Following last week’s announcement of the Government’s National Bus Strategy for England, ALBUM – the Association of Local Bus Managers Chair Bill Hiron said:
“Our members welcome the publication of the Government’s National Bus Strategy (NBS), especially as it reflects many of the things ALBUM companies already deliver, day in and day out, as part of our continued attention to the needs of our customers – from ultra-low and zero emission buses, to attractive and frequent services and strong local partnerships.
Our biggest opportunity to encourage more bus use may be in the shared commitment now expected from operators and local authorities in terms of punctuality and timekeeping, alongside welcome funding commitments and requirements on local authorities to provide road space for buses.
With our members’ shared focus on delivering for customers who make over 4 billion journeys each year, our experience and innovation can help to ensure the interests of bus users come first. The commercial sector has delivered alongside enabling savings to the public purse and, whilst there is scope to do things better, it would be unwise to forget the lessons of history.
We now look forward to discussing the all-important detail, how funding will be allocated and the challenging timescales of the National Bus Strategy with our members and local authority partners, as well as with national government. We are clear in our commitment to deliver exciting improvements that have the potential to transform perceptions and attract more new customers to the bus, in the unique, agile and dynamic way ALBUM members often can.”