Opinion: Politicians overlook the value of coach and bus

Coach and bus as means of transport are crucial to our economy and way of life, says CPT president and regular routeone contributor Ralph Roberts

This month saw the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK Bus and Coach Conference. Around 250 attended, and from all accounts, it was a good catch-up with friends and colleagues. The panel sessions in the conference were a varied mix with a good blend of experience and expertise.

On the first day, Buses Minister Richard Holden MP gave a good account of his work to date and his plans for the sector. I do hope that he is left in post to deliver, as I like the cut of his jib. 

Shadow Buses Minister Simon Lightwood MP opened day two with a speech that, he said, reflected a need for certainty that he’d heard from across the industry. Certainty we received on one topic: The desire for greater regulatory control of the sector.

However, I want to hear more from a potential future minister. For example, where is the strategy for bus passengers? How would a Labour government tackle congestion? As the next general election approaches, we’ll need to ensure that Labour and all parties are getting to grips with the issues that really matter to our customers. 

As I write, our coach operators are queuing in Dover with tired staff and customers trying to get away on holiday. I’m pretty positive that this isn’t one of the promised sunny uplands and the government needs to get its finger out… quickly. We are an island and we rely on a smooth process for people and goods to enter and leave these islands. Our economy, our coach sector and our way of life depend on it. 

Like the broken record that many of us have had to become, I turn to funding for the industry: The government in England appears to understand how crucial buses are to people’s lives and has extended funding to stave off cuts to bus networks. This will give vital time for Bus Service Improvement Plans to be implemented and bring the benefits that will self-fund the retention of network mileage and grow bus usage. 

Scotland is in a very different place with government funding ended and network mileage being cut. The new Transport Minister, Kevin Stewart, is taking a hawkish view of the industry and appears to misunderstand the value of bus to the economy, local communities and the public purse.

The bus priority funding seems as far away as ever and discussions more and more turn to franchising and control as a panacea. The underlying message appears to be one of public control at any cost. 

I’m sure that common sense will prevail in all of these matters, but I do wish that foresight was used more often and that our sector was more valued in the eyes of a significant portion of politicians.

It is perhaps time to write to your local MPs by way of an update to advise them of the number of jobs you create, the amount of tax revenue coming out of your business and the number of people relying on your business to get them from A to B with their essential mobility needs.