The Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) in England is set to double the number of staff within its team after funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) was allocated until spring 2029.
Such a position was shared by Head of the Bus Centre of Excellence Stelios Rodoulis at the ALBUM conference in Blackpool on 12 May. He says that an extended funding outlook will also allow BCoE to grow how it collaborates with the industry and local authorities through an expanded programme of events and other resources.
The Centre was established to support learning and develop initiatives centred on the delivery of government priorities for buses in England outside London. That includes the strengthening of local authorities’ understanding of franchising.
“We will be hiring stakeholder engagement leads to talk to local authorities and operators and better understand the challenges facing the sector so we can ensure that our offering is aligned with their needs,” says Mr Rodoulis.
He notes how the Centre’s training courses have become more targeted since its formation, and that events and the webinar programme will become “wider and richer.” Conferences and site visits are also part of that expansion.
Among the former will be a return of the Quality Bus Conference in Nottingham on 11 November, while on 9 June the Rural Bus Conference will be hosted by Cheshire West and Chester Council. Training also continues to develop, Mr Rodoulis says, while BCoE has taken over the DfT Bus Forum.
He adds that the Centre wants to engage more closely with SME bus operators in England, noting how an invite to address those parties at ALBUM was welcomed by BCoE.
“We want to hear from you – your challenges, what keeps you awake at night. I think I know already, but I want to hear it from your,” he says. Contact is also encouraged from operators that would consider making their premises available for the site visit programme. “If you have any site visits to offer, we will gladly take them,” Mr Rodoulis concludes.
