Under-Secretary of State for Transport Simon Lightwood will be the keynote speaker at the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Conference on 23 January 2025, the trade body has announced.
It will be the third year in succession that Mr Lightwood will address the industry at the conference, which will take place at Park Plaza London Riverbank.
The forthcoming Buses Bill will no doubt be a central topic of his speech, for which 30 minutes is allocated on the programme, at a conference billed as leading on the theme of “growth”.
The minister with remit for coaches and buses will face extra scrutiny at the next conference following Labour’s election to power in the 12 months since this year’s event.
On that occasion, the Conservative government failed to put forward a representative in person, with Mr Lightwood’s then opposite number, Guy Opperman, delivering a recorded audio message.
Mr Lightwood also spoke at the Euro Bus Expo in November, when the government’s plans on bus franchising was a central theme.
CPT says the conference “will examine how the bus and coach industry can drive and adapt to economic, environmental and community-focused progress”.
While no other speakers have thus far been named, sessions at the conference will include discussions on “green growth, placemaking, kickstarting economic growth and the future of the coach market”.
Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the CPT, said: “The CPT’s annual conference is the biggest event in the bus and coach calendar, and we’re delighted that Simon Lightwood will be joining us. It’s an opportunity for our members to hear directly from the minister on the Labour Government’s ambitious plans for reform of the sector.
“Passengers arriving in high streets by bus contribute almost £40 billion to local economies across Britain, and visitors arriving by coach deliver a further £8.3 billion in value to towns, cities and tourist hotspots – so our industry is vital to the Government’s mission of kickstarting economic growth.
“With 11 million people travelling by bus every day, we look forward to working with the Government on delivering the best possible public transport to communities across Britain.”
Click here for more information on the 2025 CPT Conference and Annual Dinner.
