Bus Ambassador

Mid Wales-based operator Celtic Travel has secured a major boost after being awarded the contract to operate the TrawsCymru T4 service, running between Merthyr Tydfil and Newtown. The new contract, set to commence in September 2025, will see Celtic Travel take over one of the TrawsCymru network’s key long-distance routes, linking communities across Powys and the South Wales Valleys. The deal marks a significant win for the Llanidloes-based firm, which is set to step up its role in delivering high-profile inter-urban services as part of the Welsh Government’s flagship TrawsCymru network.

This week, Flemish public transport operator De Lijn officially brought its first standard all-electric buses from BYD Europe into service. These e-buses will initially operate from the Mortsel depot to support services in the Antwerp region, with further deployment across Flanders planned later in the year. A total of 92 vehicles are expected to be delivered in 2025.

When your business turns 100, you want to mark the occasion with more than cake and a commemorative mug. For Edwards Coaches , the largest operator in the National Express network, the centenary year has kicked off in style with the delivery of a dual-branded Caetano Levante 3A bodi ed Scania K410EB6, complete with the bespoke registration NX25 BUS . Edwards Coaches It’s a coach, yes, but also a case study in clever brand alignment, long-term partnership and how visual identity can reinforce strategic messaging. Coming from a marketing background, I can’t help but appreciate the detail behind the design and what it signals for the next chapter of a company that’s been on the road since 1925 . A moving celebration of a century in service The new vehicle is more than a fleet addition; it’s a symbol of how Edwards Coaches has evolved from a family-run service in the Welsh Valleys to a national player operating 116 daily services on behalf of National Express. The Levante 3A , now one...

Stagecoach may be best known for getting millions of passengers from A to B every week. Still, now the United Kingdom’s largest bus and coach operator is also carrying a powerful message of hope and support.

The North Wales coast has always been postcard pretty but frustratingly tricky to get along when summer traffic does its slow shuffle on the A55. Arriva Buses Wales thinks it has found a remedy.

Punctuality on Glasgow’s buses has improved by 8.5 per cent since First Bus started handing the timetable over to artificial intelligence. That figure covers more than 60 routes tweaked using AI-powered scheduling software, which analyses live traffic data and historical patterns to build timetables that reflect how the city actually moves — or crawls — during the day. It is an approach that appears to be working, and First is betting on it again.

Public transport folk have long talked the talk about modal shift and journey time reliability. Greater Manchester’s Bus Priority Programme is the latest to prove that when done properly buses really can walk the walk, or rather roll the roll. 

In an era where public transport is expected to be greener, cleaner and smarter, often all at once and preferably before the end of the financial year, First Bus has thrown its digital hat firmly into the ring.  First Bus The operator has just announced a £20 million investment in electronic ticketing technology, as part of a renewed multi-year partnership with tech supplier Ticketer. What’s new in the cab? If you’ve ever stood behind a driver and marvelled at the complex array of colourful buttons, screens and beeping devices, you’re not alone. These are electronic ticket machines – or ETMs to those in the know – and First Bus is now rolling out a new fleet of them across its entire national network. Leading the charge are depots in York and Worcester, where over 850 buses have already been fitted with the new hardware. The star of the show is Ticketer’s new TK300 driver console, which comes with all the bells and whistles (though hopefully not literal...

Dutch public transport operator Qbuzz has ordered 62 more electric buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong, to be delivered by the end of 2025. This follows their previous order of 50 Yutong buses, which entered service in South Holland in December 2024. Qbuzz Why Yutong? Timing is Everything While many European manufacturers are still wrangling with post-pandemic supply chains, inflation and the occasional bankruptcy, Yutong appears to be sticking to the basics: building and delivering buses on time. In a pointed but measured statement, Qbuzz explained their decision to look beyond Europe: "European bus manufacturers face challenges in the delivery of zero-emission equipment. For example, in addition to the delivery problems of Iveco, Qbuzz also had to deal with the bankruptcy of Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool, which meant that the delivery of 112 electric buses was cancelled. As a solution, Yutong produced and delivered 50 electric buses within six months, which perform w...

London has passed a major green transport milestone with more than 2,000 zero-emission buses now in service across the capital – the largest such fleet in Western Europe. The achievement reflects a sharp increase from just 30 zero-emission buses in 2016 and reinforces Transport for London’s (TfL) target to deliver a fully zero-emission bus fleet by 2030. Transport for London Building a Cleaner, Smarter Bus Network The milestone was marked with the launch of the capital’s newest fully electric route, the 337 between Clapham Junction and Richmond, operated by Transport UK. The route is now served by a fleet of 12 new Wrightbus Electroliners, operating every 10 minutes. The introduction of the 337 means two in every nine buses in London are now zero-emission – or more than 20 per cent of the city’s iconic red bus fleet. Since 2021, all new vehicles joining the network have been zero-emission. In addition to helping London reach net zero carbon by 2030, these buses are cutting harmful po...

Another high-voltage milestone in Greater Manchester’s transport revolution has arrived quietly, and appropriately, with a hum. Ashton-under-Lyne is now home to one of the UK’s few fully electric bus depots, forming a central part of the Bee Network’s drive to decarbonise public transport and bring local control back to the streets. Transport for Greater Manchester More than 80 new double-deck electric buses are now operating out of the Ashton site, transforming 14 routes across Tameside and beyond. This is not just a nice-to-have green upgrade. It is a pivotal move in the region’s ambition to become the first UK city region with a fully integrated and zero emission public transport system. And it is happening fast. From Franchise to Flagship It was not long ago that just one percent of Greater Manchester’s buses were electric. Post-franchising, that number has grown tenfold. Over 300 electric vehicles are now running on the Bee Network, with the Ashton depot alone accounting for ...

There was something of a spark in the air in south Bristol as the city’s first fully electrified bus depot officially opened at Hengrove. Flanked by dignitaries and the smell of fresh concrete, this newly upgraded depot marks a significant moment in Bristol’s journey towards a cleaner, quieter, less diesel-scented future. First Bus It is not just a few charging points and some optimistic banners. Hengrove depot has undergone a full scale £44 million revamp, turning it into one of the most advanced electric bus hubs outside the M25. This includes five massive charging gantries stretching across a site roughly the size of four football pitches. These are not the sort of gantries you string Christmas lights from. These deliver serious voltage. Who Paid for What and Why It Matters Most of the cash came from First Bus, who stumped up £37.4 million. Another £6.6 million was drawn from the government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas fund, more fondly known in the industry as ZEBRA. The ...