South Pennine Community Transport Co-director Kevin Carr discusses the state of the industry and the way forwards
I have been around buses, in one fashion or another, for most of my life and I can confidently say that the industry is in an unprecedented era of trouble with challenges on most fronts. Extraordinarily high fuel costs, driver shortages, funding shortfalls, vehicle shortages, industrial action and high political pressure all combine in a nasty cauldron which threatens the future of buses. And the bad news is that we have not seen the worst of it just yet – the remainder of this year will offer up some eye watering and shocking moments that most of us would not even have had nightmares about.
I paint a dark picture but sadly this is the reality. Whatever we thought about the effects of lockdowns, these were nothing compared to what lays in front of us from an industry point of view. The bus industry is battening down the hatches as we speak ready for an almighty storm ahead.
Rather than looking with fear into the eye of the storm, it is important that now the industry looks ahead and plans for a new future. In the event of any crisis it is vital to look immediately at how to rebuild and what opportunities will lay ahead.
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