The recent Quality Bus 2023 conference held at Leicester, co-hosted by the Bus Centre of Excellence and Landor LINKS, emerged as a resounding success. The two-day premier gathering brought together industry professionals responsible for designing, planning, supplying, and operating quality bus routes and networks, and it addressed the evolving landscape of bus strategy, policy, funding, and innovation.
6th November – Quality Bus Day One
One of the event's highlights was the opportunity for attendees to engage in site visits, offering firsthand experiences and insights. Notably, the visit to First Bus’s Leicester depot, one of the UK's first three fully electrified bus depots outside of London, showcased the future of sustainable bus transportation.
Leicester Bus Tours, including walking, HOP!, and electric bus tours, provided a dynamic exploration of the city's public transportation initiatives. These tours allowed participants to witness firsthand the innovations taking place in the heart of Leicester.
The event's key themes encompassed a wide range of critical areas within the bus industry, emphasising the importance of improving the passenger experience, implementing bus priority schemes, fostering partnership collaborations, reducing operator costs, and advancing the decarbonisation of vehicles. Attendees delved into topics such as optimising vehicle usage and routing, developing innovative funding frameworks, and addressing the unique challenges of rural and peri-urban services.
The event also delved into understanding bus usage and networks through data-driven models, with a focus on infrastructure for both buses and passengers. Participants had the opportunity to explore the latest developments in bus infrastructure, including cutting-edge technology and design.
Discussions centred on supporting decarbonisation through zero-emission vehicles, real-time route planning, route optimisation, carbon footprint tracking, and passenger counting solutions.
With buses playing a pivotal role in reducing emissions and providing efficient transportation, the event highlighted the significance of making bus travel a compelling choice for individuals. By offering seamless, integrated travel experiences and innovative digitalisation, the event encouraged attendees to rethink their travel behaviours and embrace the efficiency and connectivity of public transportation.
One of the event's standout facts was that a single bus has the potential to replace up to 40 cars on the road, underscoring the importance of driving the adoption of bus travel. Passengers today seek control over their entire journey, from their doorstep to the bus stop and back, and the event showcased a range of strategic and operational solutions that cater to these preferences while simultaneously reducing operating costs.
7th November - Quality Bus Day Two
The second day featured a comprehensive agenda that brought together key stakeholders and experts to delve into the multifaceted challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the bus industry. The morning plenary, titled "Generation Bus," was chaired by Leon Daniels, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Bus Centre of Excellence at Attenborough Hall set the tone for the day.
The plenary featured distinguished speakers such as Richard Holden MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Roads and Local Transport, who addressed the audience via video. Sir Peter Soulsby, Leicester City Mayor, David Leeder, Director and Managing Partner of Transport Investment Limited, and Louise Collins, Director of Transport Focus, also provided valuable insights. The discussions encompassed crucial themes like enhancing the competitiveness of buses against private cars, the role of buses in contributing to social and economic equality, aligning bus services with net-zero goals, optimising customer experience, and exploring innovative funding models—both public and private.
Following a brief morning break, participants reconvened in for sessions that delved deeper into the future landscape of bus infrastructure, led by Max Womersley, Sales Director of Trueform. The topics included quality bus infrastructure and planning, featuring speakers like Ivan Bennett, Director of Infrastructure Design & Innovation at Trueform, Ed Griffiths, Creative Director at Jedco Product Designers, and Karen Rankin, Development Director at Trueform.
Simultaneously, in G.01/G.02, Chris Papaioannou, Data Analyst & Transport Modeller at PTV Group, led a session on planning bus services and service indicators using Lines.
After a nourishing lunch break, the conference delved into operator and local authority partnerships, exploring successful collaborations led by Andy Gibbons, Programme Manager for Buses at Leicester City Council. Speakers from Arriva UK Bus, First Bus, Norfolk County Council, Centrebus, Vectare, and GO Travel Solutions shared their experiences and insights.
The afternoon unfolded with parallel sessions exploring topics ranging from the next generation of bus services to developments in on-demand rural services. The day concluded with an afternoon plenary session, "Bus Services Fit for Purpose," featuring prominent figures such as Stephen Fidler, Director of Local Transport at the Department for Transport, Claire Walters, Chief Executive of Bus Users UK, Cllr Adam Clarke, Deputy City Mayor of Leicester City Council, and Alison Edwards, Director of Policy at CPT.
The Quality Bus Conference not only provided a platform for rich discourse on the present and future of bus transportation but also facilitated networking and collaboration among industry leaders, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient public transportation system.
Roxana Hurjui, Bus Centre of Excellence