Stagecoach London Managing Director Paul Lynch (pictured, above) took over as President of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) during January. Paul marks four decades in the industry this year. His career since 1984 has captured the regulated and deregulated domestic bus sectors, while time with Swebus in Sweden during its period in Stagecoach ownership involved coach and bus operation.
While Paul considered staying in Scandinavia when Swebus was sold on, he returned to the UK. Since then, he has held various senior positions with Stagecoach, including Managing Director roles in the East Midlands and Yorkshire, Regional Director positions, and now leadership of the 1,500-vehicle London business.
Combining that with the responsibilities of CPT President in what is likely to be an election year will be difficult, but Paul is ready for the challenge.
He has seen several stiff tests before. His career began with London Regional Transport as a graduate. By the turn of the 1990s, Paul had advanced to depot manager level during the period when that organisation split its bus operations into 11 companies in preparation for privatisation.
Later, he was involved in the transition of independent operator Yorkshire Traction into the Stagecoach fold. That business was “in a bit of a state,” he notes, but it was turned around. A more recent role saw Paul heavily involved in Stagecoach’s operations in South Wales during difficult conversations between the industry and the Welsh Government on continued bus recovery funding.
Coach parking an area of focus in 2024 for CPT, says Paul Lynch
With such a breadth of experience, Paul is a highly capable choice from a bus perspective as CPT President as the industry looks towards a new government and continuation of what may be wholesale upheaval of its regulatory landscape.
For coach, Paul is clear that his depth of knowledge is less extensive. But he is keen to learn and to make an impact for operators in that part of the industry during his tenure. Parking – influenced by affairs in Bourton-on-the-Water – is something that Paul wants the Confederation to pay close attention to during 2024.
While the coach parking conundrum has been around for almost as long as the coach industry, he is hopeful that the sector’s broadening line into politicians will deliver positive change. Structural shift for coach parking is a longer-term aspiration, but the incoming President describes achieving some movement there as one of his primary aims for the year ahead.
Industry’s differing views on bus franchising noted
For bus, regulatory reform is the sector’s biggest change agent. Labour has welded its bus policy to franchising where local authorities (LAs) desire it. In Wales, franchising is planned country-wide, and the mechanism behind it forms part of the Scottish Government’s bus reform work.
Under previous group leadership, Stagecoach opposed franchising. That has changed. The group has been successful in Greater Manchester, and it has a business in the Liverpool City Region, where franchising is progressing. Paul adds that views on franchising will depend on an operator’s position as incumbent or otherwise, and the scale of its business.
With both in mind, he takes onboard concerns of SME operators about franchising’s impact on their businesses. CPT has no defined position on reregulation, Paul notes. Instead, it will assist members as they require on any such shift.
However, there remain questions about how franchises are structured and their suitability for SMEs. Smaller operators are active in the regulated London market, and Paul credits that to Transport for London’s method of awarding routes individually, including those with very low PVRs. “London is tendering rather than franchising, but they are essentially the same things,” he adds.
Awareness of that approach should factor into how franchising rolls out. Wales is a key example of why. Through a previous role Paul is familiar with the Welsh bus market and Welsh Government policy. While some other operators there have opposed franchising, Paul instead suggests that there is “a tacit acceptance that the commercial model is broken” in Wales.
A good portion of the Welsh bus network is delivered by SMEs, and it is thus doubtful that franchising delivered in large tranches will suit Wales. LAs across the board must understand that maximising opportunities to bid for franchise contracts is to public benefit, and hence influence over how franchising progresses should be a priority for CPT, Paul believes.
Political engagement key for CPT before election
While franchising and its general trajectory is understood (the above points aside), coach and bus must engage politicians on other policy as the election looms. Paul devotes some time to explaining how a trade body should do that, noting that the run-up to polling is a period of great importance.
Anchoring CPT’s work there are a coach manifesto and a bus manifesto, launched in January. Paul views them as “succinct” summaries of items that are sensible to ask for. For coach, captured are PSVAR, decarbonisation and air quality, and urban planning. Bus majors on funding, zero-emission, congestion, fares, and work on statutory service provision. Workforce planning is common across both.
“An early priority of mine will be ensuring that these cases are put across,” Paul explains. “There will be noise from every sector. CPT’s job is to make sure that our voice is heard by politicians.” Work has already been done in that field, and imperative is that it accelerates.
An associated workstream for bus will be discussion with governments about how the sector moves away from temporary funding. CPT is preparing a paper to support “a soft landing” from that. Paul also wants greater reach for the Confederation among London bus operators to focus on matters specific to them.
He thus splits political priorities into two categories: Where things are not happening that CPT believes should be; and where tasks are already in hand that must be pushed forward.
Coherent industry voice essential, says new CPT President
The trade body landscape has evolved since 2020. Paul acknowledges opinions shared about that, but he highlights the value of an industry being able to speak collectively with those that define its parameters.
CPT has been involved with multiple recruitment initiatives, and it was central to the design of recovery funding streams for bus. Meanwhile, significant scope exists for engagement with LAs over coaches, he adds.
“It is important that we get across how valuable coach passengers are,” Paul explains. He highlights recent comments by a councillor in Bourton-on-the-Water questioning the desirability of coaches there as an example of how more work is needed.
“That is before we come to the ‘where do we park them when they are here?’ consideration. It is a difficult question; road space is valuable, and LAs have many competing priorities. It is easy to criticise views like those from the councillor in Bourton, but instead, we should take it as an indication that we need to redouble our efforts for coaches.
“I want us to have another go at coach parking. Coaches matter to the economy. The Mayor of London rightly talks about the value of tourism in the capital; some things he has said recently are framed in the context of making London more accessible. Coaching is an integral part of that wider picture, so why do we often make things so difficult?”
2024: A busy year ahead for the coach and bus sector
On CPT in general, Paul plans to attend regional events as frequently as possible in his Presidential year. Invites to visit operator members have already been received. He previously saw CPT from the inside through roles outside London, and via his brief recent tenure as Vice-President.
Paul speaks highly of the Confederation’s team. Much has changed there in recent years, and he is hopeful that new members can be attracted. He also has an eye on the regional structure, noting that “it is being looked at.” A good team leads to heavy demand from members on its time. That factor is in play for regional resource, although Paul notes that local matters influence the overall call upon each Regional Manager.
The year ahead will come with challenge and opportunity in equal measure for coach and bus. Paul is clear that maintaining the industry’s political capital and presenting its position are key to 2024, but behind his Presidential tenure is a 40-year career, a down-to-earth approach – and a desire to see things get better for the sector as a whole.
