Bus priority has high level of public support, research shows
Provision of bus priority measures enjoys strong public support, research conducted on behalf of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has shown.
The work captures England outside London, Wales and Scotland. It shows that more than three times as many people support bus priority as oppose it, a ratio that rises to four to one for businesses. The region-based research shows that the 79% of the general public who expressed a view support bus priority. Among all respondents, including those that neither support nor oppose priority, 54% are in favour with only 15% opposing it.
Support for bus priority among the public is highest in Wales, followed by Scotland and South West England and Yorkshire and Humberside. It is lowest in the West Midlands, although that region still sees vastly more support than opposition. Wales also enjoys the lowest level of opposition.
CPT says that the results underline a need for more bus priority measures to be introduced, work that is already proceeding in Scotland via the £500m Bus Partnership Fund.
The Confederation notes that despite this widespread support for priority measures, local authorities (LAs) can find it difficult to introduce more because of a vocal minority that oppose it. To help mitigate that, CPT has produced a set of toolkits (available here) that include recommendations on how to best promote the measure's benefits, and a case study.
Commenting on the research findings and the development of the toolkits, CPT CEO Graham Vidler says: “This research shows that councils can enjoy public and business support when it comes to giving buses priority on our roads, helping them to meet their own net zero targets and the UK’s overall climate change goals.
“Understandably, people can have concerns about schemes where the impact of construction is unclear or the benefits to them and their local community are not clearly set out. Our toolkit will help LAs to ensure widespread community support for measures they want to introduce.”
Ground broken at Switch Mobility's Valladolid site
Switch Mobility has held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction of its new manufacturing facility in Valladolid, Spain.
Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman of Switch Mobility, laid the foundation stone of what is the manufacturer's first production site in continental Europe. Construction proper is set to commence in earnest within the next 12 months, alongside the production of the plant's first buses.
Phase 1 of development will house the creation of Switch's new 12m bus, designed with the European market in mind. Battery assembly capability and production of a zero-carbon light commercial vehicle will follow in phases 2 and 3, respectively.
The 35-acre site will have two production lines, will be "carbon neutral from inception" and will receive some €100m (approx. £840,000) worth of investment over the next decade. Switch hopes it will rejuvenate the Soto de Medinilla area surrounding Valladolid and create 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Also in attendance was Raquel Sanchez Jimenez, Hon. Minister for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda; Alfonso Fernandez Mañueco, President of the Region of Castilla y León; and Oscar Puente, Mayor of Valladolid.
“With a rich automotive history, strong supply chain and availability of engineering talent, Valladolid is an ideal location for the facility, and I would like to express my appreciation to the national and regional governments for supporting the project," says Mr Hinduja. "I am hopeful that this facility will address the increasing requirements in Europe, which is poised for significant growth in the EV Mobility segment."
Adds Andy Palmer, Vice Chairman and CEO of Switch Mobility: "The past year has been one of considerable progress for Switch. We have established a presence in the UK, India and now Continental Europe, have an order book of over 500 electric buses and have covered more than 50m kilometres with our current electric products.
"Beginning the development of our site in Spain is a key milestone in our global growth strategy."
Yutong chosen for TrawsCymru T1 battery-electric fleet
Carmarthenshire County Council has ordered eight Yutong E12 battery-electric buses for the electrification of TrawsCymru route T1 between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. They are expected to be delivered before the end of 2022 and will be supplied by Pelican Bus and Coach.
Work on charging infrastructure for the new fleet is already in hand. Pelican says the E12s for TrawsCymru T1 will be the first battery-electric buses in the UK capable of accepting 240kW of plug-in charging. As previously explained by Head of Yutong Bus UK Ian Downie, that will be via dual connections of 120kW each. The buses will come with the standard 422kW/h of onboard energy storage and an enhanced battery management system.
Procurement has been via a competitive tendering process. The E12s for Carmarthenshire will complement six other E12s that have already been built for TrawsCymru routes in North Wales and they will be equipped with enhanced seating, air-conditioning, wi-fi, USB charging and high-specification passenger information displays. Rear-view cameras from 21st Century in place of mirrors also form part of the specification.
Additionally, the Carmarthenshire buses will be equipped with the Yutong Electrical Safety System. It is a flagship part of the manufacturer’s work on battery-electric buses and is designed to remove any risk of battery fire.
Says Mr Downie: We are delighted and honoured to have been awarded this prestigious contract by Carmarthenshire County Council. The specification that it has stipulated for the buses will be unique in the UK and take passenger comfort to the next level.”
Adds Carmarthenshire County Council Head of Transportation and Highways Stephen Pilliner: “We are delighted to be working with the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales on this vanguard project for South West Wales. These buses will provide passengers with a modern service that will decarbonise transport and provide and attractive public transport operation for customers.”
Service T1 is currently operated by First Cymru, with buses allowed around 140 minutes to complete the approximately 55-mile one-way trip. Purchase of the Yutongs continues the marque's dominance of the market thus far for zero-emission buses in Wales.