Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 15 October 2021

The Guardian

• Bus network in Britain facing strikes over drivers’ low payCancelled services likely as RMT and Unite unions plan action over wages at Stagecoach

Times Online

• Buses back in gear at National Express [subscription]was no update from National Express on its bid for Stagecoach, other than confirmation that talks and due diligence work were continuing. However, the company, which also has extensive operations overseas, particularly in North America and Spain, said that it remained on course to meet market expectations for annual underlying pre-tax profits.
• HGV crisis: Leave our drivers alone, bus company pleadsThe Confederation of Passenger Transport said six per cent of driver posts are vacant, more than double the 2019 figure. “More bus drivers are quitting than we can recruit and talk of higher-paid jobs in road haulage is adding to the problem,” said a spokesman

Other Regional Press

• Passengers fed up with 'poor, expensive and unreliable' bus servicesThe majority of bus users in Shropshire think services are 'poor' with hundreds complaining of expensive fares and unreliability, the results of a poll have found.

Coach and Bus Week

• Ryze Hydrogen and HyNet come together to accelerate the hydrogen sectorRyze Hydrogen, the low carbon hydrogen distribution company founded by Jo Bamford, has agreed a deal with HyNet that will see it distribute hydrogen from the ‘ground-breaking’ facility.
• Transdev extends £1 evening fare offerTransdev is to extend its £1 evening fare offer to the end of the year, to encourage more people to come back to bus and enjoy a safe night out in the region’s pubs and restaurants. The offer gives passengers travel on any of its buses across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester for £1 after 1900hrs.
• Arrival chosen by UK Government to showcase at Global Investment SummitEV manufacturer Arrival has been selected by the UK Government to showcase to leaders of the business world at the Global Investment Summit in London.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• National Bus Strategy money to continue beyond 2024/25?The Department for Transport (DfT) has asked local transport authorities (LTAs) in England what potential funding they may need beyond the three-year horizon of National Bus Strategy (NBS) money in order for them to deliver on its policy objectives, hinting that politicians could be considering longer-term support for those aims.
• Rail replacement: Affected by driver shortages – or not?Ongoing driver shortages have led at least one rail replacement provider to undertake an in-depth examination of how it resources services. That work comes amid concern from elsewhere in the sector that it can now be “challenging” to provide sufficient capacity, and that driver availability at some operators is affecting the ability to deliver sufficient PSVAR compliant vehicles.
• Bus patronage sees predicted spike in SeptemberWeekday bus patronage in Britain outside London grew strongly in September as further educational establishments began the new academic year. As a percentage of pre-COVID-19 usage, that ridership rose from 59% on the first day of the month to a peak of 81% on 28 September, with 13 consecutive weekday returns of 75% or better concluding the period, data published by the Department for Transport has shown.
• Arriva proposes closure of Guildford depotArriva Kent and Surrey has announced plans to close its Guildford depot. The group says that its business there “has unfortunately experienced ongoing decline in passenger numbers over recent years” and adds that despite efforts to achieve efficiencies, the operation “is no longer sustainable.”
• ‘It is still a challenging time for operators’CPT CEO Graham Vidler outlines the trade organisation’s continuing efforts to address the driver shortages affecting the coach and bus sector

Other News Sources

• Public transport changes for customers in Reading as bus company offer ticket options to fit the new normalWith the confidence to get out and about for social events as well as going back to the office, travel has changed - and so have Reading Buses ticket options.