Mark Fowles has been named Independent Chairperson of TravelMaster, which is responsible for the South Yorkshire multi-operator and multimodal transport ticketing platform. He succeeds former Stagecoach Supertram Managing Director Tim Bilby.
In lieu of payment for his work with TravelMaster, the body will make a donation to help fund research into facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, a good cause that Mr Fowles has long championed through work between him and his family and a charitable body at the Sheffield Hallamshire Hospital.
Mr Fowles’ pedigree in the industry is well known. He was credited for work during his time as Nottingham City Transport Managing Director that turned around that operator prior to retiring in 2021. Since then, he has continued fundraising efforts and serves as a member of the routeone Awards judging panel.
TravelMaster General Manager John Henshall notes that after Mr Bilby’s resignation, the board decided that appointing an Independent Chairperson was the best course of action.
“Having Mark Fowles as Chairperson brings a new range of benefits to TravelMaster, and his customer first approach closely aligns with the transformations we have been making at TravelMaster since my own appointment,” adds Mr Henshall.
“I am looking forward to working with Mark alongside the rest of the board to continue to provide good value, easy to understand and use tickets for passengers across South Yorkshire.”
TravelMaster anticipates improvements to its app under Mr Fowles’ leadership. That product was released in June 2023, and since then has become a popular way of purchasing tickets and loading them to smartcards.
