with more parallel cultural forces on the side of public transport with an ability to infiltrate and drain some of the poison from the ‘war on motorists’ framing that so often becomes the meta narrative. There are some tentative signs of this on

both sides of the Atlantic. For example, in the US you have the ‘New Urbanist Memes for Transit-Oriented Teens’ (NUMTOTs) movement which is fundamentally pro-public transport. Although, with its knowing in-jokes and sideways social media savvy it’s a world away from the way public transport is usually framed. NUMTOTs’ rapid growth, and backing for progressive transport policy, has given more young people the confidence to make their own way in the transport sector - as well as earning it praise from presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (who also joined the group).

Meanwhile in the UK we have Francis Bourgeois geeking out so hard and endearingly that he has, almost, made trainspotting cool. Equally unlikely a few years ago we also now have musicals about bus deregulation… on roller skates.

Public transport can bestow dignity on both a city and all its citizens. Politics determines whether it does or doesn’t. And when it doesn’t then the intrinsic nature of public transport means it can be the flashpoint and arena for

wider discontents. We therefore need more of the politics of dignity focussed on public transport. We need a widening out of the UK transport’s organisational focus on equalities and diversity - to also encompass what those organisations do for all the people and places they serve. And we also need to welcome the new forces that are capable of infiltrating the cultural territory of the transport debate that technical arguments just can’t reach, in short memes, roller skates, and dreaming like Frank Pick - not just cost benefit analysis, consultancy reports and press releases.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For decades Jonathan Bray has been at the forefront of making progressive change happen on transport - from stopping the national roads programme in its tracks in the 1990s to getting buses back under public control in the 2020s. He is an advisor to the Welsh Government on bus franchising and an independent advisor. www.jonathan-bray.com

We could do with more parallel cultural forces on the side of public transport”

Rosa Parks became an enduring symbol of the civil rights movement in the US. Pictured is a sculpture of her inside a bus at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis

ALEX WARNER

Piloting a new way of recruiting drivers

Gimmick or game-changer? Go North West’s driver recruitment campaign divides opinion, but if it succeeds others will follow

Talk to any bus bigwig and they’ll say that the challenge facing them is driver recruitment. Taking an innovative approach to attracting bus drivers is certainly not a recent phenomenon. As far back as the mid-noughties, First Bus were trailblazers in deliberately targeting Polish citizens in their own country and literally bringing them over to the UK. They created a legacy in which driving buses is seen as an extremely popular and respected choice of profession for those emigrating to bus companies on these shores. Many other organisations have worked tirelessly in recent times to attract female drivers, through more targeted recruitment campaigns and by de-bunking myths about bus driving.

A day out accompanying me on one of my mystery shopping expeditions will, though, confirm that driver recruitment is as big an unsolved issue as ever. Performance remains patchy in parts with cancellations attributed to driver shortages. Many drivers that I encounter are instinctively friendly but, on probing, lack product knowledge and confidence. It’s fairly obvious that they are inexperienced and that in some cases they’ve been recruited and trained too hastily in order to get them out on the road. Within these challenging times, the high profile driver recruitment campaign carried out by Go Ahead’s North West subsidiary has not gone unnoticed. Having won the first tranche of Greater Manchester bus franchise tenders, the company is clearly determined to successfully mobilise the new sectors - their

winning bid is reputed to be audacious and the consequences of failing from a reputational perspective mean they’ve no alternative but to think big and, arguably, bold in terms of their resourcing plan. Fair play for taking the bull by the horns with such conviction and ambition. Go North West’s dynamic campaign takes a new approach to drivers and positions them as pilots. Their adverts play on airline jargon and the drivers are dressed in swanky pilot uniforms. The campaign has, however, raised eyebrows within the bus industry with several wags finding it patronising and demeaning towards drivers, whilst others applaud its fresh style. I oscillate between a mix of wincing and occasional admiration for their bold style. It’s certainly brave of Nigel Featham, the Go

North West’s MD, who - let’s just say - isn’t on the periphery of the campaign. His presence in some of the images, one in particular, sees him right in the centre of a triangle of his pilots, suited and booted and standing out like a James Bond character, does at least illustrate that any new recruit can stand shoulder to shoulder with the managing director.

There’s also a picture of what we assume are a group of drivers with bright yellow t-shirts emblazoned ‘Feel the need for a reasonable speed’ and the aviation-style logo used for the campaign. Everyone has both arms up doing thumbs up signs and there’s no one looking more excited than the hugely-experienced Featham, centre-stage in front of them.

You sense that the rest of the bus industry is watching to see how Go North-West’s ‘biggest ever driver recruitment campaign’ (as they describe it) pans out. Will it resonate with those the company wishes to recruit?

Last week, I spoke to a senior bus bod with significant experience in Manchester and his view was interesting: “All that matters is the headline pay rate, nothing else. All those that are being tapped up are interested in is earning enough money in their houses in Rochdale or Heaton Park and other generally deprived parts of Greater Manchester to pay their rent and put a roof over their heads and food on the table. If they wanted to be pilots they would have chosen that career path. It’s an entirely different market and can’t be dressed up as anything comparable. You’re not travelling the world, instead you’re going back and forth between Manchester and Bury.”

He has a point, albeit the video does state that earnings can be as high as £30,000. Maybe that statement alone has enough power, without the other razzmatazz - it’s difficult to tell.

Another Mancunian commented to me: “It’s a bit of a sub-conscious reminder to those who might apply that they didn’t have the opportunities or ability to become a pilot, which is generally regarded as a more glamorous and highly lucrative career”. Hmm, we’re in sensitive territory here.

Another bus insider suggested that the industry should not keep trying to recreate the role of drivers, pretending it is something that it isn’t. It’s a minefield and one wag claimed this approach was akin to turning drivers into circus-act performers.

Go North West is in an invidious position

Nigel Featham (centre) and his bus ‘pilots’

- trying something new is necessary because the current challenge of recruiting new drivers feels unsolvable. Maybe rebranding the role of drivers is required - not dissimilar to the way in which perceptions of bus travel have been changed by luxury interiors - leather seats, Wi-Fi, plug-chargers and Ray Stenning-style branding inside and out. We know that this has in places changed the public’s view of buses and that mindsets can be shifted. So too, a new re-brand for drivers may have similar success.

However, pretending drivers aren’t drivers does remind me of cricket’s attempt to be cool and trendy. It thought that the long Test Matches were boring and created a new competition called the Hundred, which lasts two and a half hours and involves newly created teams that no one has any affinity with. The television commentators are encouraged to use hyperbole - every ball bowled or shot hit is made out to be utterly amazing and even the most one-sided match is the greatest ever. ‘It’s cricket but not as we know it’ is a strapline oft-used for this game in which the sport’s administrators are ashamed to be associated with cricket and try and convince themselves it isn’t. The chap who dreamt up the competition phoned me and said “to be honest Alex, we don’t want people like you and your mates at these matches”. So too, the following day, the chair of the English Cricket Board called me to hammer home this point. I suspect Go North West aren’t averse to traditional bus drivers still applying, but sometimes, it feels that, like cricket, the industry as a whole is embarrassed by the concept of bus driving and too intent on dressing it up as something it isn’t.

The Go North West video is certainly eye-catching. It features an immaculately attired driver with tie and lapels, taking off sunglasses and a voiceover telling us - “These nerves are made of steel baby… I’m on the route to greatness. Now this is the life…life in the bus lane. I’m the king of the road, master of the 561... this is greatness.” The narrator has a film star, striking tone - as far removed perhaps from your average bus driver in Salford, but there is then the admission “this isn’t my real voice” so, pleasingly, it would seem that it isn’t trying to take itself too seriously.

The challenge with driver recruitment is indeed the ‘reality’. The campaign looks so slick, impactful, well-produced and glitzy that it feels somewhat out of sync with how I

imagine it is like booking on in a depot on a wet February Monday morning in Manchester. To a cautious applicant a quick Google search tells the tale of the longest trade union dispute in the history of Unite that occurred in Go North West in 2021, as the company tried to make cost savings it felt were necessary after acquiring the business. In a world far removed from that portrayed in the recruitment adverts, Unite claimed in February that 80 CCTV cameras were introduced that year in the Queens Road depot and that poor Featham has a screen on his desk, Big Brother-style, solely linked to the camera monitoring the area where drivers are allowed to take smoking breaks. I’d be amazed if this was the case, but conspiracy theories do abound during times of industrial unrest. Meanwhile, any conversation with any bus driver the length and breadth of the UK will reveal the reality of under-invested bus depots, municipal canteens and mess facilities, long shifts, unrealistic running times, unsympathetic and uninspiring depot allocators who are the first face a driver sees when they start their shift, buses with defects that haven’t been fixed, grumpy customers, anti-social behaviour, delays and a line management structure that means you won’t actually ever see your boss unless you’re in trouble. I’d say that in all probability, given their track record of high quality, professional stewardship of transport businesses, that a driver has a better chance of happiness working in Go Ahead than most other companies, particularly as their North West business is small enough for its leaders to be visible to every driver, providing they have the conviction to be among them, once the camera has stopped rolling on this campaign - which I’ve no reason to doubt will be the case.

The obvious challenge is around the expectations of the role when the new drivers are inducted, and this is where the local management team have a lot to live up to. I was reminded of the challenges faced by bus drivers on four days’ mystery shopping last week as part of my Great Scenic Journeys business. One bus driver had to contend with an angry customer who nearly missed his bus because the bus stop flag had been so damaged it was almost invisible. Another driver shied away, not unreasonably, from dealing with abusive vagrants making use of the £2 fare for a three-hour journey from one deprived location

to a big city, whilst abusing fellow customers. Another one of our mystery shoppers had his bus diverted into the depot because an elderly driver, believed to be drunk, crashed head-on with the bus. Meanwhile, the driver of one open top tour bus had to miss out the climax of their journey across a bridge in one major city due to significant traffic congestion - much to the dismay of customers. I also travelled on two buses where the driver had to deal with ticket rolls being spewed out of his faulty machine. All in a day’s work!

Perhaps we should laud Go North West for its fresh approach to a complex issue. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham must be purring at the energy, conviction and speed at which Go-Ahead, the first to be awarded the bus contracts, has thrown themselves into recruiting drivers . He may be impressed at the different approach being taken, not just to recruit drivers but to attract customerfocused talent from outside the sector. He might feel that the traditional image of bus drivers represents a bad old days of combative commercial bus operations in his region and be excited by Go-Ahead’s bold new approach.

A real Go-Ahead USP is its devolved structure and approach, enabling subsidiaries to flourish by having autonomy and capitalising on their knowledge of their own market conditions and enabling campaigns such as that in Manchester to be conceived and delivered locally. The talented duo of Christian Schreyer, Go-Ahead’s CEO, and Martin Dean, who leads the regional bus division, will be watching how it pans out. Even if a less bold and more nuanced approach might rest more comfortably with many, this could, just could, be game changing if it works. I wish Go North West the very best - the industry needs the Manchester launch to be a success and I suspect it probably will be.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Warner has over 30 years’ experience in the transport sector, having held senior roles on a multi-modal basis across the sector. He is co-founder of recruitment business Lost Group and transport consultancy AJW Experience Group (which includes Great Scenic Journeys). He is also chair of West Midlands Grand Rail Collaboration and chair of Surrey FA.

between a mix of wincing and occasional admiration for their bold style”

COMMENT NICK RICHARDSON

Can we do more on accessibility?

The tradition by which the needs of disabled people were considered as an add-on or even not at all is becoming a thing of the past. Changing the culture of transport planners and engineers is progressing but there is still some way to go. The Equality Act 2010 set out the legal requirements to ensure that there is equality of opportunity in all aspects of life including transport; this covers everyone including people who share particular protected characteristics.

There is inevitably a wide range of passenger transport users, but a significant proportion - possibly exceeding one in five - consider themselves to be in what used to be known as minority groups. Despite being a minority, the law requires that their needs are considered and hopefully we have got beyond the stage at which ‘hard to reach’ groups fall into the category of ‘easy to ignore’. This means that every stage of the journey proposition, infrastructure and vehicles should consider accessibility for everyone. This should also extend to accessing information about passenger services which varies considerably depending on provider, location and access to the media through which information is provided.

Appropriate provision

The problem then arises about what is a reasonable adjustment to achieve this, given that much of our infrastructure is far from new. An interesting example is the recent

upgrade of the Glasgow Subway network which rightly included creating step-free access to its stations with a few exceptions where to achieve this would require works and costs far out of proportion to the benefits. In other words, changes can and should be made where it is feasible to do so, with the realisation that some aspirations are unachievable. This built legacy appears all over the place. Many rail stations have nonstandard platform heights which previously was overcome by making sets of steps available or ignoring the problem. More recently, sections of higher platform have been created at some stations so that at least some train doors are near platform level - this is hardly revelatory but does illustrate how apparently

simple problems may be difficult to overcome. Changing platform heights universally is a very expensive business, given their length, and may require associated works such as changing external access and doorways. However, step-free access is being achieved at many stations even where this involves constructing heavyweight lifts and footbridges at considerable cost. The programme of upgrades includes various styles of footbridge ranging from the basic level to more refined versions with windows rather than mesh depending on the location and number of users. Ensuring that lifts are in working order remains a challenge and publicity stating that certain lifts are out of order is not particularly helpful if the alternative is unclear.

Addressing deficiencies

There are several reasons why social inclusion has yet to be universally embraced. The first is training: engineers and designers may find it difficult to adjust to scenarios in which inclusion is a core requirement, not an optional extra. Their original training simply may not have covered it and guidance manuals take time to be updated. Over time, resistance is likely to diminish but there remains a responsibility to ensure that all users’ interests are included. However, simply designing everything by the book needs a sense of proportion regarding the number of users and the inevitable constraints while maintaining the principle that access for everyone should not be compromised.

Allied to this is engaging with people who might be affected. Finding out how practical obstacles are overcome is instructive and finding out why people can’t access particular transport services even more so. Designing from the users’ point of view makes sense for everyone so there is justification for doing so from a business case point of view. The second problem is retrofitting infrastructure that has been in place far longer than any relevant legislation. For example, most public buildings (law courts, council offices, etc.) involve access via steps, presumably because they were designed to look important even if that excluded many of their potential users.

The third aspect is that inclusive thinking is not yet universal, a great example being the notable achievement of having step-free buses as a requirement while retaining bus stops

There have been big changes, but there’s still some way to go to ensure that everyone has access to public transport

Floating bus stops create issues for some users

that don’t enable level boarding and alighting. Exceptions occur though, for example rural Monmouthshire has provision for universal access to bus stops in some unlikely locations. The attention has been focused on vehicles but not on the wider aspects of how to get on and off them. This has left us with some lovely bus stop infrastructure that remains unusable for some. For example, it appears that the Department for Transport is eager to promote floating bus stops (in which the bus stop is separated from the footway by a cycle route) to the detriment of some users, particularly those with infirmities or those with visual impairments. Floating bus stops do work reasonably well for cyclists and bus users but are woefully inappropriate for anyone who can’t see a cyclist coming or get out of the way fast enough or has cognitive problems that mean that they can’t process what is happening. If anyone in the vicinity is unfamiliar with the layout, then problems can be expected. Taking floating bus stops specifically, it appears that Government hasn’t applied its own requirements regarding the needs of all users.

Supporting measures

There are other difficulties that need to be addressed. As usual where there is an emphasis on infrastructure, some of the potential pitfalls remain because they are not infrastructure matters. This could mean that anyone who needs access doesn’t need a ramp or something physical, they simply need some sort of human assistance. This can work fine for bus and taxi services where many drivers are trained about how to help customers with particular needs. By and large it also works on the railway but has dire consequences if no assistance is available. Unstaffed stations are a case in point which means that many places with a presence on the map are meaningless to some potential users. It seems that this absence of opportunity has prompted some businesses to flourish in providing door to door road transport for people with infirmities, using trained staff; needless to say this is not a cheap option and therefore not available to everyone regardless of need. It also means abstracting users from the passenger transport network. A further aspect is toilets at bus and rail stations and on board trains. We don’t like to talk about them but they may be the deciding

issue in whether or not a journey is made. Some new trains provide fully accessible toilets throughout but again there is a legacy problem with many train toilets being very small, even for the most able. Station toilets where available, vary from acceptable to pretty awful. Some at major stations involve steps, so unless separate provision is available, this is a problem. Hopefully the terminology of ‘accessible toilet’ will supersede ‘disabled toilet’, the latter meaning literally that it doesn’t work (which in some cases is the point because it is inaccessible!).

There may be other aspects that need to be considered such as lighting levels and sightlines both for ease of access and personal security. I recall one attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour in a bus station toilet by dimming the

lights which presumably stopped drug taking but meant that it wasn’t easy to see anything! The help points that are in place in rail and bus stations are only as good as the person on the other end of the line who may not know much more than the intending user seeking the information. If they are to be effective, then comprehensive responses are valuable. Recently-created facilities demonstrate that inclusive design benefits all users and really isn’t difficult. Inevitably each location has its own requirements and considerations and dialogue with all potential users will help shape arrangements that address everyone’s needs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Richardson is Technical Principal at transport consultancy Mott MacDonald, chair of CILT’s Bus and Coach Policy Group and a former chair of the Transport Planning Society. In addition, he has held a PCV licence for over 35 years.

“Inclusive design benefits all users and really isn’t difficult”

Many railway stations offer some form of passenger assistance, but there are plenty of unstaffed stations on the network

OIL MARKET REPORT £

Oil prices and ‘Putin’s conundrum’

We’ve hit the half-way point in the year, so a good time to review what has happened in the oil markets over the first half of 2023. In comparison to the extreme market disruption witnessed in the same period of 2022, the year so far has been refreshingly dull! This despite the broadly agreed sentiments at the start of the year, that 2023 demand would hit a historic high (as the full extent of the post lockdown “bounce back” was felt), whilst global supply would continue to falter on the back of sanctions on Russian oil. The result would surely be a continuation of the chaotic market conditions of 2022?

Not so! The first six months of 2023 have turned out quite differently, with demand sluggish and prices coming down. Crude has fallen from $84 per barrel in January to $74 per barrel today, whilst diesel has fallen by around 15 pence per litre in the same period. This latter drop in diesel prices particularly took markets by surprise, as there had been predictions of Q1 price carnage on the back of the complete European ban on refined Russian products from February 1. In fact, the impact of the latest round of sanctions was muted to say the least and Russian oil exports now actually surpass levels last seen before the invasion of Ukraine! China and India continue to underpin demand for almost all of Russia’s crude, whilst Russian diesel has found new homes outside of Europe - predominantly in

Africa and Latin America.

This would seem to be a tremendous victory for President Putin, although there may be a perverse twist to this story that could still undermine the Russian economy. Product has indeed continued to flow from Russia, but by doing so, global markets have ended up being over-supplied and prices have come down. And a significant drop in the oil price has more potential to damage the Russian economy than the country selling less oil, but at a higher price because of sanctions. We will call this “Putin’s conundrum”, whereby Russian oil must absolutely keep flowing, but by doing so, the risk of trashing total oil revenues increases. Could the global market succeed, where western sanctions have failed?

Over-supply issues in the first half of the year were so clear and obvious that OPEC announced two consecutive rounds of production cuts. President Biden immediately called these actions irresponsible, fearing that they would lead to an immediate hike in prices. But such is the current flaky nature of global oil demand that prices continued to fall. Soaring inflation and rising interest rates have created a “double whammy“ effect, whereby disposable income and consumer

spending continue to be choked. Industrial output is down and jitters around the banking network (again… yawn!) have tightened credit lines - another significant contributor to stifled growth. Fundamentally, it is still not clear whether Europe and the US will avoid recession and the result is a bearish market and falling oil prices.

How long will this situation continue?

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is sticking to its original prediction that overall oil demand in 2023 will still be up versus 2022. After all, the West could still avoid a full-blown recession and all indications are that Asian demand will grow in the second half of the year. China in particular is expected to see consumption increase by one million barrels per day. Some of this growth will be absorbed by high global stock levels, which have been deliberately built up by stock agencies (eg, US Strategic Reserve) as a resilience play in the face of the ongoing Ukrainian conflict. But a global increase in demand of between one and two million barrels per day by the end of the year would soon eat up those stockpiles and could easily send prices northbound once again. Not for the first time, the market would seem to be on a knife-edge…

The expectation that sanctions would keep Russian oil “off the table” and thus push prices upwards in 2023 has simply not materialised in the first half of this year. Ditto, the predicted diesel price spike that would follow the strictest ever EU embargoes on refined products. Instead, Russia has continued to lubricate the Indian and Chinese refining industries with copious amounts of crude, whilst at the same time, successfully finding new diesel export destinations. Nonetheless, with global prices currently falling back and just as importantly, Russian products still being sold at heavy discounts to global benchmark prices (around $10 to $15 below Brent), the failure of sanctions does not necessarily mean success for Russia’s war machine. Whilst the world economy could do without a renewed increase in energy prices, Russia increasingly needs one...

The expectation that sanctions would keep Russian oil ‘off the table’ and thus push prices upwards in 2023 has not materialised

PORTLAND FUEL ANALYTICS - JULY 2023

James Spencer Portland

“The impact of the latest round of sanctions was muted and Russian oil exports now actually surpass levels last seen before the invasion of Ukraine!”

Dervla McKay

Prestigious award for Stagecoach director

Rebecca Bathore wins at Everywoman transport awards

NEW BOSS FOR GO-AHEAD IRELAND

Edwards London moves see McKay take on role

The Go-Ahead Group has announced the appointment of Dervla McKay as managing director of Go-Ahead Ireland.

McKay has extensive experience in bus and coach operation in Ireland and England. She joins Go-Ahead from her role as managing director of FirstGroup subsidiary Aircoach, which runs express coach services across Ireland, and she has held a number of senior roles within FirstGroup since joining as a graduate trainee in 2005.

She will take up the role in the fourth quarter of 2023 replacing Andrew Edwards, who is moving to Go-Ahead London to become operations director of London’s largest bus company after three years at Go-Ahead Ireland.

Go-Ahead Ireland was appointed by the National Transport Authority to begin running services in Dublin in 2018. The company currently runs 30 routes - 25 in the outer Dublin metropolitan area, and five Dublin commuter routes. It has a fleet of more than 225 buses and employs 760 staff.

Commenting on her new role, McKay said: “Go-Ahead Ireland is an ambitious company which delivers great bus services to passengers, and I’m really excited to be taking on this new challenge.”

Stagecoach Manchester operations director Rebecca Rathore, has been announced winner of The Customer/ Passenger Leader Award at the prestigious 2023 Everywoman in Transport and Logistics Awards. Rathore has been recognised for the vital contribution she makes to transport and logistics. As women still only account for 20% of the 1.7 million people working in this industry, the awards play an important role in shifting perceptions and creating role models to inspire future female talent.

With 22 years of experience working in transport, Rathore joined Stagecoach in July 2022

NEW BOSS FOR MERSEYRAIL

Merseyrail has announced the appointment of Neil Graham as managing director.

Graham will join the train operator in August from East Midlands Railway where he is currently customer services director.

Merseyrail said he rings a wealth of experience, having previously undertaken senior leadership roles for Greater Anglia, Signet Jewellers and German retailer Lidl.

Graham replaces Andy Heath, who left Merseyrail earlier this summer and Jane English who has been acting managing director for the last 10 months.

from Manchester Airports Group as operations director. She immediately became a key member of the leadership team with operational responsibility for the largest bus operation outside of London, including 1,800 operational colleagues and 700 buses.

During her career Stagecoach said Rathore has delivered

transport schemes that help to reconnect communities, create employment opportunities, and address issues of social exclusion. Since joining the Manchester business Rathore has had a significant impact, resulting in improved performance, maximising recruitment and reducing staff turnover, which is now at its lowest levels and below pre-pandemic levels.

“I have such a strong passion for this industry, and I would like to thank Stagecoach for supporting my career,” said Rathore. “I’m excited to see what the future holds and hope I can continue to inspire women to consider a career in the transport sector.” Rathore was also named on the 2023 Northern Power Women’s Future List, which recognises leaders of the future.

“I feel very proud to have been given the opportunity to lead the fantastic team at Merseyrail, who I know share my ambition to deliver a railway that the communities we serve can be proud of,” said Graham. “This is an exciting time of transformation, with new trains being introduced, and the opportunity to deliver real improvements.”

Commenting on the appointment, Dominic Booth, chief executive of Transport UK which operates the network in partnership with Serco, said: “I am very pleased that Neil will be taking over as managing director at Merseyrail at such an exciting and transformational time for the business. Neil’s focus on the customer and providing the best possible operational service levels,

will be a great fit for the City Region. I would also like to thank Jane English for her excellent stewardship.”

John Whitehurst, managing director of Serco’s Transport business, added: “We are delighted that Neil is joining Merseyrail. He brings with him a wealth of experience and a real focus on customer service.”

Neil Graham joins from East Midlands Railway

Neil Graham

Rathore joined Stagecoach in 2022

Monkseaton artwork to be as good as new

Experts take on the task of glass restoration

Experts at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre have started work on the painstaking restoration of a stained glass art work from a busy Tyneside Metro station.

The 40-year-old ‘Beaches and Shipyards’ installation has been carefully transported from Monkseaton Metro station to the Glass Centre on the banks of the River Wear to be restored to its former glory. The move is part of a £400,000 refurbishment scheme.

MINISTER: BUSES MAKE ME FEEL SICK

Recent research published by Transport Focus has revealed that a significant number of people would never be tempted to leave their car at home and try the

SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM

is

from a schools

bus. Sadly it seems that sort of behaviour also extends to senior politicians.

Speaking in the Senedd recently, Welsh transport minister Lee Waters responded to questions from MSs about the state of the bus industry and how patronage could be rebuilt in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Waters admitted that some people had got out of the habit of using the bus as a result of coronavirus, but added that some people have never seen the benefits of travelling by bus.

by Rosalind Hurst. Meanwhile, ‘Shipyards’ is a more abstract treatment of the region’s heritage.

Stained glass expert Cate Watkinson and her team are slowly cleaning and repairing the glass installations, replacing cracked panes, and making it as good as new once again.

It’s also a labour of love for Cate who trained as a stained-glass artist under the expert supervision of Mike Davis when she studied at Sunderland Polytechnic.

“This is a fantastic project to be involved in,” said Cate. “The window will look as good as new and can be put back into place at the Metro station.”

“We know that half of people have never used the bus,” he said before admitting he had never been a particularly frequent bus user through his life as a result of certain bus-related trauma.

The minister continued: “But I have started using the bus. I tend to use train and bicycle and walk more than bus, having had bad experiences as a student of the TrawsCymru bus to Aberystwyth - even the smell of it now still makes me feel sick.”

Well it’s a bit of an extreme reaction, isn’t it?!

WATERLOO HITS THE RIGHT NOTE

Colleagues from Network Rail and South Western Railway this week marked 175 years since London Waterloo station first opened its doors to the hustle and bustle of daily London life.

The day involved 50 special guests, including rail minister Huw Merriman and Lord Hendy, the chair of Network Rail, several speeches, a plaque unveiling and an exciting visit from one of SWR’s brand-new (but rather tardy) Arterio trains.

Best of all was the staff scratch choir who greeted guests. They belted out some iconic ‘Waterloo’ songs including ABBA’s Waterloo and The Kinks’ Waterloo Sunset!

SEEN SOMETHING QUIRKY?

Why not drop us a line at editorial@passengertransport.co.uk

PT293

Artist Mike Davis incorporated the two installations into each end of Monkseaton’s glazed canopy in 1983. ‘Beach’

executed in a bold and colourful style and it was designed

competition won

Top class stained glass

This could end badly...