The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain have unveiled a strategic plan to steer the country’s coach and bus industry towards 2025, according to their recently released Annual Report for 2022-2023.
The report, which contains insight into the Commissioners’ activities and plans for the future, underscores a renewed commitment to the provision of a licensing and regulatory system which champions “safe, fair, and reliable transport.” It details several strategic objectives and priorities, including the delivery of an effective operator licensing regime, the promotion of a safe road transport industry, and continued work with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to enhance service delivery.
A significant focus is placed on utilising digital advancements to streamline processes and improve services. Plans are afoot to utilise digital bundles for Public Inquiries, providing all parties with easy access to updated information.
In addition, the Commissioners have identified opportunities for legislative changes. These changes are aimed at accommodating future modes of transport, such as autonomous and electric vehicles. They will also seek to extend the benefit of interim licences into the PSV O-Licence system.
The report also highlights plans to support improved local bus services. Among these measures, the Commissioners plan to work with stakeholders to implement enhanced partnership schemes, franchising of bus services, and promoting the Bus Open Data service to improve service transparency.
Regarding compliance, the Commissioners intend to review their approach to determining a driver’s suitability, aim to improve targeted enforcement, and work on the sharing of information with partners like DVSA and police. “We want to ensure that information on non-compliant operators is lawfully available to the relevant agencies,” the report says.
Included within the report’s contents are key statistics demonstrating the Commissioners’ diligence in ensuring regulatory compliance. This includes 14,133 O-Licence applications and variations processed, 13,747 local bus registrations processed, and 1,347 Public Inquiries determined over the year.
In his reflection on the report, Senior Traffic Commissioner Richard Turfitt lauded the dedication of the Office of the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) staff and its delivery partners.
“The Minister’s commendation in the recent review of the Traffic Commissioners, the staff in the OTC, and our delivery partners is most welcome. It recognises the hard work over the course of the last three years,” Mr Turfitt says.
