Is political view of the industry starting to change?
Upheaval in government following Liz Truss’s ascent to the post of Prime Minister has been overshadowed by the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen...
Young people: An under-represented source of staff?
Bringing in young recruits has long been seen as a saviour to the industry’s never-ending difficulties in finding enough people to drive and maintain...
BSOG reform in England: Why is it progressing so slowly?
In March 2021, the Department for Transport committed via the National Bus Strategy (NBS) to reform BSOG in England. It laid down several areas...
Time for political action on diesel prices is now, Chancellor
Diesel prices are causing great strife for operators that cannot hedge supplies. Some increases can be recovered via rates or fares, but others cannot....
Will leisure travel be the bus industry’s saviour?
Bus industry opinion on the scope of post-COVID-19 passenger recovery varies. Informed analysis says that sector-wide, at most 91% of pre-pandemic usage will return...
Home-to-school contracts: Fuel price escalator needed soon
Diesel costs are never far removed from industry discussions. One operator recently paid 170ppl for a bulk delivery. While that is high even by...
From one crisis to the next…
It would have been nice to have had a little relaxation time between the ending of COVID-19 restrictions and a European war, but lurching...
England’s bus sector left in limbo by funding uncertainty
Who would have thought less than a year ago that Boris Johnson’s promise of £3bn to “level up buses across England to London standards”...
Little sign of coach and bus industry certainty as 2022 opens
2022 begins with uncertainty. While for coaching the launch of separate awareness campaigns by two trade bodies has the potential to deliver significant benefits,...
Contract award change could drive coach decarbonisation shift
The coach industry and its stakeholders are undertaking work on reducing the sector’s environmental impact and facilitating its eventual zero-emission transition against a backdrop...
Bus modal shift needs holistic policy, report says
Piecemeal interventions will not lead to the significant modal shift to bus that is required if the UK is to meet its net zero...
