I have just returned from a two-week break spent travelling through rural Western America in a campervan to take photos of grand vistas and deep canyons. Aside from the lack of water (and sleep!), I was also struck by the near complete absence of public transport in some of the larger towns we visited (the exception being Las Vegas – a city, obviously, where they have double decker buses). To be honest, this isn’t a surprise, given the geography. With vast deserts, never-ending landscapes and the huge distances between villages and towns, it’s no wonder that most people drive a 4×4 pick-up truck. If I lived there, I would probably consider it too! The trip did bring home to me, however the importance of public transport and how we should be grateful (to a point) for the public transport and active travel offer we have in the UK. 

While I was away, the first 100 days passed for the new government. Rightly or wrongly, this is an important political milestone where the media, stakeholders and the government themselves sense check how they are performing. 

I think it is fair to say that it hasn’t been the start the government probably wanted, with a honeymoon period of merely days rather than a few months. When I was at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool recently, besides the conference being extremely busy, I was struck by how flat the atmosphere was. It was not one of jubilation at securing a landslide victory, but more one of cautious trepidation at the task ahead. Now, this isn’t unexpected given that very quickly, the government set the date for the budget as October 30, with a narrative that they need time to look at the books before making huge fiscal decisions. By setting this date for a time beyond the 100-day marker, it has left little room for optimism to flourish, with a feeling that we are held in perpetual stasis. 

Now, by the time this article is published, the budget will have happened and I for one will be thankful that we can now move on from the diagnosis and acute treatment (the budget) to recovery (the spending review). Halleluiah!

It would be unfair, however, to say that all is doom and gloom over the past few months. And whatever the outcomes of the budget (including the teased extension of the national bus fare cap to the end of 2025 at an increased £3), one area where we have seen real chinks of light is transport.

The new secretary of state has had an encouraging first 100 days on the job. Five transport bills were committed to in the King’s Speech, with the first bill tabled in parliament, a transport bill. The resolution of industrial disputes that have dogged our railway networks over the past few years and a commitment to learn from the past mistakes that have stalled progress on building new infrastructure capacity for our rail networks north, south, east and west. A new chair of shadow GBR, Laura Shoaf CBE (also former chair of UTG), who I know will be brilliant at the job. And a clear commitment from the ministerial team that buses matter. We have also had the firing gun started on the development of an Integrated National Transport Strategy and a recommitment to the benefits – both social and economic – of investment in active travel.  

Behind the scenes, there has also been a significant change to how the Department for Transport works. The new secretary of state has made it very clear that her focus is on outcomes for the passenger (the self-styled ‘Passenger-in-Chief’!) and how we make tangible improvements to people’s lives by improving transport services. I have seen this new philosophy becoming embedded in the department and officials taking a much more proactive approach to help our members fulfil their aims. This is hugely welcome and, over time, can help us all achieve the outcomes that we want – which is growth and prosperity.

So, as we digest the budget and its implications, we must now start to look at the spending review in the Spring. We must double our efforts to lock in the argument that investment in transport services, not just infrastructure, pays huge dividends at the local and national level, supporting economic growth and contributing to the social fabric of our local areas. Over the past year, there has been some excellent research by colleagues across the sector, with our friends at Confederation for Passenger Transport publishing vital data on the macro-economic value of buses. Our own work has also focussed on emphasising the local value of buses and the scale of disruption that would happen if revenue funding does not continue to flow from central government. 

We are not like the rural US with huge distance between our major towns and cities and the need for 4×4 pick-up trucks; we instead rely on good bus, rail and tram services and walking and cycling infrastructure. But we do need to dig canyon-deep and keep investing in our public transport and active travel networks for the long-term. Together, we can make sure that in Spring, we have a plan that puts transport on a more sustainable footing for a brighter future.

Jason Prince is Director at the Urban Transport Group

This piece first appeared in Passenger Transport Magazine.