Paul Walker’s Post

The government has granted £955 million towards buses services across England to help deliver safe and affordable travel. This is another great step in the government’s mission to deliver growth across the UK. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has confirmed £712 million of the funding will go to local authorities to help them improve #bus services with the remaining £243 million going to bus operators. You can read more about this here: https://lnkd.in/efWe7WBQ #FORS is committed to helping the bus and coach industry provide safer, more reliable public transportation. With firsthand experience behind the wheel, FORS Director Geraint Davies brings a unique understanding of the challenges bus and coach drivers face daily on our roads. In a recent blog post, Geraint shared his insights into the risks drivers encounter and outlined his vision for a safer, smarter, and more sustainable bus and coach industry: https://lnkd.in/e39We_fM

We've partnered with Rail Delivery Group to help you plan your journeys this festive period. 👷♀️ We've created accessible, short videos that outline planned changes to train services and alternative routes available: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eKC6Mpyc #ChristmasRailWorks Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom

Local Public Transport in Italy The presidents of the national bus operators' association have submitted a request to the government for additional funding. They state that an extra EUR 1.6 billion is necessary, with EUR 700 million allocated for inflation adjustments and another EUR 900 million for renewing bus drivers' contracts. It raises the question of whether companies responsible for public transportation can truly be considered "commercial entities" in the current context. Unlike typical commercial enterprises that bear business risks, these companies have their costs covered by the Public Authority, resembling a setup reminiscent of the 1970s when public transport was primarily managed by "management bodies.". https://buff.ly/3Kv0Jqf #bus #coach #roadtransport

Analysis: sweet dreams vs rail nightmares A new report confirms increasing demand for night trains in Europe. But new entrants are finding that the barriers to entry are higher than expected, as Mark Simmons reports. https://lnkd.in/eUpMK-uz

Even though I have left my Halifax roots and moved to Manchester this is still music to my ears 👣 and after listening to Tracy Brabin at the Transport for the North conference in January I've been waiting for this to happen! So many positives will come from bringing the bus network under public control! 👓 Unified vision: Public control allows for a unified vision in the development and management of the bus network, making sure that decisions align with the public transportation goals and policies. 💗 Service equity: Public control can prioritize service equity by ensuring that all areas, including underserved or less profitable routes, receive an equal service, regardless of profitability. 🎟 Fare regulation: Public control enables governments to regulate fares to ensure affordability for passengers. 🚲 Integrated planning: Public control facilitates integrated planning with other modes of transportation, such as rail, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure, leading to more efficient and seamless multimodal networks. - I've been making good use of the bikes in Manchester when I'm running late to work. (If my manager is reading this I wasn't late) ✅ Accountability: Publicly managed bus networks are directly accountable to elected officials and the public, enhancing transparency and responsiveness to the publics needs. #wyca #busfranchising #busunderpubliccontrol #transport2024 #transformthenorth

A new £2.50 single bus cap will launch this New Year – meaning North East passengers will benefit from the new local ticket which is at least 50p cheaper than the national £3 rate. Agreed by the North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and Cabinet in December, the new price cap is subsidised by The North East Combined Authority using Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding and will remain in place until 31 December 2025 to keep local fares as low as possible. Many passengers will also pay less – with many operator fares for shorter journeys priced at between £1.90 and £2.50. Read more at https://orlo.uk/MIl7V #NorthEastEngland #Transport

Brightline Trains, the high-speed rail company connecting Miami and Orlando, is gearing up to meet the increasing demand for its services. According to their latest monthly ridership report for February, the company has announced plans to order more coaches to accommodate the growing number of passengers. The surge in demand for Brightline's Miami-Orlando service is evident from the February report, which highlighted that one out of every three trains operated at or near full capacity. Despite their capacity to accommodate around 7,680 passengers daily across their five South Florida stations and 16 round trips between Miami and Orlando, February saw a record-breaking 7,887 passengers exceeding capacity. The expansion efforts by Brightline underscore its commitment to providing efficient and comfortable transportation solutions amidst the growing demand for high-speed rail services in Florida. As the company prepares to welcome new coaches, passengers can anticipate enhanced travel experiences and smoother journeys along the bustling Miami-Orlando route.

Out today, an interesting Transport Focus survey of bus users tells us that 80% of users are satisfied with their journey. It sounds pretty good on the face of it, but that's lower than for rail users - 88% are satisfied. And of course this doesn't capture the opinion of the much larger group of people who don't ride the bus because driving is a more convenient option. Note London is excluded from the survey as it's not within the remit of Transport Focus (although close to half of bus journeys are in London) Bus survey: https://lnkd.in/gfYHsxZu Rail survey: https://lnkd.in/gdRhBDFV

Something I've learnt this week. Our government is hellbent on getting everyone out of cars. Nothing wrong with that per se. However, public transport in UK is woefully under prepared for its current passenger load, never mind even more. Not only that, it's costing strategy and infrastructure is about as joined up and logical as a chocolate fire guard. To have used the ferry then train from Thurso - Southampton - Bournemouth - Coventry - Thurso would have cost me about £70 more than the flying + trains I used , (not so unreasonable) but would have taken me 2 days (yes you read that right) longer, therefore required additional over night accommodation and associated expenses (I do eat!). That is assuming trains run on time, connections aren't missed etc. So add in another couple of hundred £££. The disconnection between private and public operators mean it is wholly infeasible to use public transport in its current form. Especially for those of us in more remote locations. Not telling you something you don't already know. Shame the government can't seem to get into their heads.

Latest figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show that rail journeys across our Traincard network in Q4 were up more than 14% with the same period in 2022. This takes our Traincard coverage up to 929.4 million annual journeys... and climbing!