Across the UK, visionary leaders are redefining what buses mean to the communities they serve. After years of uncertainty, the sector is regaining momentum and confidence. Once seen as the "poor relative" of public transport, buses are reclaiming their place at the heart of local mobility strategies, driven by investment, innovation, and people-focused leadership.
Passenger are returning, fleets are becoming cleaner, and local authorities are taking back control in ways not seen since the 1980s. Behind these developments lies a quiet revolution: leaders who see buses not just as vehicles, but as instruments of equality, community connection, opportunity, and decarbonisation
A New Generation of Leaders
Today's leaders should combine commercial acumen with social purpose. Their mission goes beyond timetables and ticketing, it's about rebuilding trust, strengthening communities, and creating transport systems that people believe in.
At Intuitive, in the two years since launching our dedicated Bus & Coach division, we've seen growing demand for leaders with a different mindset, people with fresh perspectives, those who can link commercial decisions to community outcomes and understand that well-designed bus networks transform lives.
While progress is being made, the sector still has work to do in nurturing and attracting this new generation of leaders. Two recent sector appointments illustrate this evolving mindset:
Claire Miles – Stagecoach
Appointed CEO in October 2023, Claire brings a broad commercial perspective from leadership roles at Yell and Centrica. Her appointment signals Stagecoach's shift toward purpose-driven, responsible growth.
Martijn Gilbert – Arriva UK Bus
Joining as MD in August 2025, Martijn has led Go North East, Reading Buses, and Lumo. He's spearheading Arriva's EV transition and driving innovation, reflecting the company's focus on sustainability and service excellence.
In 2024, Intuitive struck a strong balance in our own placements, with 54% coming from outside the sector and 46% from within. This blend of established expertise and new energy drives innovation, transfers best practices, and future-proofs the industry.
The Social Value Imperative
Bus reform is no longer just about efficiency or cost. Communities expect transport that connects them to work, education, healthcare, and each other. Reliable, accessible services reduce inequality, create opportunity, and rebuild public trust. Success is now measured by social and economic impact, reducing isolation, enabling greener travel, and improving daily lives. For operators, this means designing networks around real needs, engaging communities, and investing in zero-emission fleets and better customer experiences.
Social Impact & Inclusive Leadership
A bus network is only as strong as the people who run it. When the workforce reflects the community it serves, everything gets better: services feel more intuitive, trust rises, and passengers feel seen rather than "managed." A diverse team brings real-world insight into local needs, from accessibility to cultural understanding and that translates directly into better journeys.
It also strengthens the industry itself. Broader representation expands the talent pipeline, tackles skills shortages, and injects the fresh thinking a modern transport sector can't afford to live without. Different people notice different needs and when your workforce mirrors your passengers across age, gender, background, ability, and culture, you design services that are more accessible, safer, and far more welcoming. A representative workforce isn't a "nice to have", it's a performance advantage.
At Intuitive, that commitment shows up in the numbers: we build leadership candidate pools across gender, age, ethnicity, and background. For example, in 2024, 64% of our permanent placements were women, more than 3 times the industry average (data Women in Bus and Coach/Women in Transport), with candidates spanning multiple career stages.
We partner with a range of charities and youth initiatives to widen access and spotlight opportunities for underrepresented groups.
Inclusive leadership doesn't just change who leads; it changes what's possible. As one client put it,
"When different voices are in the room, our strategy gets sharper and our impact goes further."
A representative leadership team signals a simple truth: buses are for everyone, and so is the industry.
Stronger Powers, Smarter Services
The Bus Services Act 2025 gives local leaders new powers to shape services around community needs. Franchising is delivering cleaner, more reliable, and affordable buses, while partnerships are driving fare simplification, integrated ticketing, and zero-emission fleets. With reform gaining momentum, the sector has a real opportunity to put people at the heart of better, more responsive services.
Confidence in the Road Ahead
Challenges remain, uneven service levels, funding pressures, and lingering disruption, but optimism is returning. Cleaner fleets, fairer access, and bold leadership are reshaping perceptions.
Buses connect more than just places, they connect people to possibilities. As one transport executive said,
"We're not just running buses; we're running hope."
The Great Bus Comeback is ultimately a story about communities, the people who serve them, and the leaders daring to make transport work for everyone.
