“I love buses”. It was a powerful, personal opener from Michael Hart, Chief Revenue Officer at Vix and Kuba, to the second session at the UK Bus Summit in Manchester last week.

The panel unpacked the role of technology in improving passenger experiences and supporting decarbonisation.

Michael shared how bus travel has played a role in his life: from an early age, on day trips and getting to school; to the present day, working with cities and regions globally to put bus networks at the heart of integrated mobility ecosystems. Talking about Vix’s role supporting multi-modal Tap and Go for the Bee Network, he said the impact of this technology on reducing dwell times and boosting ridership is astonishing.

Wrapping up his introductory remarks, Michael added, “We should be proud in the UK of the bus services we deliver. We can improve, but we are already doing great things.”

Michael was joined on the panel, facilitated by Max Sugarman (Intelligent Transport Systems UK), by Miki Szikszai (Snapper), Paul Thomas (Wrightbus), Bradley Fox (Zenobe) – and Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.

Setting a new bar for innovation

Something of a rock star of bus franchising, having led the delivery of the Bee Network, Andy energised the crowd with an inspiring speech reflecting on almost two years since the roll-out began.

Reeling from a shocking inheritance of poor standards and fragmented services, he spoke with pride about how Transport for Greater Manchester has worked fast to set a new bar for innovation and improvement. With bus ridership up by between 12 and 14 per cent year-on-year, he cited simple, affordable fare structures and punctuality of services as massive drivers of behaviour change.

Andy spoke about the recent integration of tram and bus into the same Tap and Go ticketing system – powered by Vix – as a pivotal moment. “What integration has done has exceeded my expectations.” He said speeding up boarding and having a consistent experience on trams and buses has made things “clear and simple for passengers”, giving them a real incentive to leave cars at home and travel on the Bee Network instead.

Giving a glimpse of what the future will hold, he added that choosing a flexible platform for ticketing is essential, making it possible to continually build new layers of integration. He mentioned Greater Manchester’s ambition to bring rail into a unified, fare-capped ticketing system – making seamless travel around the city-region easier and affordable.

Franchising collaboration – a win for everyone

Of partnerships – with bus operators and technology vendors – Andy was clear about his goal to build relationships that are a win for everyone. “This wave of change can be good for local suppliers,” he added, highlighting his personal goal to have British built buses on the streets of Manchester. He said the control afforded by franchising was enabling them to collaborate, dictate the pace of innovation, and drive decarbonisation.

Summing up, Andy commented that Greater Manchester was now in a strong position, on a journey of continuous improvement. “We want to ensure a long-term, sustainable, high quality, low fare transport system to support the fastest growing region in the U.K.”

Data – a lever for better passenger experience

Echoing the message about the value of continuous improvement, Miki Szikszai opened his quoted the words of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs: “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology”. 

Miki highlighted three non-negotiables of a positive bus experience that should be shaping local authorities’ technology choices: Reliability of services, frequency of services, and multimodal network coverage and connection. 

He said bus users want trustworthy, easy-to-use services and real-time information to help them plan and adapt their journeys. Referring to bus franchising as “one of the biggest step changes for the bus industry” in history, he urged local authorities and bus operators to use data as a lever to continuously, incrementally enhance passenger experience.

Investment will bring rewards

This panel was devoted to technology, its role in making bus journeys cleaner, greener, safer, simpler and more inclusive. We explored the impact this can have on behaviour change – driving public transport ridership, boosting fare revenue and supporting decarbonisation.

What came across was the very real opportunity bus franchising creates to bring about all this positive change, while also creating social value.

This and other sessions throughout the day urged government and other stakeholders to stop seeing transport as an “expense” and instead focus on the power of investment in transport. Smart investment is a driver of decarbonisation and environmental sustainability – but it also pays off in many other ways, by building social connections, creating opportunities and accelerating economic growth.

Get integrated mobility insight

For a detailed look at Greater Manchester’s journey to bus franchising – and insight into the technology franchised networks need – get a copy of our white paper: ‘Unlock the potential of bus franchising: a technology roadmap for local transport authorities’.