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Transport Minister highlights work of the Bus Centre of Excellence

16th May 2025

Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood MP gave evidence highlighting the work of the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) to the Transport Committee.

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Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood MP, has today (14 May) highlighted the work of the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) during an oral evidence session to the Transport Committee on their inquiry into ‘buses connecting communities’.

The Minister highlighted the BCoE’s upcoming Quality Rural Bus Conference and how the conference will be exploring how bus services can “particularly benefit rural areas.”

The Minister then promoted the BCoE’s bus franchising support and role in sharing practical tools, knowledge and franchising pilot learnings as they become available:

...the Bus Centre of Excellence also has a franchising network group. So people are coming together, having those discussions as well.

Shar[ing information] in real time with local transport authorities through things like the Bus Centre of Excellence.

Lightwood further praised the CIHT and BCoE for being a recourse which aids local transport authorities (LTAs) with sharing industry best practices and accelerating innovation in public transport:

We're working with the Chartered Institute for Highways and Transportation in terms of who host or bus centre of excellence, which is a fantastic resource, really proud of that... support package for LTAs.

Finally, the Minister emphasised that the Department for Transport and other government departments should utilise external partners such as CIHT and BCoE.

It's not necessarily about the department doing it all, but it's in part about making sure departments work with our partners, with [the] CIHT and the Bus Centre of Excellence.

The full oral evidence session is available to watch here.

CIHT has previously submitted to the Transport Committee’s inquiry into ‘Buses connecting communities’.

The evidence submission is available to read is available to read here.

CIHT and BCoE look forward to continuing to work with the Minister for Local Transport, the Department for Transport, and the wider government to enable a transport network that works for all.