Putting passenger needs at the centre of bus services

David is a passionate advocate for public transport and bus travel with over 25 years’ experience in the industry. In addition to his day job at Stagecoach, he was recently elected the chair of the CP Bus Alliance – a coalition of bus operators in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough working together to give people of the region an improved transport network. This leading voice in transport had some pertinent insights to share with our podcast listeners.

Bus and rail integration - how do we make PlusBus work?

Customers travel needs are changing, with a shift to ‘softer’ commuting and more leisure travel. With these changing patterns of travel, David argued how important it is for transport operators to start by answering with the most fundamental question: ‘What are people’s transport needs?’. Then, overlay a transport network that delivers against these demands.

One way to deliver on an undisputable passenger demand - full, seamless journeys - is by effective bus and rail integration. And whilst a few areas of the UK are leading the way in bus/rail interchange, there’s a lot more work to do to roll out similar services to more travellers nationwide. 

As David said: “It's such a sad thing, because where bus meets rail, both grow passengers and grow revenue…And what we badly need though are [sic] our rail cousins to come to the table because we're ready in bus. We understand customers want a full journey.”

Part of the solution? Break down the siloes and talk to each other. David argued that one of the key ways to effectively deliver PlusBus (a train ticket supplement to include local bus travel) simply relies on rail operators identifying the core trains for bus operators to align schedules with.

Building on this, Leon explained the rationale for PlusBus to be a default, opt-out rail ticket to all PlusBus destinations, rather than an add on – something he intends to continue to lobby the government on. 

Collaborating to ease the headache of road works

This collaborative approach is at the heart of CP Bus Alliance, the alliance that David chairs. The seven commercial operators involved all still compete to deliver services, but also work together to offer coordinated solutions for civic leaders on key strategic issues.

One of the key challenges they’re facing is the impact of road works on bus services. Whilst the utility companies are working to deliver vital development in towns, cities and other local areas, it often comes at a disruptive cost to bus services. As David explained:

“It’s far too easy…for somebody to apply to dig up a key artery road with key bus services on it. They don’t even have to say what bus services they’re going to impact on doing that, they don’t have to show how they’ve engaged with the bus operator to minimise that impact. And so we end up in a scenario where we’ve having to cancel journeys purely because buses are getting congested going into the centre of Cambridge.”

To help with this headache, Leon acknowledged some of the technology now available that provides utility companies and local authorities with data on the consequences of digging up the highway. However, as he pointed out, “There’s a world of difference between knowing what the consequences are and somebody doing something about it.”

Let’s hope that the new Labour government’s focus on devolution will give local authorities the powers to take the balanced view between infrastructure improvements and the flow of traffic. 

This blog post is based on excerpts from episode 93 of Lunch with Leon, the bitesize transport podcast. To listen to the full episode, that also includes Leon and David’s perspectives on the challenge of overcoming ‘geography ignorance’ in young people and positioning bus travel as the attractive option, visit Link

Please note – this episode was recorded before the UK General Election on 4th July.