https://www.passengertransport.co.uk/202...ectations/

(13 Jun 2025, 3:23 pm)citaro5284 wrote https://www.passengertransport.co.uk/202...ectations/

Bit of an odd article. It's clearly written as an opinion piece, but nobody at Passenger Transport appears to want to put their name to it.

It's taken a comment about lack of knowledge and expertise, and needing to use best practice from London and Manchester for other City Regions (which I think is fair), but then conflates that with a completely unrelated comment from the CPT Cymru director, suggesting that public expectation is being set too high. Leading them to come up with their headline.

I'm always a bit sceptical when organisations like the CPT comment, especially when it's not made clear that their role is as a lobbying group for private bus operators. Franchising or public ownership is not in their bus manifesto, they'd very much prefer a blank cheque to do what they want with.

I don't even think it's correct to suggest that public expectation is too high. Let's face it, it couldn't be any lower, especially in our region. Even a reliable service would get folk excited!

(13 Jun 2025, 3:23 pm)citaro5284 wrote https://www.passengertransport.co.uk/202...ectations/

'My worry for bus reform going forward is lack of expertise'. 

I mean, the expertise that private operators have utilised, isn't exactly amazing is it? 
We wouldn't be in the mess we have experienced for the last however many years otherwise.

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(13 Jun 2025, 6:32 pm)Adrian wrote Bit of an odd article. It's clearly written as an opinion piece, but nobody at Passenger Transport appears to want to put their name to it.

It's taken a comment about lack of knowledge and expertise, and needing to use best practice from London and Manchester for other City Regions (which I think is fair), but then conflates that with a completely unrelated comment from the CPT Cymru director, suggesting that public expectation is being set too high. Leading them to come up with their headline.

I'm always a bit sceptical when organisations like the CPT comment, especially when it's not made clear that their role is as a lobbying group for private bus operators. Franchising or public ownership is not in their bus manifesto, they'd very much prefer a blank cheque to do what they want with.

I don't even think it's correct to suggest that public expectation is too high. Let's face it, it couldn't be any lower, especially in our region. Even a reliable service would get folk excited!

I think we spoke elsewhere about a foreign head coming in. 
It's certainly something I would prefer as a passenger. 

Whether the foreign head could make in-roads or smash through the existing culture enough to make a difference, is probably the discussion point here.