Last week's UK Bus Summit, organised by Transport Times in partnership with Passenger Transport, was the seventh edition of this must-attend event - but it has been five years and a half years since the last one.
So much has changed since then in the UK bus sector. We've had a pandemic, a National Bus Strategy for England, post-Covid recovery in passenger numbers, three changes in the occupancy of 10 Downing Street and a change of government.
We've also seen Greater Manchester - the location of last week's Summit - introduce bus franchising. The yellow buses of the Bee Network are as omnipresent as London's red buses and could be viewed on the streets below the conference venue, located on the eighth floor of a vibrant mixed-use building in the city centre.
The event welcomed over 260 delegates and re-established itself as the premier bus event covering all parts of the UK. Previously held in Westminster, the choice of Manchester reflected the shift in power and focus that has come with greater devolution. Devolved governments and administrations are charting their own course, but the event provides an opportunity to compare and contrast bus policy throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Harnessing bus powers to deliver affordable, accessible, integrated transport
The first session was chaired by Leon Daniels OBE, Chair of the Advisory Board at the Bus Centre of Excellence. It began with a video message from Simon Lightwood MP, Minister for Local Transport, who was unable to attend in person.
Lightwood, who has held his brief since Labour came to power in July 2024, highlighted the importance of bus services. He described them as a "catalyst for opportunity, an accelerator of growth, and a lifeline for those who rely on them".
He also spoke about the government's effort to empower local leaders with the ability to take control of bus services, as Greater Manchester has done, and he praised the energy and enthusiasm of those in the sector.
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, is among those who are seeking powers to take control of buses. Contracts to operate buses on her region's new Weaver Network go out to market on October 6, and Brabin says there has been "fantastic engagement" from over 40 different companies.
The Weaver Network will also incorporate the region's electric bikes and its new tram system, on which construction is scheduled to begin in 2028.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is already building a new bus station in Heckmondwike in the Weaver branding. "We're not just waiting for 2027, when three tranches of the [bus] network are going to be franchised," she said.
Cllr Nadine Peatfield, Deputy Mayor of East Midlands and Leader of Derby City Council, explained why her region is taking a different approach.
East Midlands Combined Authority has only been in existence for just over one year, and it is hoped that the region's new transport authority will launch next spring.
"We've chosen not to go down the franchising path," she said. "And that's because we already have an absolutely excellent Enhanced Partnership across the region."
She described the region's 10 bus operators as "companies of excellence". He pointed out that council-owned Nottingham City Transport has been named Bus Operator of the Year a record six times while Trentbarton is "absolutely fabulous".
"[Trentbarton are] family run and that ethos absolutely spreads throughout the company," Peatfield said. "I have been to their awards evenings and witnessed for myself just how special small companies like that can be
"We want to take those partnerships and absolutely build and grow them and make them even better - to an Enhanced Partnership of excellence. We believe that that is the way forward because together we can actually deliver faster.
"While franchising is the absolute right method for some regions, for us we want to move with speed. And we believe that by working with an Enhanced Partnership we can do that in a matter of months, not years."
Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire, is also keen to make rapid progress - and last March he took the decision to achieve that through bus franchising. It's part of a strategy that is pro-choice rather than anti-car.
The procurement process will begin in November and the new brand will be unveiled next year. The first tranche of franchising will begin on September 5, 2027.
"We want to work with partners who share our values," said Coppard. "We absolutely want to put back in place in South Yorkshire a world-class public transport network."
"I know from my experience over the last three years, and I know that some of you agree with me about this - despite the fact you won't nod as I say it - that the bus industry is the only industry I am aware of that thinks it can grow its market by cutting services. I know a number of you in the room agree with that. We don't want to do that in South Yorkshire.
"We are determined to try and grow the network in South Yorkshire, grow patronage, we want to bring down prices, and we want to make sure that everyone has services.
Coppard acknowledged that big challenges lie ahead. "I'm not sitting here and telling you that I think we can do it and you failed ... It's easy, it's straightforward," he said.
"I know that's not the case, but we need to take a different approach - because what we have seen in South Yorkshire is going from a world-class public transport network that we had ... one that was looked at as a model for everybody across the country, to an absolutely second rate service now. I am not prepared to put up with that and my community is not. And I think a number of you in this room hate that as well ... because you get the grief just like I get the grief.
"We have a muscle memory in South Yorkshire of brilliant public transport. That's where we are going back to."
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader, Liverpool City Council said it was an "exciting time for bus".
He observed: "This is an issue that's resonating right across the big city regions, right across the whole country."
Following in the footsteps of Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region is going to be the next part of the country to roll out bus franchising.
The friendly rivalry that exists between the two regions was evident when, in the home of the Bee Network, Robinson joked that Liverpool City Region had considered calling their system the A Network!
Liverpool City Region will also be the first part of the country outside of London to fully integrate buses and trains.
Robinson said social justice was at the heart of the mission to improve transport connectivity, pointing out that a third of residents don't have access to a car.
He also spoke of the need to speed up bus journeys, with Liverpool putting bus lanes back into the city to achieve this. He is meanwhile hopeful that a Bus Rapid Transit system "akin to the Belfast Glider" will be launched within two years.
"It's a very, very exciting time for buses in the Liverpool City Region," he said. "In a way, I would argue it's the most exciting time to cross this country, probably for 50 years."
The goal in Wales is to implement bus franchising nationwide, with Transport for Wales (TfW) adding local bus networks to its existing responsibilities for rail and the TrawsCymru inter-urban bus network. The vision is "one network, one timetable, one ticket".
Richard Marwood, Bus Programme Director, Bus Transformation at Transport for Wales, explained how the Bus Services (Wales) Bill, a piece of Welsh legislation that reforms the planning and delivery of local bus services in Wales, giving local authorities more power to create a coordinated, community-focused bus network, went to the Senedd in March. It is hoped that it will get Royal Assent in January.
A public engagement exercise has been carried out in South West Wales, which will be the first franchise area. The tendering process will begin in June 2026 and it is expected that franchised services will start in summer 2027.
Marwood said TfW is determined to ensure that franchising offers a place for all kinds of operators, including small and medium-sized bus operators.
After the initial questions, the panel fielded a number of questions. The session's host, Leon Daniels, asked his panel whether the current economic situation cast a shadow over their plans to enhance the quality and scale of bus provision in their areas via bus franchising.
Oliver Coppard said fiscal devolution has to play a role. He would like business rates to be retained in his region and a visitor levy. "I am absolutely in the space of wanting the responsibility and ability to be able to pay for the public services we deliver through the money we raise locally," he said.
He also argued that the growth and prosperity that improved public transport can bring could justify the cost. "Growth is the only way through this problem," he said. "The only way we can get to a better economy, where we can pay for things that we want, is through more growth in the economy.
"In South Yorkshire we have seen huge growth in certain parts of our economy, so we know what we are doing. [We've seen] 64% growth over the past 20 years in Rotherham alone, which has far outstripped the national economy. If we get the money to be able to invest in transport connectivity, through tram and bus in particular, then I think we can absolutely grow the economy even more and contribute back to the Treasury in a way that we don't at the moment."
Tracy Brabin pointed to the success of her region's £2 fare cap and the patronage growth it unlocked.
"We know that we have got opportunities to grow the patronage of transport but also to grow the economy," she said.
Brabin said that transport is raised in every meeting she has with business leaders, because they understand the pivotal role it has in economic growth.
She echoed Coppard's call for fiscal devolution. "[This] is something that all the mayors are pressing government on," she said. "Surely we are at the end of the begging bowl culture where we go down to London and say 'please sir, can we have some more?".
We know our businesses, we know our communities. We have skin in this game. We know that if you give us the levers we can grow - particularly mayoral combined authorities - faster than national growth."
Robinson said: "I think we've always got to remember not just what the cost of a transport network is, but what its value actually is."
He added: "When we run the business case for bus reform we know we've got to do something. Not doing something we'll just mean the network will decline. It will just mean that people can't travel. And that will lead to economic degeneration ... Franchising is better value. That's why we have chosen to go down that route on a value for money basis.
"If we don't it will cost us in so many other ways across the public purse."
Richard Marwood, Bus Programme Director, Bus Transformation at Transport for Wales, said: "You can't reduce [the bus network] any further. You can't take it away ... The logic for spending on bus really does stack up very well."
Daniels followed up with a second question about the need to speed up bus journeys to make them more attractive to the public, and overcoming the opposition to pro-bus measures.
Robinson said it was important not to be deterred from taking the right decisions for the many by a vocal minority. "There will always be a cohort people who are kind of motoring evangelicals, who will behave as if they are 100% of the population not actually more like a third of the population," he said.
The opposition is sometimes not as big as feared. Liverpool has begun enforcing box junctions, and Robinson has been "astounded" by the lack of complaints. "It's not always as clear as the [Jeremy] Clarkson mentality," he observed. "That doesn't mean it's not a tough challenge, because it is."
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, added: "We are investing many, many tens of millions in bus priority lanes because you've got to be able to say that you're journey will only take this long. Otherwise people won't use it."
The discussion led Daniels to recall an anecdote from his time at Transport for London: "When I get to write my book I will include the bit when Prince Andrew rang me and told me that, during times of high congestion, I should open up the bus lane on the Bayswater Road to cars in order to get more traffic through."
James Mitchell, a shop steward for Unite the Union, asked what will be done to improve the comfort of drivers in increasingly common extreme weather. Brabin said all voices should be heard in relation to bus design while Robinson added: "If the driver isn't comfortable and happy with their workspace, well it ain't going to work for everybody else is it?"
Later on, the panellists called for fresh thinking from the bus industry.
"My challenge to the room is where are the big ideas coming from when it comes to public transport and buses?" said Coppard. "Where are those new designs for bus stops that no one ever presents to me? Where are those new designs for networks that no one ever presents to me? Where are those new ideas for all of the ways in which we could enhance the passenger experience?
"The one question I have which no one is able to answer ... What's the ideal price point for a bus ticket? Because there's a price at which we can reduce the fare and increase the passenger numbers - no one can tell me that number. So if you can tell me that number, come and talk to me. It's the sort of question that never gets asked in this industry. That, I think, is a leadership challenge. How are you changing the paradigm in this industry, and who is doing that? And I want to talk to those people."
Coppard sought fresh thinking of the branding for South Yorkshire's franchised bus network.
"When we went through that process I gave very clear instructions to my team that I did not want some bus design company to win that contract," he said. "Because if we get a bus design company to win the contract for the livery we will just get bus designs that we've seen. They will take one off the shelf and give it to us - and it will look like every other bus ... I want a fundamentally different look and feel to our network."
Robinson said the retail economics of buses needed to change.
"Throughout the deregulated era it was always about maximising yield per passenger," he said. "It was the economics often of the High Street jeweller when actually what it should be as about supermarket economics - pile it high, sell it cheap.
"Let's be dead honest about it ... It's a convenience good. People want readily available, good quality as cheap as practically possible. It's not a comparison good. I don't know anyone in Liverpool who says I'm an Arriva or a Stagecoach customer. They just want to get on the next bus."
Finally, Adam Leishman Executive Chairman and founder of Ascendal Group asked how franchising authorities would avoid a "race to the bottom" on franchises. Would they be prepared to turn down low cost, low quality bids?
Coppard responded: "The answer is political leadership, frankly. It's about stepping out in front and saying, actually, I'm not prepared to just go with the cheapest solution. I'm going to spend some decent money on providing services for my communities that they value."
How technology is making bus the obvious choice for carbon reduction and customer experience
The second session focused on the role of technology and was chaired by Max Sugarman, Chief Executive of Intelligent Transport Systems UK.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, reflected on the progress that has been achieved with the Bee Network. This includes 14% year-on-year growth in passenger numbers in the first franchising areas.
"It's such a different world that it's hard to even compare it with the old world. In my view, deregulation took pressure off the bus industry. It allowed them to do as they pleased. It didn't give them an incentive to invest ... The average age of buses in our fleet was eight or nine years, I think I am right in saying. We'd seen a declining industry for 40 years."
He added: "It was something of a shock to be honest with you to see some of the standards in the depots we inherited, different standards, the fragmentation of the whole thing.
"I personally don't think that the bus industry in the UK has been in anything like the right place for many, many years outside of London and the South East. Hopefully, we are showing there is a better path, that's actually it's a path that's good for industry as well as good for the staff who drive our buses - and, of course, the public."
Burnham said franchising could also provide a major boost for British bus manufacturers, declaring "we would want to see British-built buses on the streets of Greater Manchester, and we are proud that's what we have got". He also called on the bus industry to "raise its game in the space of employment standards across the industry".
He continued: "What we are trying to build here is a partnership where everyone is pulling in the same direction, and there's a win-win for everybody involved. We are not saying we have got everything right yet. There are still challenges."
For example, having consulted with the public, there will be a much greater focus on safety on the Bee Network. Greater Manchester Police will treat the network as the "eleventh district" of the region, and a live chat feature will soon be launched to provide reassurance to passengers.
Burnham said that integrating rail lines into the Bee Network would provide seamless journeys to people in Greater Manchester and beyond. "All of this will build the farebox," he said. "We are working hard to get to a sustainable system.
He concluded: "It's a great process. Finally the bus industry in Britain is on the rise. Let's get lined up together and make the most of it for the country, and crucially for the British public."
The session also heard from four suppliers to the industry, who each play an important role in enhancing the appeal of bus services.
Michael Hart, CRO at Vix Technology and Kuba Group, professed his love for the bus, explaining how it had been part of his life since childhood and then throughout his professional career. Vix supports the development of the bus sector by making journeys more fluid, including Greater Manchester's Bee Network. "We deliver the technology that brings the bits together," Hart explained.
Paul Thomas, Group Chief Technology Officer at Wrightbus, spoke of the revival in bus manufacturing at his company since it was rescued from administration in October 2019 by businessman Jo Bamford. It now employs 2,500 people and supports a further 7,500 jobs in the supply chain.
Bradley Fox, Director of EV Fleet, UK & Nordics for Zenobe, emphasised the need to make the transition to zero-emission buses as affordable as possible for bus operators. Zenobe is a British company that supports a fleet of 3,000 buses internationally, including 1,500 vehicles in the UK.
Finally, Miki Szikszai, Chief Executive of Snapper Services, followed Hart in declaring his love for the bus. Snapper Services strives to create excellent experiences on transport that accelerate the journey to a more sustainable world, but Szikszai said that everything was driven by real-world challenges that need to be addressed - not technology for the sake of technology.
He quoted Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who said in 1997: "You've got to start with the customer experience and work your way back to the technology." This is the mantra that Snapper lives by.
Szikszai said the introduction of bus franchising was a huge step change, "but it's not enough on its own". He said authorities should seek continuous improvement in the form of incremental changes that may not be perceivable - but may a big impact as they accumulate over time. This is what's Snapper's Mosaiq transit suite offers.
He pointed to the work that Snapper has done with Stagecoach and the flagship Kent Fastrack system. Using Mosaiq to understand how its network is performing, Fastrack has lifted its on-time performance to 91% - "an exceptional result in such a short period of time".
Snapper meanwhile offers a Global Public Transit Index to let transport authorities benchmark their performance against others.
"We see technology as simply an enabler," Szikszai concluded. "1% changes aren't particularly exciting. They can sometimes be seen as boring. They definitely work."
In the question and answer session that followed, Burnham said transport city region authorities should "not be too stuck in our islands"
Citing the example of Greater Manchester's Bee Network absorbing rail lines that extend outside of its borders, he told the UK Bus Summit: "I can see a world where, as Cheshire and Warrington get devolution, maybe they will start to say, can we just come in with you. Or Shrewsbury go in with the West Midlands. I don't know.
"This thing's got to evolve everywhere. And almost let it become tap-and-go across the whole country and the back office just sorts it out for you, wherever you are .. It should provide a solution for every single community in the UK."
Essential role of bus in boosting connectivity, jobs and growth
The third session was chaired by Jason Prince, Director of the Urban Transport Group and a proud Mancunian. He declared how good it was not to have to get a train to London for the UK Bus Summit, and instead travel there on a Bee Network bus.
The first speaker was Thomas Ableman, who founded his own consultancy, Freewheeling, after leaving his role as Director of Strategy and Innovation at Transport for London last year.
One of Ableman's current passions is getting the UK to import transport ideas from Switzerland, which he hailed as "the ultimate model of transport integration". In Switzerland, even small villages have an hourly bus service between the hours of 5am and midnight and they feed into seamless connections with railways and "as a result people use it".
Ableman is working on a demonstration project on the Peak District's scene Hope Valley railway line, providing improved connectivity between the surrounding rural areas and five stations on the Manchester to Sheffield route. Funding from the Foundation for Integrated Transport is enabling the development of a plan and Ableman is working for free on the project.
Gary Hitchmough, MD for Government and Business Development at First Bus spoke about responsibility to bus users, and being mindful of the demands they face in their life. He said it was important to get them where they need to be, and when they need to be there.
He also urged the bus sector to make a positive and persuasive case for buses. "The story of bus is almost too good to be true - but do we land it well enough?," he asked. "My challenge to people in this group is are we doing enough together to really put this message across at a time when in politics and in the economy there are other pressing concerns."
He said that First Bus was well placed to win bus franchises. The group has scaled up to meet the challenge of a rolling programme of stakeholder engagement and tenders, recruiting from inside and outside the industry. "We recognise that franchising is here to stay," he said.
He boasted that First Bus is currently the top operator for both Transport for London and Transport for Greater Manchester.
While many of the city regions and Wales are pursuing franchising. Portsmouth has shown that impressive results can be achieved with Enhanced Partnerships. Paul Walker, Head of Passenger Transport at Portsmouth City Council, is delivering the second largest BSIP (Bus Service Improvement Plan) outside of England's metropolitan areas. It's helping to overcome some of the challenges in a location that is both the UK's only island city, with only three points of access, and the most densely populated urban area outside of London.
The city has enjoyed strong post-Covid growth in bus use, with "a lot of red paint" rewarding those who choose buses with fast and reliable journeys. The aim is to make buses match the appeal of rail.
Jennie Martin, the Chair of Bus Users UK, said it was important not to view buses as the preserve of young, old and disabled people. "Bus services should be for everyone," she said. "That's where the contribution to economic growth lies. No buses on a Sunday means you are not fully contributing to economic growth."
Bus Users UK would like to see concessionary fares become 24/7, removing restrictions that prevent travel at peak times. "If we want people to work, we need to make it possible to work," Martin explained.
She concluded by defending the use of public funds to support bus services. While transport "looks like throwing money down a hole", she argued that it creates a happier and more prosperous country.
Ben Plowden, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, echoed this point. "The Department for Transport is seen as a spending department," he said. "It's an investing department. Isn't it interesting that we always talk about subsidising transport? We don't subsidise doctors, teachers or police officers."
Plowden urged delegates not to talk about "subsidy" for buses and instead talk about "investment".
He also called for a refresh of England's National Bus Strategy and a minimum level of service provision to be defined by government.
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Arriva UK Bus, said there was "a real moment of opportunity for bus in the UK", adding that there was now recognition of the essential role that buses play and that "hasn't always been the case".
However, Gilbert said "too many people love talking buses down" and urged bus industry colleagues "more confident and more positive".
Speaking just three weeks after taking on the job, following his move from First Rail, Gilbert revealed that he has already visited every one of Arriva's regional bus companies. "I experienced pain points but, in the majority of cases, I had a positive experience," he reported.
In the question and answer session that followed, Ableman said that the bus sector is too risk-averse and needs to foster a culture that encourages innovations to be tested.
"The biggest obstacle to low cost innovation is us and the way the industry works ... If we spend six months taking a decision to do something that itself takes six months to do - we have doubled the resources that have been deployed to that experiment, we have doubled the cost of that experiment.
He continued: "Are you having a haircut or a tattoo? If you are getting a tattoo think really hard before you do that. But if you are trying out a new haircut, just try it and see what happens. And we treat every haircut it's a tattoo."
Hitchmough believes that franchising can act as a catalyst for innovation in the bus sector.
"Franchising gives a great opportunity for experimentation, because every time you bid for a franchise you get the chance to start afresh," he said. "Every time a client or authority sets a tender for a franchise, they get an opportunity to ask for something different.
"The level of discussion and sharing between the authorities is huge, and accelerating. I think we will get into a continuous improvement where every iteration of franchising will probably be a little bit better, and those relations will probably grow. And the opportunity to innovate and experiment will probably grow with it. That's my hope and my aspiration."
Meanwhile, Martin observed: "I think the bus sector has a culture of being a bit adversarial and a bit proprietorial ... Hopefully franchising will perhaps do away with a bit of that."
However, Walker said it was important to understand the challenges faced by bus operators.
"As a local authority person, if you've never gone and done a run out from a bus depot first thing in the morning, I think you need to do that," he said, "and then you will understand more about what running bus operations are like."
Bringing buses into a publicly owned transport network
The final session of the day was chaired by Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of CPT.
It opened with Alison Chew, Deputy Director - Bus at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), speaking about the achievements of the Bee Network to date and plans to improve the quality and scale of bus service provision in the region.
The region's bus strategy contains an ambitious target to increase bus use by 30% by 2030, from 2022/23 levels, with a bus every 12 minutes on key routes.
Earlier in the day, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham had hailed the contribution made by Anne Marie Purcell, formerly of TfGM, for the lead role she played in implementing the Bee Network. She addressed the UK Bus Summit in her new role as a consultant with Purcell Advisory Group, where she has advised South Yorkshire, Wales and West Midlands on their franchising journeys.
Purcell said franchising is a huge change for local authorities, which sees them take on 24/7 attention to their bus network. It's much more than a depot changing hands.
She doesn't like the phrase "taking back control" in relation to bus franchising. "This isn't about taking control, full stop," she said. "It's about who is best placed to deliver the outcomes."
Purcell said that authorities that pursue franchising must ensure they have the right skills and capabilities in place. She herself has a background in transformational change. "My job is the art of understanding how you get from A to B."
And she warned that the road to franchising is not an easy one for those tasked with overseeing the transfer.
"You are only going to get something if people are determined to put the work in," she warned. "Every day through your franchising journey takes a bit of grit and determination. It's hard. I've lost a stone since doing it, because I put on a stone doing it. Six weeks in a portacabin at Manchester Airport, eating mince pies over Christmas, because it's all anybody seemed to have.
"It needs people who are prepared to work 18-hour days, long days, and weekends. I don't think I had a holiday for three and a half years without a meeting every day or an email."
Purcell said that those pursuing franchising should be mindful that a great deal is happening in parallel in other areas making the same journey. "All the dates are colliding next year in terms of bidding and mobilisation," she warned. "We do need some oversight of this."
Adam Toone, Chief Commercial and Operations Officer at Ticketer, offered a supplier's perspective on the transfer to franchising. Ticketer has gained experience of this with the Bee Network in Greater Manchester.
Toone advised authorities to be afraid to get early consultation to help with decision making. He also urged them to choose flexible, open systems, and invest in collaboration between operators, authorities and suppliers.
He echoed Purcell's remarks about so many authorities moving towards franchising at the same time, noting that "no-one is looking at it from over-arching view".
Sara Gilmore, Partner - Infrastructure Projects and Energy at Addleshaw Goddard, provided a run-though on the legal implications of bus reforms. This included the Better Buses Bill, which removes barriers to franchising and lets authorities establish their own bus companies, and the Devolution Bill, which pages the way for strategic authorities with responsibility for transport.
Finally, Kayleigh Ingham, Commercial Director at First Bus, addressed the Summit in her capacity of Chair of Women in Bus and Coach.
"Not a day goes by where franchising is not mentioned," she said. "I live and breathe it. I am excited by it. But I have a niggle ... which is that we could change lots between us in this room. We could change a lot about bus, but are we changing enough? ... Are we pushing ourselves hard enough to address all of the KPIs that need to change, rather than just some of them?"
Ingham praised the bold commitments by Go-Ahead Group and First Group to increase the representation of women in their workforces, but she believes that franchising can accelerate this progress.
"I actually think bus franchising gives us a mechanism to test the industry truly in its commitment to diversity."
She added: "Franchising might also help with transparency of data to find how diverse the industry is ... We would ask of you to make it a requirement for clear and regular diversity-focused data to be provided. That needs to be a requirement for operators. And when you've got it can we have it please. We can turn that into actionable insight."
She urged those who have ignored this issue to catch up. "If you are an operator and you are not gathering your workforce data, please get on with it."
Ingham also addressed the issue of violence against women and girls, praising a "very powerful" statement by Simon Lightwood MP, Minister for Local Transport, that "fear is not a fare that women should be forced to pay".
