15 March 2021, Government has announced a new bus strategy along with a £3 billion investment into the sector to encourage people to use buses over cars. The strategy is a complete overhaul to build a better bus services as we recover from the pandemic.
The strategy will see passengers across England benefiting from more frequent, more reliable, easier to use and understand, better coordinated and cheaper bus services.
The changes include:
Simpler bus fares with daily price caps, so people can use the bus as many times a day as they need without facing mounting costs
More services in the evenings and at the weekends
Integrated services and ticketing across all transport modes, so people can easily move from bus to train
All buses to accept contactless payments
Through the plans the Government is driving for the fragmented, fully commercialised market, which has operated outside London since 1986 to end. They want to see operators and local councils enter into a statutory “enhanced partnership” or franchising agreements to receive the new funding and deliver the improvements.
Name three words you would use to describe your role
Leadership, interesting, team-builder
Where did you work prior to joining EPM?
BigHand – a legal software business
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Professionally – leading the Capita SIMS business for 8 years, during which time we increased our market share to over 80% through delivering quality products and services.
Personally – bringing up two teenagers
Are you working on any interesting projects at the moment?
I have been with the business for 12 months now, and we are making lots of changes, so plenty of interesting things are happening.
The most interesting projects are about expanding the business both through introducing new products, such as Insight; and acquiring other businesses – we acquired Omnibus Solutions last week.
Do you have a favourite film?
Shrek! – I love its dry humour. I am a big fan of anything from Pixar.
What’s your favourite album?
U2 – Rattle and Hum. I bought it on the day it was released from the local record shop in St Austell in 1988.
What’s the best and worst things you’ve eaten?
As a family we all like food, and regularly cook new things. It is great having 4 cooks in the house! So the best is very difficult. The worst would be a continual diet of rice and Dal Bhat for three weeks whilst trekking in Nepal.
Favourite holiday destination?
This is a difficult one, I love to travel and have a long bucket list. If I have to choose one, it would be Bolivia, which was my first holiday with my wife.
Do you have any hobbies you like to do outside of work?
Photography. I’m also quite active, so I like to ski and cycle as well.
What’s a secret talent that no one knows about?
I can ski off-piste, although my children would say I am not very good at it. Off-piste skiing is skiing in the backcountry, on ungroomed and unmarked terrain.
If you could get a new skill in 10 minutes, what would it be?
I’d like to be able to play the piano
How do you think the industry will change in 10 years?
I think there will be a number of changes over the next ten years. Firstly, the consumer will expect a seamless and integrated transport experience whereby they only have to purchase one ticket for the entirety of their journey. There will also be an increased demand for public transport in general, as climate change gets increasing focus resulting in barriers to the use of cars, particularly in urban areas.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone who’s just started their career?
Push yourself outside your comfort zone and constantly seek to take on more responsibility so you’re always learning new things. Most importantly, believe in yourself and believe that you can do it!
18 Feb 2021 – EPM Bus Solutions has today, with the support of Literacy Capital, completed the acquisition of one of the UK’s leading passenger transport software businesses, Omnibus.
The strategic acquisition sees EPM further strengthen its capability in providing high quality software solutions across the bus operator and transport authority markets, focussed on improving operational and commercial performance.
Founded in 1990, by Peter and Carol Crichton, Omnibus provides software for passenger transport scheduling, staff rostering, depot allocation and timetable construction to a wide range of public transport operators and local authorities, with solutions being used across the UK and overseas.
Ian Churchill CEO at EPM Bus Solutions
EPM Bus Solutions, formed in 1986, provide software to help bus operators and transport authorities reduce operational costs, improve financial performance and better serve their customers. In addition, EPM are the UK’s leading BSOG auditor and concessionary reimbursement consultancy.
Ian Churchill, CEO at EPM Bus Solutions, said: “Omnibus’ software solutions perfectly complements EPM’s, and the acquisition will enable us to provide a higher quality service to existing clients and give a wider offering of solutions to new customers. By bringing together the two businesses we will be able to harness the domain knowledge and experience of both to develop solutions to meet the needs of the public transport sector as society emerges from the impact of Covid-19.”
Peter Crichton, Managing Director at Omnibus, said: “I am very proud of the journey the Omnibus business has been on over the last three decades. Driven by the challenges faced by the pandemic, new technologies, and demand from bus operators and transport authorities for deeper insights into their operations to drive efficiency, EPM’s solutions combined with Omnibus’s will offer a powerful set of solutions which will be best-in-class. I am looking forward to working with the EPM team on this exciting journey.”
With EPM Insights you can easily and quickly manage your entire bus operations from a single online platform to improve business profitability and efficiency.
Join the webinar and see how we can drive your business forward.
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Improving Reading Buses profitability with Insights
Robert Williams
Chief Executive Officer at Reading Buses
EPM Insights has shifted the Reading Buses business away from the manual collation of data to the automated production of key metrics, freeing up management time to focus on the actionable intelligence which the tool provides…. supporting us to react to both the changing nature of reality during the Covid pandemic and to help shape our future network. “
Reading Buses has been working with an internationally renowned supplier of transport management systems, EPM Bus Solutions, to develop a new business data ‘Insight’ solution to support improving the bus operator’s business.
The online platform provides bus operators with customised Management Information and enabled Reading Buses to change from the manual collation of data to an automated production of key business performance metrics.
With demand for bus services more complex than ever due to the acceleration of changes in work, shopping and social patterns resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. Operators need to be agile, to react to the changes in passenger demand and requires a deep understanding of the data relating to their operations in order to achieve their business goals.
Operators have invested in a range of systems, however the need to combine data from across the business into easily accessible information still remains.
Said Robert Williams, Chief Executive Officer at Reading Buses: “ We have traditionally invested lots of time collating static dashboards and KPI’s manually, EPM Insights has provided us with one platform combining data from across the organisation including, operational, commercial and engineering, providing the management teams with actionable management information.”
“The solution quickly surfaces business performance issues in real-time and identifies the key areas to focus management attention, and thereby providing them more time to put in place the required interventions and strategies, which has supported improving Reading Buses profitability and efficiency.”
Nick Brookes, Software Director at EPM Bus Solutions , added: “We are delighted with the adoption of EPM insights at Reading Buses. The dynamic drill down reporting within the platform has provided them with the tools to deep dive into their data and explore the reasons behind performance.
This enabled the operator to react to both the changing nature of reality during the Covid pandemic and help shape Reading Buses future network.”
With many transport operators facing an uncertain outlook, at EPM, we’re changing to ensure we are better placed than ever to help you face the future and embrace emerging opportunities.
New solutions coming soon!
Over the past year we have been listening carefully to our customers and reviewing our business. As a result we’ve made a number of changes to what we do and how we work. We have been busy developing a new suite of Bus Transport Management solutions and services, focussed specifically on the challenges that the bus sector will face as society emerges from lockdown. Our new Insights solution will be launching very soon, keep an eye out for more information over the next few weeks.
Renamed to EPM Bus Solutions
We’ve also renamed from ‘EP Morris’ to EPM Bus Solutions to better reflect our core service offering, accompanied by a revised logo and brand design. You can find all of this on our new website, along with details of how we help bus operators and transport authorities to improve their operations.
Experts in transport management, improving profitability
What has not changed is the quality of our software and services, and being your trusted partner with deep expertise in the bus sector. Focused on improving commercial and operational performance, we have solutions which support you to:
Maximise revenue
Grow patronage
Improve efficiency
In some ways we are sad to see the old logo and website go … it worked for a long time but we are even more excited to bring in the new… and continue providing you with best-in-class Bus Transport Management services.
If you have any questions, then get in touch. We look forward to sharing with you our new solutions over the coming year.
As part of the National Bus Strategy the Government have pledged to have 4,000 zero emission buses in operation by the end of 2025. With numbers currently just under the 700 mark, there is a long way to go and a significant amount of investment required in both the vehicles and infrastructure.
The LowCVP have recently published their paper setting out the funding options that they believe the Government should consider. Each option has been scored by their members as to the effectiveness in accelerating the adoption of zero emission buses.
The paper looks at existing funding streams – ULEB bids, incentivising through additional BSOG as well as alternative options going forward, such as vouchers, grants, etc. They also consider the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and how that could change future funding in the short term to boost operator appetite for greener buses and protect manufacturing jobs in the UK.
It is clear from the paper that members view the LCEB BSOG incentive as being an effective tool in delivering the Government’s target. However, the current scheme in England was introduced over 10 years ago and certainly needs updating to provide more generous payments to those operators with the cleanest vehicles, rather than the current flat rate. The paper suggests a graded pence per kilometre low carbon scheme such as that introduced in Scotland in April 2019, a view we at EPM agree with.
Whatever funding mechanism is put in place it is clear that the DfT will need to act fast and dig deep if they are to hit their target!
EPM are the leading experts in the certification of BSOG claims, ensuring that all claims they certify are accurate, compliant and maximised. If you would like to discuss how we can help you with your claim, then get in touch.
In a wide-ranging report published on 2nd October 2020, the National Audit Office (NAO) provided a series of recommendations that signal a new direction of travel for bus operations in the UK.
The report echoes the widely held view that good quality bus services are vital for local economies, can help ease congestion, and support better connected communities. It also sees an important role for buses in addressing air quality issues and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
However, despite the best intentions of everyone involved in the delivery of bus services, the statistics from the last 10 years do not make good reading. None of this will be a surprise to the bus community, but the scale of some of the trends are both eye catching and alarming.
10% decline in bus patronage
18% fare increase in real terms
38% drop in financial support from local authorities
54% drop in miles travelled on local authority supported services
The drop in financial support from local authorities is unsurprising, considering their budget reductions for non ring fenced services. But it does mean the decline in bus travel has disproportionately impacted those routes which are important for rural or disadvantaged users.
To address the situation, the NAO makes recommendations that will chime with everyone who wants to see a brighter future for buses.
A new bus strategy that gives a clear, consistent vision of the future of bus travel
Support for local authorities to make long-term plans for their own local needs
Enough funding, for both local authorities and operators, to deliver the bus strategy
Reform of funding mechanisms to align with the objectives of the bus strategy
Good quality data to monitor progress and measure success
Collaboration and transparency to enhance accountability for improving buses
One thing is clear – change is coming, and it should be good news for buses!
Covid-19 has been painful for all sectors of society and has had a dramatic impact on the bus sector. But it can also be a catalyst for the change that clearly was already needed, helping to sweep away fears and obstacles that have prevented progress in the past.
The government has demonstrated its commitment to the bus industry with financial support during the dark times and is promising significant additional investment in the industry over the coming years. A first ‘National Bus Strategy’ will be published by the end of the year, along with £5 billion of funding for ‘buses, walking and cycling outside London’ over the next five years.
Whilst the long term trend of declining patronage is concerning, there are beacons of hope in areas that have already reversed this trend. These present clear examples to learn from and follow.
All these pieces – a new vision, new funding and new ideas – provide a platform to build a better bus industry for passengers, operators, local authorities and government.
What does the future look like?
Local government and bus operators had to rapidly come together during the early stages of the pandemic, to identify and address the urgent needs of all concerned. Despite facing unprecedented challenges and an uncertain future, the sector pulled together to find a way through.
It’s no coincidence that it’s this type of close collaboration that has enabled some areas to reverse the trend of declining bus patronage in recent years. By working together, local authorities and bus operators benefit from the virtuous circle of reduced congestion, faster bus journeys, more attractive bus services and better economics for all concerned.
These kinds of new and effective working relationships, with greater collaboration between local transport authorities and bus operators, look sure to be a fundamental part of the future for bus operations.
And with increased public funding of bus services, along with government investment in the bus network, there will inevitably be a requirement for increased transparency and accountability to ensure the public purse achieves the best possible value.
Are you ready for the new direction?
Now is the time to seize the opportunity for change, whilst traffic congestion is low and demand is rebuilding in new ways. But to make the most of this opportunity you need access to data on all aspects of bus operations, and you need tools to provide the critical insights from that data to ensure you make the right decisions.
Looking further forward, new collaborative ways of working will be essential to building a better future for bus services. Achieving this will depend on having the right data and tools to provide insights and transparency.
EPM are experts in the field of management systems, data and analytics in the bus sector. Our consultants will ensure your systems and data are ready for the future, drop us a line at epm@epm-bus.com if you’d like to arrange a meeting.
The EPM Team will be at this years Coach & Bus UK show at the NEC from 2nd to 3rd October.
Come and visit us at stand M50 where we will be demonstrating the new developments in our software. We will also be available to discuss how EPM can assist with your BSOG claim and Concessionary Fare reimbursement.
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