LEADERSHIP STORIES 📖 | "I’ve learned to trust my judgement" - Caroline Wilson, MD and founder at The Recruitment Story, meets Martin Dean, MD of Go-Ahead’s regional bus division ➡️ tinyurl.com/ypmnkf2e

COMMENT 🗣️ | The railway has been feeling the heat - The rail crash at Bedford and the impact of the heatwave on services across the country has made this a challenging time for rail. Alex Warner offers his thoughts 🚆 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3p842t5x

COMMENT 🗣️ | How the Germans do bus franchising - Franchising is one of the three main types of bus operation in Germany, accounting for 40% of all bus kilometres nationwide. Anshel Cohen of KCW explains 🚍🇩🇪 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3k7s846k

COMMENT 🗣️ | King of the North marches south! Marc Winsland says there is no denying that Andy Burnham’s impact has been felt in Manchester, especially for transport - but what kind of PM will he be? 👑🚍🚆 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2jkct3jp

NEWS 📰 | Little interest in modal integration in Wales - The first ever Welsh National Travel Survey has shown lower than planned modal shift while revealing the public’s priorities. Rhodri Clark reports 🚍🚆🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ➡️ tinyurl.com/dwun8zvc

NEWS 📰 | A ‘rewired’ Britain – with rewired transport. Andy Burnham promises ‘the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen’, with better transport seen as key to delivering nationwide growth 🚍🚆🇬🇧 ➡️ tinyurl.com/22vkfwup

OUT NOW 🗞️ | Click the link for a summary of what's inside this week's issue of Passenger Transport. Don't miss out, subscribe today! 🚍🚆🚇 ➡️ tinyurl.com/bpavz5t2

SCOTTISH TRANSPORT AWARDS 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 | The Scottish Transport Awards took place on June 11 in Glasgow and you can read all about the winners in this official Souvenir Brochure, the Scottish Transport Awards Book of Winners 2026 #STAs26 ⭐️🎉🍾 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3w3t2r7k

FUTURE OF RAIL 🚆 | How collaboration powered e-ticketing - John Davies of Trainline says replacing orange paper tickets with e-ticketing required the rail industry to rethink both its technology and how it works together ➡️ tinyurl.com/vyjyyahh

FUTURE OF BUS 🚍 | The road towards ‘Vision Zero’. Eight years after launching the original Bus Safety Standard, Transport for London has unveiled BSS2. Kerri Cheek of TfL provides insights ➡️ tinyurl.com/3dmmfkwa

COMMENT 🗣️ | Infrastructure isn’t the point, people are - Nina Lockwood says that the merits of projects are usually looked at through an economic or operational lens, but rarely through the eyes of the passenger 🚆🏗️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/y7xakbn9

COMMENT 🗣️ | Christian Wolmar (@christianwolmar.bsky.social) explains why the failings of Hs2 and other projects should not cloud over the extraordinary story of high-speed rail across the world 🚅🌍 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3tjh4fw6

COMMENT 🗣️ | The good, the bad and the ugly of 2026 - "It’s mid-June now folks and where have the last six months gone?" Time for Alex Warner's provides his customary half-year report on UK public transport 👍👎 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2h5rtzdm

COMMENT 🗣️ | Taking the brakes off mass transit - Bridget Rosewell, Chair of the Mass Transit Taskforce, on speeding up the delivery of projects 🚊🇬🇧 ➡️ tinyurl.com/mtxrnvxn

NEWS 📰 | Buses must form the backbone of the new Welsh Government’s actions on transport, deputy transport minister Mark Hooper said as he launched 30 new TrawsCymru buses last week. 🚍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ➡️ tinyurl.com/ywru5pf5

NEWS 📰 | Andy Burnham has said he would reinstate the cancelled Birmingham-Manchester section of HS2 if he became prime minister, outlining a Crossrail-style funding model 🚆🏗️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/ywt8m8cx

The latest podcast from @freewheeling.info on which we policy riff about the future of the #suburbs. Featuring cool stuff from mainland Europe - but more importantly the culture, the thinking and the 'civic imperative' that got them there. www.freewheeling.info/the-freewhee...

🚨 JOB ALERT 👉 General Manager 👉National Public Transport Information 👉Based in Plymouth 👉3/4 day week (£70,860 FTE pro rata) ➡️ tinyurl.com/mbnaxepn

FUTURE OF TRAVEL 🤖 | "How do we enable simple, seamless travel for everyone, everywhere?” - Steve Broadley says FAIRTIQ is looking forward to working with UK partners to deliver digital pay-as-you-go tech 🚍🚆📲 ➡️ tinyurl.com/5bb3rpwa

COMMENT 🗣️ | Partnership marketing: The missing link in growing bus use - Robin Pointon of GO Travel Solutions says the ‘Buses for You’ campaign in West Northamptonshire shows the need to look beyond transport 🚍🎭⚽️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/5ymp6483

COMMENT 🗣️ | People are rail’s missing ingredient - Alex Warner writes: "In its fixation with technology, the railway has forgotten the role of people in making the difference." 🚆🫥 ➡️ tinyurl.com/4hfreu9a

NEWS 📰 | Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has warned that half of its bus network is at risk. Escalating fuel costs and wider operating pressures have prompted bus operator to seek extended support to maintain services ahead of franchising 🚍🆘 ➡️ tinyurl.com/yucn8ta8

NEWS 📰 | Andy Burnham has advised mayors to move fast on buses: "I do say to them, just get on the path and get on it as quick as you can. And yeah, there’s some up-front cost in terms of the transition, but just swallow it and get on with it." 🚍🐝 ➡️ tinyurl.com/26h68c9b

NEWS 📰 | "We saw our first Bullet Train as we came up the escalator ... It is the train you have always wanted to catch but have never been able to. The trains are quite beautiful – I cried!" - Anthony Smith reflects on his recent trip to Japan 🇯🇵🚅 ➡️ tinyurl.com/mmhp9e3e

COMMENT 🗣️ | Transport reacts to a challenging world. Giles Bailey reports on the International Transport Forum (ITF) conference, where 1,200 delegates and 40 ministers of transport gathered this year 🚍🚆🚗🌍 ➡️ tinyurl.com/4f48789v

COMMENT 🗣️ | Branding a network, not painting a fleet - Roland Scull of MHD Partnership says a new brand doesn’t just decorate, it can shape how the public see, understand and experience a major change in transport 🚍🚆👀 ➡️ tinyurl.com/4s9yc8cb

COMMENT 🗣️ | Anti-social behaviour seems to be a growing problem. @AlexWarner5 how the public transport sector should respond to the lawlessness around us? 🚍🚆🛡️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/mtzeau9w

COMMENT 🗣️ | Our suburban transport policy should combine the idealism and objectivity that is found in mainland Europe’s Next-Level cities - says Jonathan Bray 🚍🚘🚲🛴🚶 ➡️ tinyurl.com/nzs6837b

NEWS 📰 | If we are serious about encouraging people to travel sustainably on public transport, bus speeds must move from the periphery of transport policy to the centre. That is the view of Martijn Gilbert, MD of Arriva UK Bus 🚗🚗🚗🚌 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3uv99zve

THE ALBUM REPORT 2026 📗 | Read the latest ALBUM Report - published for a tenth year in association with ALBUM - ahead of next week's ALBUM Conference 2026 in Blackpool #albumbus #albumbus2026 #albumbus26 #album26 🚍🗼 ➡️ tinyurl.com/tebcady9

COMMENT 🗣️ | The case for creating "Great British Light Rail" - Alistair Gordon of Keolis UK says light rail is now re-emerging as a strategic necessity but asks whether we capable of delivering at scale 🚊🇬🇧 ➡️ tinyurl.com/39nuxfcp

NEWS 📰 | Modernised LENNON ‘will transform railway’. Partners say new payment and revenue system will soon revolutionise the way Britain’s railways operate and how customers experience them 🚆🖥️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/mwfjudwv

COMMENT 🗣️ | "We can’t afford to lose the likes of Chris Gibb" - With rail bosses in a cult-like state of fierce agreement these days, Alex Warner says we need experienced people who are willing and able to speak out 🚆🤐 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2nee5er7

NEWS | ALBUM chair David Astill has highlighted a series of financial and operational pressures facing UK bus operators, despite what he describes as a broadly successful year for the sector 🚍👀 ➡️ tinyurl.com/yjtvyesm

NEWS 📰 | Is the fuel situation a growth opportunity? Could rising fuel prices at filling stations and shortages of aviation fuel help boost use of public transport, where fares are currently comparatively stable ⛽️🤔 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2s3w2zjs

🚨 JOB ALERT 👉 Bus Network Delivery Officer 👉 Essex County Council 👉 Full Time, Fixed Term/Secondment (2 years) 👉 £44,063 – £51,838 per annum 👉 Location: Chelmsford 👉 Working Style: Anywhere worker ➡️ tinyurl.com/32snrt4k

SPECIAL REPORT 🔍 | The Bus Archive is looking to the future. Charity has exciting plans to expand its collection that tells the story of the industry. Andrew Garnett reports 🚍🗃️🇬🇧 ➡️ tinyurl.com/5bjp2k3s

COMMENT 🗣️ | "Free fares is a huge opportunity." Will the UK follow the lead of Australian states and scraps public transport fares to ease travel costs? Laurence Kresnyak of Getronics offers his views 🚍🚆🇦🇺🇬🇧 ➡️ tinyurl.com/mptem625

COMMENT 🗣️ | It’s time we talked about toilets - says Alex Warner. How do you feel when you are on a train and nature calls? It’s not a glamorous issue but toilet facilities really matter to customers 🚆🚽 ➡️ tinyurl.com/ykywtf6p

NEWS 📰 | HS2 criticism sees Chris Gibb removed from DFTO. Respected railway leader has been fired as a non-executive director of the government's public sector rail owning group after criticising the planned HS2 rolling stock strategy 🚆 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2uzweeeu

NEWS 📰 | FlixBus prepares for a new phase of growth. From start-up to scale-up, Flix has become a major player in the UK express coach market over the past five years – and it remains ambitious 🟢🇬🇧📈 ➡️ tinyurl.com/3jar83bv

NEWS 📰 | Rail minister Lord Hendy hailed progress on rail culture change at last week's #UKRailSummit, while DFTO and Network Rail bosses demonstrated the new spirit of collaboration with a joint presentation 🚆🤝 ➡️ tinyurl.com/5c6erkt6

AWARDS 🏆 | The quest for ‘bold and inspirational leaders’. As the deadline for LiPTA nominations approaches, Chris Cheek reports on the verdict of industry experts on the importance of leadership 🧑‍💼⭐️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/5n9365k2

FUTURE OF RAIL 🚆 | Rethinking frictionless travel. A conversation with Dr Jenny Wood, head of sustainability at Worldline, about the path to net zero 🌍 ➡️ tinyurl.com/mryh8k7u

FUTURE OF BUS 🚍 | Rethinking contract performance. Brian O'Rourke of CitySwift explains why authorities need to prioritise data to strengthen performance regimes and effectively deliver reliable franchised bus services 🔎👀 ➡️ tinyurl.com/54sccku5

COMMENT 🗣️ | Who’s got the right formula? @AlexWarner5 says the @TransportFocus Your Bus Journey survey shows us who’s getting it right for their customers, and who isn’t 🚍📋 ➡️ tinyurl.com/2k77cxmh

NEWS 📰 | Backlash as ScotZEB3 favours Chinese buses. Wrightbus decries “national scandal” and McGill’s considers legal action. Alexander Dennis announces Falkirk closure with loss of up to 115 jobs 🚍⚡️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ➡️ tinyurl.com/bdd36wps

NEWS 📰 | Powers to expand tap and go across England. New national transport strategy gives local leaders ‘the powers to build transport networks that are simpler, more accessible and better connected’ 🚍🚆🚇 ➡️ tinyurl.com/mwkt4d49

TRANSAID MONTH 2026 | International development organisation Transaid is making the return of Transaid Month this May, encouraging supporters of the charity to celebrate and promote its sustainable development programmes, and raise vital funds ➡️ tinyurl.com/524aw7p7

COMMENT 🗣️ | The challenges of communication - Do you answer your emails? For a sector in that exists to connect people Alex Warner believes that our communications skills could be better ✉️📢 ➡️ tinyurl.com/5famvrfk