King Alfred buses will once again be providing free rides over their traditional routes around Winchester on New Year’s Day. Provided by the Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB), the King Alfred buses will operate from the Broadway over local routes, covering Weeke, Harestock, Stanmore, Oliver’s Battery, Winnall, Springvale as well as to Sparsholt and […]
Tuesday 12 October was the first weekday when more people travelled by bus than on the equivalent day before the pandemic. The number of people taking the bus outside of London has returned to pre-pandemic levels for the first time. “Operators have worked tirelessly to make the bus as attractive as possible for passengers” – […]
Ground-breaking work is underway to transform First Solent’s Hoeford depot in Fareham. The site is being made ready to operate 62 new electric single-deckers from March 2024 across Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport. The electric buses, the first of their type in the area, will replace part of First Bus South’s current diesel fleet The project […]
First Bus has promoted Paul Townley to the newly created role of General Manager of its Rochdale business. The appointment comes as the bus operator continues preparations to begin running services in Greater Manchester’s franchised Bee Network from March next year. Paul takes up his new position from the beginning of November and will report […]
A survey has found 95% of demand responsive transport (DRT) services are running at a loss. Councils are warning that demand responsive transport (DRT) services are not a substitute for government investment in traditional bus services. A survey by the County Councils Network (CCN) says three in four local authorities are introducing DRT to fill […]
As a public consultation opens on the future of bus services in West Yorkshire, bus operators from across the region have revealed a dynamic new plan for bus reform. And they are confident it meets the ambitions of the local Mayor, Tracy Brabin. The move comes as WYCA began a public consultation on franchising the […]
A report has concluded that Glasgow should be the first Scottish city to enact bus franchising. Entitled ‘Miles better: Improving public transport in the Glasgow city region’, the report was published by Centre for Cities, an independent research organisation aiming to improving the economies of the UK’s largest cities and towns. It was released in […]
A disagreement has erupted between the owners of McGill’s Buses and the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, over franchising. The owner of Scotland’s biggest private bus company has criticised the Mayor’s offer to advise the Scottish Government on bus privatisation. However, the Mayor’s office hit back by claiming there are benefits to franchising that […]