Issue 312 of Passenger Transport is published on May 3. Contents include:     LEAD STORY Private TOCs on borrowed timeLabour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house   NEWS Partnership at heart of new era for industryHeadwinds see bus industry entering a defining new phase ALBUM to highlight impact of franchisingNo official line but body will highlight role of SME sector TfL urged to reverse bus network declineDavid Leeder says TfL’s own policies have put the city’s buses in reverse gear. Former TfL executive Leon Daniels agre ..read more

Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house   Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, pictured on a visit to Hitachi   When the new South West Trains and Great Western franchises commenced on February 4, 1996, they became the first private sector-operated rail franchises in the UK. It marked the beginning of a new era, but one that Labour has confirmed will end if it wins the next general election. Published on April 25, Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways proposes to bring franchised train o ..read more

Headwinds see bus industry entering a defining new phase   Martin Dean   According to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus, Britain’s bus networks are moving into a new and potentially unsettling era. Speaking at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire, Dean hypothesised that bus deregulation had gone through three phases since 1986. The first era was characterised by entrepreneurialism and free market forces before a second era during the 1990s led to the rapid consolidation of the industry and the emergence of the big bus groups. He described the perio ..read more

  Labour has hailed its new plan for Britain’s railway as ‘the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation’ – but can it deliver?   Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh   You wait ages for a transport policy from Labour then two come along at once. Hard on the heels of their plan to bring bus services under public control, we now have Getting Britain Moving, their plan for the railway. This too leans heavily towards public control and away from private companies, which suggests, with Louise Haigh at the helm, that some of Corbyn’s appr ..read more

  Labour has promised to phase out all of Britain’s much maligned – often unfairly in my view – franchised train operators   Labour is planning to nationalise the railway   The headline that Labour is planning to nationalise the railway if they get into power didn’t really arouse me as it would have in previous times. Maybe it’s an age-thing, I tend to get less excited now by most things than I did in my youth. There’s also a fatigue at the slowness at which anything seems to occur these days and also because the headline conjured up the usual narrative around privatisation hav ..read more

  Network & Schedules Manager Riverside Head Office Salary: £Competitive, dependent on experience Go North East are a leading provider of passenger transport in North East England. Our business literally drives people and our team of 1600+ colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. We’ve connected the North East for nearly 50 years and as the region’s largest bus company with over 500 vehicles, we continue to play a crucial role in keeping cities, towns and villages linked and the region’s people moving sustainably. We are currently recruiting for two individuals to ­fill key r ..read more

  Commercial Development Manager Riverside Head Office Salary: £Competitive, dependent on experience Go North East are a leading provider of passenger transport in North East England. Our business literally drives people and our team of 1600+ colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. We’ve connected the North East for nearly 50 years and as the region’s largest bus company with over 500 vehicles, we continue to play a crucial role in keeping cities, towns and villages linked and the region’s people moving sustainably. We are currently recruiting for two individuals to ­fill key ro ..read more

  Business Development Manager Employer: Rotala Group Limited Location: Midlands / North West / South East Salary: Competitive Contract: Permanent The Company Rotala provides a range of transport solutions for businesses, local authorities, the public and private individuals. Rotala was formed in 2005 and has grown through the acquisition and amalgamation of local coach and bus operations and is one of the largest operators in its chosen geographical locations. Rotala now operates more than 500 vehicles and employs more than 1,500 members of staff. Our registered bus services carry more ..read more

  Passenger Transport Manager   Employer: Portsmouth City Council Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom Salary: Band 14 £64,473 – £70,834 per annum Hours: 37 hours per week Contract: Permanent   The Service Portsmouth City Council is a dynamic authority with a proven track record of partnership working, bus passenger growth and one of the largest Bus Service Improvement Plan awards.  As the UK ‘s only island city, Portsmouth has a twenty year plus history of bus priority and integrated transport which is currently seeing investment of over £150 million in buses a ..read more

Welcome to The ALBUM Report 2024, a publication from Passenger Transport devoted to Britain’s independent and municipal bus companies. Returning for an eighth year, this year’s report also incorporates the Conference Workbook for the ALBUM Conference 2024, hosted by Warrington’s Own Buses at Carden Park Hotel on April 23-24. We hope you find it an interesting read and we welcome all feedback.   Click on the image above to view the supplement. If you are viewing the site on a mobile or tablet device, tap here to read the supplement. The post Read our supplement: The ALBUM Report 2024 firs ..read more