28 September 2023 – The government has pledged a further £80 million to support buses into 2025.

The funding will protect essential bus services and allow local authorities to make the improvements that would most benefit their communities.

Roads Minister Richard Holden today confirmed allocations for 64 local authorities across England from the £80 million investment in the bus service improvement plan+ (BSIP+) for 2024 to 2025.

Local authorities can use the funding to improve local buses by bringing in new services or routes, extending timetables through new morning or evening buses or making tickets cheaper through reduced fares for elderly or young people. They can also protect hundreds of bus services with low passenger numbers so that people who rely on them for essential services can continue to access their local bus.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said:  “Buses are the most popular form of public transport and millions of people across the country from the Tees Valley to Torbay rely on their local service to get to work, attend medical appointments and see loved ones.

“We are providing a further £80 million to help local authorities improve and protect essential services, delivering for local communities across the country by enhancing transport connections, supporting passengers and growing the economy.”

Today also marks the publication of the £2 Bus Fare Cap Second Interim Evaluation Report, analysing the initial impact of the cap in January and February 2023, the first 2 months of the measure.

£80 million to support buses into 2025: read the full story on the Department for Transport website.

27 September 2023 – The annual report providing public transport statistics for Northern Ireland has been published and contains statistics for 2022-23.

The report presents statistics on public transport operated by Translink and it brings together information on public transport journeys, vehicles and staff. It is produced by Analysis, Statistics and Research Branch (ASRB).

The key points on public transport journeys are:

• In 2022-23, there were 73.5 million journeys on public transport; this was an increase of 14.2 million or 23.9% since 2021-22, but a decrease of 11.9% from 2019-20 (83.4 million).
• During 2022-23, there were, 60.6 million bus passenger journeys, an increase of 19.9% when compared with 2021-22 (50.5 million), but a decrease of 11.3% from 2019-20 (68.3 million journeys).
• There were 12.9 million rail passenger journeys in 2022-23, an increase of 47.4% when compared with 2021-22 (8.8 million) but a decrease of 14.7% from 2019-20 (15.1 million).
• In March 2023, the number of bus passenger journeys reached it’s highest monthly level since the beginning of the pandemic with 6.7 million journeys. Monthly rail passenger journeys reached a post-pandemic peak of 1.4 million in December 2022.

The Public Transport Statistics Northern Ireland 2022-23 report includes data on public transport passenger journeys during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Read the full report.

24 July 2023 – Today, UK-based EPM Transport Solutions, transport technology specialists and parent company of EPM Bus Solutions, Omnibus Solutions, 3Squared, and FabDigital has announced it has rebranded to Velociti Group.

The company launched the new identity, including new name and logo, to better communicate its purpose to deliver innovative software and specialist consultancy to power public transportation.

This new fresh identity represents Velociti’s dynamism, agility and energy. Along with the brand-new look, Velociti Group’s innovative message is ‘The Future. Accelerated’.

Through pioneering technology and a first-class approach to implementation, Velociti Group tackles the challenges faced by those seeking to create an improved and greener future for customers, operators and infrastructure owners in both rail and bus sectors.

Ian Churchill, CEO at Velociti Group, commented: “We are delighted to launch Velociti Group, a new name and vibrant identity that effectively embodies us as a group. Velociti Group encompasses a wealth of heritage and ambition from across the rail and bus sectors and we are pleased to reflect this in our new brand.

“Velociti Group companies will continue to operate as individual entities while the new group identity will bring them together as a collective, with the combined aim of creating a better future for forward-thinking organisations seeking to improve outcomes in rail and bus transport.”

-END-

ABOUT VELOCITI GROUP
Velociti Group provides software and services to transport operators and local authorities to optimise their operations. Velociti Group trades through four distinct brands – EPM Bus Solutions (https://www.epm-bus.com/), Omnibus Solutions (https://omnibus.solutions/), 3Squared (https://3squared.com/) and FabDigital (https://www.fabcomms.co.uk/index.php?page=fab-digital)

MEDIA INFORMATION
For further information, images or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Amy Jeffs, MD & Communications Consultant, Hey Me
Email: amy@heyme.co.uk
Telephone: +44 7576 847637

19 July 2023 – The Department for Transport (DfT) has developed a set of user personas to understand the needs, behaviours and travel preferences of different types of passengers – and ensure transport systems work for everyone.

The diversity is captured with 12 different personas to reflect 9 groups of people. The groups were developed from existing research that was validated and updated by a large-scale survey and ethnographic study in 2022.

The evidence that feeds into these personas covers the population aged 16 and over in England only. The personas are intended to provide a tool that makes it easier to put passengers and people at the heart of their decision-making.

Read the full report: Transport user personas

17 July 2023 – Older and eligible disabled people are being urged to make the most of free bus travel, through a new government campaign launched this month.

The ‘Take the Bus’ campaign is targeting people aged 66 and above, and disabled people who are eligible for a concessionary pass after statistics show concessionary journeys are down by more than a third since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Along with the government’s £2 bus fare cap scheme, the campaign aims to get more people using the bus to help reduce congestion and emissions while supporting the bus industry and helping grow the economy.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want those eligible to embrace all the benefits their concessionary pass can bring, with free bus travel allowing them to enjoy great trips out – all they need to do is ‘take the bus’. Around £1 billion a year of central and local government funding goes towards concessionary passes to help older and disabled people get out and about while saving them money and helping grow the economy.”

Read the full story: New campaign to boost free bus travel this summer

6 July 2023 – The Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned research into public attitudes, travel needs, and behaviours regarding travel following the pandemic and in response to other challenges, such as the rising cost of living and climate change.

The research involved an online survey of a representative sample of 2,345 adults aged 16-75 across England, 10 online focus group discussions in November 2022 to supplement the survey findings and 15 in-depth interviews to follow-up and explore key topics in February 2023.

The report compares data from November 2022 and November 2021 and in the three months immediately before the pandemic period.

Key findings include:

• In November 2022, just under a third of people (30%) said they avoided public transport due to concerns around Coronavirus, a proportion which had fallen since November 2021 (46%). However, it is notable that nearly a third of people said they did avoid public transport for this reason. Focus group discussions highlighted the importance people placed on adequate ventilation and cleanliness.
• When people in November 2022 were asked what would encourage them to use public transport more, financial incentives were most mentioned, along with more frequent and punctual services, whilst issues related to Coronavirus (ventilation, low numbers of Coronavirus cases) were mentioned less.
• A third of people (33%) agreed they found it difficult to choose the most suitable ticket when travelling by public transport. Focus group participants suggested that clearer and more visible information about current ticketing options was needed.

Read the full report: Our changing travel – how people’s travel choices are changing

17 May 2023 – An independent evaluation of the £2 bus fare cap has been published by the Department for Transport (DfT). 

Observations from the first month of the scheme include:

• take-up of the scheme varied by region, rurality, household income and car ownership
• awareness of the scheme was high with national news acting as the main channel for raising awareness
• early evidence suggests a potentially positive impact on patronage and the cost of living

The scheme was launched by the DfT on 1 January 2023. It was originally due to run until 31 March 2023 but has since been extended for an additional 3 months to the end of June 2023. During this period, bus operators can voluntarily implement a £2 cap on eligible single tickets for adults. The aims of the fare cap are to save passengers money and encourage more people back on the bus.

The evaluation, carried out by Frontier Economics and SYSTRA, is ongoing and further findings will be published when completed.

Full report: Evaluation of the £2 bus fare cap