Held at CIHT Britannia Walk, London, delegates heard from expert speakers on the provision of bus services and how that can unlock a wealth of possibilities when placed in areas that are deprived of mobility options.

Our host for the evening was Stelios Rodoulis, Rural Mobility & Supporting Network Lead (Integrated Passenger Transport Unit) at Essex County Council. Stelios discussed the mobility challenges in Essex, the objectives of modernising passenger transport and the successes and evolution of the TravelEssex app.

Stelios was joined by Carl Sutcliffe, Senior Policy Advisor (Bus Reform) at the Department for Transport, and Liani Baglietto Castellares, Planner at Arup. You can read more about our speakers, Carl and Liani, here.

Carl and Liani covered a wide range of topics, from the multi-sectoral collaboration on Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP) and the social value in the BSIP programme, to the importance of putting people first and why bus services are so important. 

Our speakers also looked at the National Bus Strategy and its confirmed creation of a new Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE). This partnership between the Department for Transport and CIHT, will enable the delivery of a long-term programme of activities and support on buses. CIHT will manage and deliver the BCoE working closely with stakeholders.

Following the presentations there was opportunity for a Q&A session. This provided delegates the opportunity to ask the speakers questions and contribute their own experiences, concluding the event with an engaging discussion.

From CIHT, thank you for your attendance and to all that participated.