The council audit which revealed the scale of deficiency in the Accessible Transport Group (ATG) in the West Midlands is a shocker. ATG ran 600 vehicles on a variety of services, including Ring and Ride and schools transport, mainly using accessible minibuses and all on Section 19 permits using paid drivers. We have significant doubts […]
It is always sad to hear of the loss of someone in the industry, but the news that we have lost Aled Evans, who ran Impression Holidays, is especially sad. I met Aled when he was working at Galloway European alongside Bernie Miles, and he immediately created an impression as a really positive guy with […]
It seems to me, as a layman, that the verdict of the judges after the Judicial Review brought by the Bus and Coach Association is not a clear victory for either side. The High Court said it was not its remit to decide whether all community transport operators with Section 19 permits, bidding for commercially-tendered […]
I see that Newcastle’s promising start to setting an agenda for a Clean Air Zone has collapsed into weak-kneed populism. The initial idea was to stifle car use with a congestion charge and/or bridge tolls but after the consultation encouraged 19,000 angry responses from car drivers, the spineless local authority has caved in, thereby ensuring […]
I have just read the response of Scotland’s Highland Council to the DfT’s consultation on changes to Section 19 and 22 permit operation. I’m assuming readers haven’t been out of the country for ten years, and all understand that the concern of commercial operators – some of whom have lost half their work to S19 […]
I read that bean counters at KPMG have created the second edition of an Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI), gauging 25 countries readiness for AV technology. The automated safety systems which have arrived in the coach market already take vehicles just a leap of faith from being autonomous; it’s not hard to see that if […]
I see the staggeringly stupid idea of ‘air taxis’ has gained enough traction to be the subject of an exhibition. A recent release seriously suggests VTOL aircraft seating two people as an alternative for commuting in road-level traffic to ‘avoid congestion.’ Such an idea, with aircraft at £500,000 a pop and landing limited to buildings […]
Dear Luke I’d just like to briefly take issue with some points made by your interesting article about mayoral powers. The general point that co-ordinated services can help meet needs more efficiently is one I’d agree with, but this doesn’t have to be as part of a franchised system; I think some LAs have forgotten […]