Is bus the missing link in delivering a northern powerhouse?

18 March 2016

How do you turn a bus passenger into a valued customer and get more people on board? That was one of the many questions our panel faced at our event, Is bus the missing link in delivering a northern powerhouse?, in Manchester.

Following the launch of this year’s Bus Passenger Survey our panel included Giles Fearnley (First Bus), Stephen Rhodes (Transport for Greater Manchester), Julian Ridge (York City Council), Alison Pilling (Transport for the North) and our own David Sidebottom. It debated what the industry can do to ensure buses are at the heart of a thriving transport system in the north.

David Sidebottom highlighted how operators need to get the basics of a bus service right and build better relationships with their passengers. The panel members discussed how rail may continue to be at the centre of attention of plans for the northern powerhouse but it is bus that is the real workhorse of northern transport.

At our evening reception Transport for the North’s head, David Brown, updated guests on road and rail investment to support better journeys for passengers across the region.

You can find all the presentations from the panel here.

To continue the conversation tweet us @transportfocus with #northernpowerhouse.

You explore the Bus Passenger Survey data further here.

Bus event

Like what you read? Please click below to share on social media.