Darren Shirley is the Campaign for Better Transport Chief Exec. It’s important for it to tackle perceptions of the bus industry and remember that roads are not the enemy, says our expert in Westminster
It’s old news now, but shortly after I filed my last column before the summer recess, the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) announced the appointment of Darren Shirley as its new head. He replaced Stephen Joseph after a Herculean 30 years at the helm.
A campaigning mind?
I know nothing of Darren. But what caught my eye was that he joins from Which? He has also previously worked at Greenpeace UK.
Both of those organisations are known for their high profile, even vociferous, campaigning, and I suspect that CBT has appointed an individual who will not be shy in saying what he thinks or in trying to propel the organisation new heights, both in terms of its profile and its campaigning.
Mind you, it’s well known that CBT has had financial problems in the recent past. While I understand that these have been resolved, I suspect that Darren is going to be somewhat constrained by what it can afford to do.
It’s important that there is a strong and informed voice promoting public transport, which shines light on poorly-performing operators and makes the case for investment.
Perception is key
Darren joins CBT at a time when railways are facing a crisis, at least in terms of perception. There have been some spectacular foul-ups over the summer, but that doesn’t mean that the whole system is broken.
CBT has sometimes come across as if its default position is ‘public transport good, roads bad’, and for buses, ‘regulation good, deregulation bad’ without any objective assessment of the issues.
That may not be the intention, and I’m sure that Stephen would insist that it has always been objective. But perception can be everything. The reality is that over 90% of all journeys are made by road, and roads are critical to the UK economy. So for me, roads are good. Buses run on roads.
Objectiveness needed
When it comes to buses, the issue of declining patronage has precious little, if anything, to do with deregulation, and everything to do with highway management, rising car ownership, the relative cost of motoring and the rise of home working and online shopping. All are issues over which bus operators have no control.
I thus hope that Darren will be entirely objective in everything that he says and does. Yes, promote public transport. It needs strong advocates and ambassadors. But it’s not important at the expense of other modes, and it doesn’t have to be publicly owned and operated.
On that note, I wish Darren every success, and Stephen good luck in his new endeavours.
