The industry is about much more than moving people from A to B, highlights CPT CEO Graham Vidler
As we approach the summer holidays, it has been a busy first half of the year for the industry. With passenger numbers continuing to grow, I’m really proud of working for a sector that continues to bounce back despite all that’s been thrown at us over the past few years.
A highlight this month was my meeting with Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper. I was delighted the Minister was keen to spend equal time discussing the opportunities affecting bus and coach.
One of the hot topics included the new two-year funding settlement for bus, and how this is working out in different localities. I welcomed the certainty of funding the settlement provides in recognising the value of buses to the economy and local communities. From this base, we are ambitious about growing the contribution of bus even further.
I also explained the combination of the funding settlement and the £2 fare cap extension will not save every service in each part of the country. We received the Minister’s assurance that his department will do all it can to provide advice and guidance to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) on how they can work better with local operators.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) is keen to ensure LTAs allocate their Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding to operators as quickly as possible, so that as many services as possible are protected and not lost.
Further, I emphasised operators should not only be seen through the prism of public transport providers. Our members are much more than that. We can help address a suite of policy issues facing the government and tackle many socio-economic challenges which face society. This is why CPT has been energetic in holding a series of meetings with other government departments, including:
- Housing and Levelling Up – highlighting the economic significance of coaches and buses in fostering resilient communities, by providing access to local facilities, shops and businesses.
- Department for Work and Pensions – emphasising the role of coach and bus in facilitating social mobility, particularly for those on lower incomes and the wider role of bus in supporting people into work and realising their potential.
- Department for Health and Social Care – reinforcing the crucial role bus has in accessing healthcare, as well as highlighting how coach and bus is vital to the NHS green agenda.
- HM Treasury / Department for Business and Trade – underlining the importance of coach and bus to the economy.
The Secretary of State was also very keen to hear about how the coach sector is faring, having recently praised operators for keeping big events on track during rail strikes. I explained that, with the issues at Port of Dover apparently under control, coach travel is a booming sector, performing well in terms of bookings for both scheduled services, as well as for leisure and tourism.
But the current driver shortage of 12.5% that was highlighted in CPT’s May member survey is holding it back from further growth. We also reinforced our concerns over delays with driver training and obtaining a licence, which the Secretary of State was receptive to.
Looking ahead, I am pleased to let you all know about the policy areas CPT will be focusing on in the coming months. This includes our newly formed Rural Zero Emission Buses Taskforce and our new strategy from the Zero Emission Coach Taskforce. If you are an interested operator, LTA, manufacturer or supplier, we’re keen to have you on board. Please contact Rebecca.Kite@cpt-uk.org for more information.
As Parliament breaks for recess, CPT is continuing its UK political influencing work in the run-up to party conference season. We are also planning more exciting and interactive events for our members. I’ll be at our North Weald ride and drive event on 24 July and hope to see you there.
In the meantime, I wish you all an enjoyable summer. Feel free to get in touch with myself or my team at CPT, if we can help in any way.
