Busy bus services are essential for reviving our town and city centres

This unique event brings together Local Authorities, operators and stakeholders to outline how passenger transport, high street and city centre recovery will work.

Pre-COVID: it was hoped that the Bus Services Bill would create a well-functioning bus network, improve community connectivity, reduce air pollution, cut carbon emissions and tackle social and economic exclusion.

Post-COVID: the future holds uncertainty around passenger numbers, funding and the development of a National Bus Strategy. Yet as the pandemic threat begins to recede, pre-existing problems around quality of environment, place, community and economic resilience are coming back into focus.

There is real reason for optimism: 2021 will be the year of recovery and transition, with opportunities to be seized.

This online discussion forum will highlight the innovation, policy, design and engineering schemes ensuring that buses remain a key part of the future transport network:

• Bus Recovery Partnerships

• Future buses: clean, comfortable, convenient and quick

• Improving rural and suburban services

• ITS, road and traffic management, journey planning and real-time data

• Zero emission buses and the green recovery

Programme

09.30 - 10.45
Opening session: doing buses better – panel and Q and A

Chair: Jane Cole, Managing Director, Blackpool Transport

Panellists:

Alex Hornby, CEO, Transdev Blazefield

Patrick Warner, Head of Innovation Strategy, Brighton and Hove and Metrobus

John Barry, former Head of Bus Network Developments, Transport for London

Alison Edwards, Head of Policy, Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT UK)

Meera Nayyar, Head of Passenger Experience, Buses and Taxis, Department for Transport 

11.00-12.15
Transport decarbonisation / green recovery – panel session and Q and A

Chair: Daniel Hayes, Project Manager, Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP)

Jo Bamford, owner and executive chairman, Wrightbus

Claire Walters, Chief Executive, Bus Users UK

Charlie Barnes, EV Project Development Manager, Bus & Coach Lead, SSE

Councillor Liam Robinson, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Air Quality, Liverpool City Region

Richard Walker, Decarbon8 network: the role of buses

12.30 - 13.45
Driving innovation through technology

Chair: Jennie Martin, Secretary General, ITS UK

Outcome focused technology applications
Andy Poole, Associate Director, WSP and Joel Dodsworth, UTMC Manager Highways, Leeds City Council
Delivering co-benefits for different road users, the local community and the wider highway network through modelling, scheme design and the application of technology on the A647 corridor between Bradford and Leeds

A successful GLOSA deployment
Arron Dando, Business Development Manager, Zircon & Lauren Shaw, Senior Specialist Transport Planner, Newcastle City Council
Zircon and Newcastle County Council describe their journey to an on-road Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory (GLOSA) deployment. The session covers the project objectives, technical solution, challenges encountered and future programmes of work

Emerging technologies to benefit transport operations
Arron Dando, Business Development Manager, Zircon
Use cases for new technologies such as machine learning and video analytics – how these can provide tangible benefits to transport operators, the travelling public and local authorities

14.00 -15.15
Planning for connected towns and cities

Chair: Liz Hunter, ‎Head of Transport Policy, West Yorkshire Combined Authority

The new Metropolitan Bus Model: the implications of policy options
Tom Ellerton, Analyst, Urban Transport Group

Bus market recovery: reducing journey times and increasing predictablity
Matt Gamble, Principal Consultant, Atkins

New Lubbesthorpe Sustainable Urban Extension DRT
Robin Pointon, Director, Go Travel Solutions

Collective and shared data: shaping demand for new routes and extra bus capacity
Nick Bromley, consultant

Demand-responsive transport: convenient, flexible and accessible
Jonathan Hampson, Head of Partnerships UK, Via

15.30 - 16.15
Closing session: being ready, thinking big

Chair: Tom Hacker, Head of Transport Planning, Leeds, WSP, and BRTuk Secretary

Keynote – Delivering better service value: specific proposals for the bus industry
Huw Merriman, Chair, Transport Select Committee 

Major schemes updates from around the UK, including:

£500 million for bus priority infrastructure: investment in bus priority planned in Scotland
Paul White, Director, CPT, Scotland

The zero-emission Sprint bus priority corridor
Angela Hosford, Head of Sprint, Transport for West Midlands

A transformational rapid transit network
Pam Turton, Assistant Director, Portsmouth City Council

The Crawley Growth Programme: New bus lanes, real time information, departure lounge-style bus hubs, urban realm improvements
Patrick Warner, Head of Innovation Strategy, Brighton and Hove and Metrobus

Other major schemes to be announced

BRTuk closing remarks
Alan Bailes, BRT UK Chair

Contact Darryl Murdoch, Client Partnership Manager on 020 7091 7891 or email Darryl@landor.co.uk