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Transport projects in smaller cities, towns and rural areas in the North and Midlands, including for buses, will benefit from long-term funding certainty. RICHARD WALTER People in the North and the Midlands will benefit from better public transport, reduced congestion and upgraded local bus and railway stations thanks to the new £4.7 billion Local Transport Fund, the Government says. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed that the North will receive £2.5 billion and the Midlands will receive £2.2 billion from April 2025 to improve local transport connections ..read more

Ardent’s new CLearConnect system has been designed to assist hearing aid users and minimise background noise. ARDENT New regulations mean that operators will need to make sure their fleets are compliant with requirements from 2026 Safety systems specialist Ardent has launched an induction hearing loop system designed to support coach and bus operators in meeting their legal and ethical obligations to promote inclusion among transport users. Launched in January 2024, Ardent says the technology, named ClearConnect, has been designed to empower passengers with deafness, making travel more accessi ..read more

Trade union Unite has stepped up its efforts in Scotland to protect bus drivers by offering a ‘road map’ to immediately improve the safety of bus workers following the fatal stabbing of a driver in Elgin last month. The union has written to First Minister Humza Yousaf in the aftermath of driver Keith Rollinson’s death, and urged him and the wider Scottish Government to work with the union and with bus operators to implement a series of safety measures to discourage anti-social and violent behaviour on buses. The union’s road map includes increasing the presence of police officers or community ..read more

The CPT has held its Ride & Drive event at North Weald since 2012, and is now hosting a similar event in Newcastle. CPT The CPT’s first ever North of England Ride & Drive event is to take place in Newcastle on 9 March between 1100 and 1400hrs. The new event follows the success of CPT’s previous Ride & Drive events held in North Weald every summer, which has been established since 2012. Many manufacturers will be in attendance, and will have vehicles available to test drive, including EVM and Dawson Group. The CPT says that the event is expected to attract over a hundred attendees ..read more

Funding for bus services should not be a postcode lottery based on the cancelled HS2 route, says the CPT, responding to news of how the £4.7 billion Local Transport Fund, announced in October, will be allocated across the North and Midlands (see pages 8 and 9), CPT CEO Graham Vidler said: “Clarity over the allocation of funding announced for local transport in October last year will be welcome for councils in the North and Midlands. We urge them to recognise the value of buses to their economies and communities when making investment decisions. Councils in the south of England now also need th ..read more

The electric coach will be used on a route between London and Newport via Bristol. FLIXBUS The inter-city operator is to trial an electric coach on services between Newport, Bristol and London FlixBus has announced the launch of its first electric long-distance coach service, the first such route in England and Wales. From 21 March, a specially-liveried Yutong TCe12 belonging to partner operator Newport Transport will be in use on the company’s route between London, Bristol and Newport in South Wales. The trial will run for three months, until June. Managing Director of FlixBus UK Andreas Scho ..read more