Reading Transport, the council-owned bus operator, recorded a £1.45m pre-tax loss during the year to 4 October 2009, as the impact of the recession drove turnover down by over 3%, according to its annual accounts. The directors report that revenue fell during the year by 3.3% to £26.2m, following a fall in patronage from March [...]

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It’s funny how a question asked by a colleague can set you thinking. Earlier this week, I got an e-mail from somebody whose boss had asked him a question about fuel costs in the bus industry: what had happened to fuel costs since 1986? It was interesting, because the standard response is “well, of course [...]

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Lothian Buses, the publlicly owned comany that runs the majority of the local bus network in Edinburgh and its environs, moved decisively back into the black during the year to 31 December 2009 after making a small loss last year. According to its annual accounts, revenue was 8.3% ahead at £112.2m, whilst operating costs were [...]

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Introduction What is the relevance of little black dresses, you may ask? The intention of this piece is to look at the bus market from some different angles and look at some of the key ways in which the bus industry differs from other service industries and retail sectors. We may become very familiar with [...]

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It’s always rather amusing to read an article which argues with a case you have made, only to find that the person is arguing with something he thinks you said rather than what you actually said. It’s also occasionally frustrating, because it becomes quite clear that the people doing the arguing have either not read [...]

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Students of the much loved TV series “Yes, Minister” and “Yes, Prime Minister” will be familiar with many of the techniques employed by both politicians and civil servants in order to manage public opinion and to look after their own interests, if necessary at the expense of others – including their own colleagues, businesses and [...]

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The Guardian’s ‘On This Day’ feature for June 24 (click here to view) contained a report on the opening of the Charing Cross – Hampstead tube, now part of the Northern Line. Sir Edgar Speyer (Chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company) is quoted as saying “…it was a matter of regret that the problem [...]

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Award-winning operator Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company saw profits fall during the year ended 27 June 2009, according to its annual accounts. Results were affected by the onset of the recession and changes in traffic patterns following the introduction of England-wide free concessionary travel in April 2008. Turnover in the business rose by [...]

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Bus operator Stagecoach Manchester saw a significant improvement in performance during the year to 30 April 2009, according to its annual accounts, recording an increase of more than 40% in operating and pre-tax profits. Strong double digit revenue growth resulting from both volume increases and acquisitions took total turnover to £92.6m, and in the process [...]

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Dear Mr Hammond First of all, congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Transport, and at the same time commiserations on missing out on the Chief Secretaryship at the Treasury. I am sure that the Treasury job might have been more to your taste, but transport will be no less demanding and, on [...]

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