UK Bus Awards’ Post

✨ Final 2024 reflection Q4 ✨ Announcements aplenty bringing the bus industry into the spotlight again with the Prime Minister increasing the single fare cap from £2 to £3 from 1 January 💷 This is expected to bring customers back to TravelMaster® with our value for money tickets giving better value than capped single fares to South Yorkshire's bus passengers. It's not just our tickets, operator own tickets too can provide good value for money but communicating the cap has not been effective by central government. Keep your eyes peeled 👀 in the new year for the campaign led by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to help make fares clearer as we also deliver simplification. TravelMaster also launched our new 1-day mtickets 📲 via the TravelMaster® app (developed by UrbanThings | a Paragon ID company). This has helped deliver the Sheffield City Council Christmas campaign for free 1-day CityWide tickets 🎫 just by filling in a survey on their BetterPoints Ltd app. If you were at the unLTD Business Awards 🥂 you'll have heard me mentioning this prior to giving out the award for best company culture to Kitlocker.com. 📱 mticket scanning is due for some improvements in the new year with scanning on Ticketer devices which will cover most buses in South Yorkshire. Scanning is already available on Supertram's TRANSMACH SYSTEMS LIMITED handheld devices used by conductors and inspectors. Not just that we're working with leisure, event and hospitality to ease the process of getting your ticket. More to be announced in the coming months! A few firsts for me this quarter, attending my first unLTD Business Expo, first Music in the Round corporate attendance (some exciting sponsorship coming in the new year) and first 3D Connect (Andy Hanselman Consulting - thanks Jill White for persuading me to come along). I also managed to see the Northern lights when they were visible across the much of 'northern' England. #reflection #2024 #Q42024 #mtickets #ticketing #publictransport #sheffieldissuper #sheffield #southyorkshire #busfares

Central booking site for train tickets from all operators - but is it a good thing? The Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom has announced plans for future online rail retailing and its commitment to a thriving private rail sector and we’re in full support. One website where you can find all tickets for all train operators should create a far more level playing field - here’s why from one of our Directors, Mike Richardson “We welcome a focus on fostering an "open and fair" as well as innovative retail market. For this vision to succeed, it is important that all train ticketing retailing operates in the same commercial framework as independent retailers like us at Raileasy. What does this mean? It means that the maximum percentage of the revenue generated from ticket sales goes directly to improving rail services and infrastructure. A level playing field will benefit customers and drive innovation which is how to encourage more people to choose rail travel.” Raileasy, alongside TrainSplit, our pioneering split ticketing brand - has revolutionised rail ticketing through our advanced split ticketing technology. We’ve been helping passengers save money while offering a seamless booking experience for years. As Great British Railways’ strategy evolves, we want to be a part of upholding a vibrant independent sector that provides passengers with choice, value, and innovation. We’re excited to contribute to this process to ensure that the private sector remains at the heart of delivering better experiences for rail users. We would love to hear from you - what are your experiences of rail travel? How could it be improved? Want to talk more about rail travel?  Contact Joe Sikking or Kip Parker #RailTravel #UKRail #TrainTickets #RailInnovation #TrainTravelUK #RailRevolution #FutureOfRail #DfTUpdate #GreatBritishRailways #IndependentRetail #SplitTicketing #RailSavings #InnovativeTravel #Raileasy #TrainSplit

Encouraged by the DfT announcement that Great British Railways "will work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, where all rail retailers can compete in an open and fair manner. The private sector will continue to play a key role in driving growth through innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail".

After Great British Railways is established following legislation, it will retail online by bringing together individual train operators’ ticket websites. A Department for Transport notice has said “It will work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, where all rail retailers can compete in an open and fair manner”. The statement adds that “the private sector will continue to play a key role in driving growth through innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail”. #railnews #railways #ukrail #rail 

National Express LTD has secured a five-year contract to operate coach services to and from London Stansted Airport, following a competitive tender process by MAG (Airports Group). Read more: https://ow.ly/HVK850UFXKR #NationalExpress #Stansted #Coaches #UK

The Bee Network in Greater Manchester has taken a significant step by bringing buses under local control, marking a notable shift since de-regulation in 1986. This move by TFGM has resulted in more efficient and effective services. Since its launch in September 2023, the Bee Network has experienced a consistent rise in passenger numbers. In its inaugural month, there was an impressive 8% increase in passengers on Bee Network buses each weekday. Customers have embraced the Bee Network's simplified fare structure, with single journeys capped at £2 and an all-day travelcard priced at £5. One of the standout improvements is the network's punctuality, surpassing the previous network's performance. Between April 28 and June 23, an impressive 82.9% of services operated on time, showcasing a commendable level of reliability. And more exciting times are to come with the incoming operator Metroline Manchester which i believe will bring a fresh and new and exciting long needed change to the servies in greater Manchester and its passengers.Transport for Greater Manchester Manchester City Council Metroline Manchester Simon Scott James Wright Patrick Sibley

National Express LTD has secured a five-year contract to operate coach services to and from London Stansted Airport, following a competitive tender process by MAG (Airports Group). Read more: https://ow.ly/HVK850UFXKR #NationalExpress #Stansted #Coaches #UK

🌟 Showcase Your Excellence with the UK Bus Awards! 🌟 Are you ready to elevate your bus operation to the pinnacle of industry recognition? The UK Bus Awards is seeking entries in three prestigious categories: Top City Operator, Top Shire Operator, and Top Independent Operator. Winning one of these awards could set you on the path to becoming the UK Bus Operator of the Year! 🚍✨ Why Enter? 1️⃣ Top City Operator: This award celebrates operators in major cities and conurbations. Judges seek high-quality services demonstrating accessibility, community engagement, market growth, fleet and staff investment, and innovative practices. If your operations in Greater London or other major cities exemplify these qualities, this is your chance to shine. 2️⃣ Top Shire Operator: Recognise the excellence of bus operators outside major conurbations. This category seeks operators that excel in accessibility, community response, market growth, and innovation. If you’re making a significant impact in shire areas, showcase your achievements and let your dedication be recognised. 3️⃣ Top Independent Operator: This category highlights exceptional service delivery and community commitment for independently owned operators with up to 100 vehicles. Demonstrate your financial soundness, effective partnerships, and high operational standards to stand out in this competitive category. Benefits of Entering: ✅ Path to Ultimate Recognition: Winners of these categories will compete for the grand prize – the coveted title of UK Bus Operator of the Year. It’s the highest accolade in the industry! ✅ Highlight Your Excellence: Showcasing your achievements in these categories underscores your commitment to providing top-tier bus services. It’s a testament to your operational excellence and leadership in the industry. ✅ Boost Morale and Motivation: Recognition from such a prestigious platform boosts your team's morale, motivating them to continue striving for excellence. ✅ Enhance Your Brand Reputation: Winning or being shortlisted in these categories elevates your organisation’s profile, reinforcing your commitment to excellence in bus operations. What We’re Looking For: Our judges seek entries that demonstrate: 👉 Service Accessibility 👉 Community Engagement 👉 Market Growth 👉 Fleet and Staff Investment 👉 Financial Soundness 👉 Effective Partnerships 👉 High Operational and Engineering Standards 👉 Innovation 👉 Health and Safety a Priority Mystery traveller assessments will be conducted on short-listed company services, ensuring a thorough evaluation of your operational excellence. Don’t miss this opportunity to highlight your outstanding achievements and vie for the ultimate recognition in the industry. Submit your entries now, and let’s help recognise, reward and inspire! 📅 Remember, the closing date is 5pm on Friday, 2nd August. Find out more and enter at www.ukbusawards.org.uk. #BusWinners24 #MadeIt

East Midlands Railway have had some seat reservation IT issues on their inter-city Meridian fleet since December, which led to reservations being suspended, but I am pleased to say that it now looks like it has been resolved and that seat reservations will be reinstated next week. EMR could have stayed quiet but instead, they took a proactive approach, fully explained the problem and outlined what they were doing about it. The system is 20 plus years old and is old school by today’s standards, so it is hard to resolve issues when they arise. My initial reaction was that EMR should have just said to passengers - “sit in your reserved seat” like an airline would, but when those without reservations board at multiple stops, then they would not know which seats were reserved and delays could occur to services whilst people tried to get on the train. There could also be arguments over “that’s my seat”. The right answer was to operate temporarily without seat reservations until the problem was solved. Yes - we all want problems not to arise in the first place, but things do go wrong with IT, as you will know from personal experience. Usually at the most annoying time as well. EMR organised a call for me with one their senior team 10 days ago, and we had a good talk through this and other ticketing/reservation/journey experience issues EMR have. All very useful and open. I do not know if CrossCountry Trains had the same issues with their Voyager fleet. I have not heard of any issues, if so. Photo: 2 EMR Meridians meet at St Pancras International. Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Sheffield City Council South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Travel South Yorkshire Sheffield Hallam University The University of Sheffield Sheffield United Football Club Sheffield Wednesday Football Club East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire) East Midlands Combined County Authority East Midlands Councils

Let’s play honest SkyExpert Consulting was born from a simple, yet powerful realization: the airline, airport, and tourism sectors deserve something often missing—honest consultancy. And here’s the blunt truth: when a new airline enters the market, there’s a crowd of industry insiders, all scrambling to sell their "solutions" and cash in. But how many of them are truly concerned with the long-term success of that airline? Very few. A few years ago, SkyExpert director, Pedro Castro, shared some unpopular opinions about PLAY airlines , Norse Atlantic Airways, and #Flyr. At the time, they weren't well received. Here is the link to that story: https://lnkd.in/djAeqgTu But guess what? Flyr is gone. #Play is reinventing itself. And Norse? Well...13 routes cut, airports dropped, and their ambitious expansion stalling. The writing was on the wall for anyone paying attention. Recently, an African government asked for our take on launching (yet) another national african airline. Their reasoning? More passengers, more connectivity, more "growth" and tourists for their airport. Our response? Don’t do it. Use taxpayers' money wisely—there are smarter, cheaper, and faster ways to achieve those goals. Did we win the account? No. But that’s precisely the point. We’d rather walk away than sell a pipe dream that leads to waste and failure. And here’s where Play comes in. They’re now shifting gears, adjusting their business model. Good for them! But the key difference? They played the game with their own money, not taxpayers'. They also had the sense to pivot before sinking deeper. Let’s be real: passenger numbers, load factors and fleet expansion as they were advertising them mean very little if the airline's profits are in Play's favorite color...RED. Yes, Play will be adjusting: basing aircraft in Tenerife, chasing lower labor costs, registering planes under Malta’s AOC for operational advantages, and ACMI’ing out of Miami to secure lucrative revenue. These moves were predictable, and frankly, we called it three years ago. What’s PLAY’s new strategy, you ask? The WOW model clearly did not work, so Play is trying a bit of Iceland Express 2.0 when they shift operations from the USA to Europe - flying from Reykjavik to places like Friedrichshafen, an airport that can hardly sustain flights to London. And just like those ventures, the big question remains: who’s going to P(l)ay for this experiment? More importantly... why? At SkyExpert, we don’t sugarcoat reality and we don’t chase easy wins. And when we want to play...well, we head to Vegas. #honestconsultancy #transparency #publicpolicy #regulation #airline #airports #airtransportmanagement #lasvegas