Road maintenance is vital but a lack of communication, creativity and planning is costing bus operators and their passengers dearly, says Confederation of Passenger Transport CEO Graham Vidler
As any bus operator will know, nothing frustrates customers more than sitting stationary in a traffic jam. Too often, those jams are caused by poorly planned, badly co-ordinated streetworks.
A glance at the Confederation of Passenger Transport’s (CPT) latest Cost Monitor reveals that bus operators’ costs per kilometre have increased by 13.5% in real terms since 2019. A good chunk of that boils down to delays, diversions and disruption.
We all understand that decaying assets and ageing infrastructure need regular maintenance. But it is essential that utilities plan that work appropriately, give adequate notice and communicate on over-runs or early finishes. Too often, they are failing to do so.
Emergency work, at zero notice, ought to be what it says on the tin — a rare option explored in emergencies only. But National Express West Midlands, for example, reports that four out of ten sets of work carried out by Cadent in its region, and a quarter of Severn Trent Water streetworks, are at zero notice.
Even when notice is given, there is a tendency, nationwide, for work to be planned at a utility’s corporate headquarters with minimal local knowledge. Permits are often sought for broad terms — with unneeded contingency periods that prolong disruption. It is common, for example, to allocate several days to work that takes only a few hours.
Why not offer coaches and buses priority passage through streetworks?
In a submission to the House of Commons Transport Committee, CPT has offered a few examples. Reading Buses once faced a situation where seven out of eight principal routes into the town were undergoing roadworks or streetworks.
Our friends at Plymouth Citybus tell us that a single 350-metre street in its city, Ford Hill, underwent 25 sets of streetworks during 2024. And we have examples of lengthy streetworks with workers on site for just half of the days’ closure.
While motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can usually take alternative routes to avoid streetworks, buses have an obligation to stick to their route whenever possible — our customers, who rely on us, expect nothing less. Surely, therefore, bus users deserve a degree of priority in planning and consideration.
So, on behalf of our industry, CPT is calling for involvement of the coach and bus sector at an earlier stage of planning streetworks. Utilities must keep us posted — from start to finish — on expected timings. And local authorities need to take tougher action to avoid over-runs.
It is also time to consider some creative solutions. Why not offer coaches and buses priority passage through streetworks? If that means providing escorts for such vehicles through work zones, then so be it.
And if buses are forced into lengthy diversions away from streetworks, surely utilities should pay for an alternative solution for stranded customers — particularly in rural areas. A temporary shuttle service, for example, could keep those vital connections.
The street environment is an imperfect, busy, complex space. We all understand that delays will happen from time to time. But utilities, local authorities and public transport operators must communicate as one — and work in partnership to keep people moving even when the streets are being dug up.
