Bus managers need to be active in their local community

Roger French

25 November 2016

Roger French OBE DL ran Brighton & Hove’s award-winning bus network for 30 years until his retirement in 2013. He is now a full-time bus and train passenger travelling extensively throughout the UK.

Transport forms an interesting element of the responsibilities of local authorities in Britain. Unlike education, or waste, or fire services, for example, councils, by and large, have direct control over very little of the actual transport activity either by being in charge of its provision, or specifying the behaviours of those involved as suppliers or customers.

They do provide some of the roads and traffic management, but only parts of the parking, and cannot directly influence the...