Local leaders met this past Thursday (13 March) to discuss the future of greener bus travel, UK jobs and wider business at the first UK Bus Manufacturing Panel.
The panel has been launched to support British manufacturing by bringing Metro Mayors together with industry leaders to provide support for the sector.
The first event, which was hosted at the Canon Medial Arena, Sheffield, saw the gathering of industry figureheads from organisations including Alexander Dennis, the Urban Transport Group, the Confederation of Passenger Transport and Metro Mayors Oliver Coppard (South Yorkshire) & Tracey Brabin (West Yorkshire), with Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood hosting the debut event.
Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood, said:It was great to kick off our first bus manufacturing expert panel today, bringing together leading bus manufacturers, Metro Mayors, and industry experts to focus on cleaner air and improved transport across the country.
By creating a pathway for UK manufacturing growth, we are not just transforming our fleets – we are prioritising high quality buses that meet the needs of passengers, boosting regional economies to drive up living standards, and putting a coalition of highly skilled manufacturers and passionate local leaders at the heart of our zero-emission future.
Topics explored by the panel included discussions on ways to ensure the UK remains a leader within the bus sector, the prioritisation of high-quality zero-emission bus manufacturing, support of job growth across the country and how agencies can collaborate to build a ‘passenger first’ bus network with both greatly improved accessibility and inclusivity.
Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group, said:The UK has a successful history of building buses and has the potential to be a global leader when it comes to manufacturing zero emission buses. The Government’s new Panel - of which we are pleased to be a part of – will bring together leaders from across the sector to help secure the UK’s strong bus manufacturing position and to deliver new jobs, greener buses, cleaner air and regional economic growth.
The panel comes ahead of the introduction of the new Bus Services Bill, which is expected to provide a significant shake-up to the bus industry by handing local leaders control over their own services, as well as measures to end the use of new diesel and petrol buses before 2030.
The Bus Services Bill is currently being progressed through Parliament and comes as the Government has pledged 1 billion GBP to improve bus local services across the nation.
