Who should attend?
This unique event will bring together local authorities, operators, consultancy and service providers to share best practice across the rural bus sector. We welcome professionals from a range of sectors involved in the following areas:
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Overcoming the particular challenges faced by rural areas and local authorities outside of major cities
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Embedding bus services in new development
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Evaluating the extent and effectiveness of policy and governance in supporting rural bus services
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Framing the urban / rural debate – rural transport can have many benefits for urban populations
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The social and economic consequences of poor connectivity
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How can innovation and alternative service models provide solutions?
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Low carbon rural tourism, leisure and the visitor economy
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New directions in rural transport, including mobility hubs and e-bikes
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Demand Responsive Transport
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Total Transport (community, health and education) solutions
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New approaches to evaluation and economic models in the rural context
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Skills, training and resource in rural authorities
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Behaviour change / modal shift in a rural context
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Improving digital connectivity to support innovative services
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Transport technology platforms, tools and services
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Taxis, coaches, car share and supporting services
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Creating safe, reliable, and inclusive integrated networks
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Fares and ticketing
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Tackling the climate emergency
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Reducing car dependency and promoting rural active travel
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Supporting the regeneration of rural towns and places
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Working examples from Europe – best and emerging practice
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New approaches to allocating limited road space
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Rural 20-minute cities
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Bus shelters and roadside infrastructure
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Information and communications
Programme
Please note the programme is currently under development
09.00
Registration
Tea and coffee served in the exhibition area in the Concourse Room
10.00
LONG ROOM
Opening plenary
Welcome from Cllr Karen Shore, Deputy Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council and member of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority
Leon Daniels, Chair of the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) Advisory Board
Stephen Fidler, Director – Local Passenger Transport & Inclusion, Department for Transport
Rose McArthur, Director - Transport, Highways, Infrastructure and Climate Change at Cheshire West and Chester Council
11.00
Morning break
Tea and coffee served in the exhibition area
11.30
LONG ROOM
Integrated services, connected communities
Chair: Alistair Kirkbride, Director, Low Carbon Destinations
Connecting Rural Communities: Dorset’s Core Routes & Community Transport
Izaaz Munshi, Transport Planner, Dorset Council
Rural Connectivity: DRT, Local Links and Lessons Learnt
Pam Turton, West of England Combined Authority
Tiger on Demand: Improving Rural Connectivity in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough through Demand Responsive Transport
Andrew Highfield, Assistant Director, Public Transport Services, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and Rachel Goodwin, Public Transport Customer Development Manager, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
Including cabs in the rural transport mix
Paul Bakker, Director, Traintaxi Limited
EXECUTIVE BOX 8
Local planning and rural buses
This session will explore key issues for Local Transport Authorities, operators, planning authorities and the wider developer/consultant community.
Through case studies and reviews of recent planning decisions, the session will explore:
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Impacts of Standard Method to assess housing needs on rural planning authorities
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What is the level of bus service that presents a 'genuine choice of modes' in a small market town or village context?
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What should planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate be planning for?
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Remote new communities - can they ever be truly sustainable?
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Corridor-focused development strategies - and pooling of contributions from multiple sites
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Frequency vs hours of operation to secure a relevant choice - what should be the focus for service improvements ?
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Developer contributions: how far can we expect developers to address service deficits when viability is challenged?
Session led by Nick Small, Head of Built Environment and Infrastructure, Go Ahead Group
Speakers:
Phil Turner, Associate Director, Steer
Neil Davies, Bus Planning Specialist, AtkinsRealis
TURF ROOM
The evidence base for rural buses
Chair: Antoneta Horbury, Director of Policy and Technical Affairs, Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT)
Rural Mobility Fund phase 1 evaluation
Outcomes and insights from the final report
The final report summarises lessons learnt, operation and performance of the demand responsive transport pilots in rural and suburban areas to date.
Kiron Chatterjee, Professor of
Travel Behaviour, University of the West of England, Bristol
The social value of DRT and rural fixed schedule buses
Daniel Johnson, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies (ITS), University of Leeds
Why haven’t concessionary passengers returned? Insights from Essex’s post Covid ENCTS deep dive
40 minute workshop led by James Hopkins, Lead for Digital, Customer and Innovation, Essex County Council, Maddy Thompson, Associate Director of Research and Strategy, Rocket Science, and Tim Edwards, Associate Director at Integrated Transport Planning Haskoning
In Essex, ENCTS use in 2024 was around 30% below pre pandemic levels, despite more residents having an ENCTS pass. Recent scrutiny from the Public Accounts Committee highlighted that there is a lack of clear, data led understanding of why elderly and disabled passengers have not returned to bus travel. Essex County Council commissioned research to understand why older and disabled residents are travelling less, and what would meaningfully increase their bus use.
13.00
Lunch break
Refreshments served in the exhibition area in the Concourse Room
14.00
LONG ROOM
Serving the rural economy
Chair: Caroline Whitney, England Director, Community Transport Association
A better way to provide rural services? - The Switzerland in the Peak District approach
Nigel Hutton and Thomas Ableman, Joint Leads, Mini Switzerland/Switzerland in the Peak District
North Wales Bus Infrastructure Enhancement Study: A marginal gains approach to bus priority in a rural context
Daniel McCool, Associate - Transport Planning, Arup & Vic Turner, Senior Project Manager, Transport for Wales
Identifying gaps in public bus service connectivity in rural Norfolk
Tom McKenna, Business Development Manager, Alchera Technologies
Low carbon rural tourism, leisure and the visitor economy - Days Out By Bus
Geoff Wade, Community Engagement Lead (Bus Network), North East Combined Authority
Improving rural bus services in the Brackley area
Edwin Swaris, Sustainable
Travel Manager, West Northamptonshire Council and Robin Pointon, Managing Director and Founder, GO Travel Solutions
EXECUTIVE BOX 8
People-first services
Chair: Robert Davis, Head of Active & Sustainable Travel, Trueform
The role of bus in delivering Social Value in rural communities
Martin Meacham, Principal Consultant Bus, SYSTRA
From Service to Lifeline: Embedding the Passenger Voice in Rural Bus Networks
Lydia Horbury, CEO Bus Users UK
When the Bus Disappears: Measuring the Real Impact of Rural Bus Service Cuts
Daniel Saunders, Chief Product Officer, Basemap
Connected Communites: The Bus Service Standard
Silviya Barrett, Director of Policy and Research, Campaign for Better Transport
What do the public want and need from a rural bus network
Clare Waldron, Associate Director, ITP Haskoning
TURF ROOM
Bus Franchising Pilots
In 2025 the government announced it would run Bus Franchising Pilots in five regions: with the aim of exploring how local authorities can take control of bus networks in rural areas.
Chair: Steve Hunter, Associate Director and bus regulatory reform advisory practice lead, Steer
Panellists Include:
Miriam Binsztok, Transport Coordination Service Manager, Cornwall Council and Peter Hardy, Technical Director, ITP Haskoning
Alice Missler, Passenger Transport Manager,
Hertfordshire County Council & Mike Holmes, Director – Passenger Transit, WSP
Matthew Elliott, Bus Reform Officer, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Graeme Innes, Senior Manager - Infrastructure Planning and Transport, Cumberland Council
Kristy Littler, Transport Manager, Cheshire West and Chester Council
15.30
Tea and coffee served in the exhibition area
16.00
LONG ROOM
Closing plenary: Devolution and changes in local government
As local government is re-organised and new Combined Authorities take over responsibility for transport plans, strategies, investment and bus operations throughout their regions, what will be the priorities for rural bus services and how will they be delivered?
Panel led by: Leon Daniels, Chair of the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) Advisory Board with speakers from Combined Authorities across the UK
Panellists include:
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Councillor Karen Shore, Deputy Leader, Cheshire West and Chester Council and member of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority
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Councillor Hans Mundry, Leader, Warrington Borough Council and member of the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority
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Councillor Mark Goldsmith, Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport, Cheshire East Council
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Richard Wellings, Principal Public Transport Officer, East Midlands Combined County Authority
17.15
LONG ROOM
Closing address
Ruth Cadbury, Chair, Transport Select Committee
17.30
Networking reception, sponsored by Trueform
18.15
Event close
Speakers
Stephen Fidler
Director - Local Passenger Transport & Inclusion
Department for Transport
Rose McArthur
Director - Transport, Highways, Infrastructure and Climate Change
Cheshire West and
Chester Council
Daniel McCool
Associate - Transport Planning
Arup
Adam Marsden
Principal Consultant Bus
SYSTRA
Izaaz Munshi
Transport Planner
Dorset Council
Daniel Saunders
Chief Product Officer
Basemap
Steve Hunter
Associate Director
Steer
Kiron Chatterjee
Professor of Travel Behaviour University of the West of England, Bristol
Rachel Goodwin
Public Transport Customer Development Manager, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority
Tim Edwards
Associate
ITP Haskoning
Nigel Hutton
Joint Lead
Mini Switzerland in the
Peak District
Mike Holmes
Director, Passenger Transport
WSP
Caroline Whitney
Director, England
Community Transport Association
Councillor Hans Mundry
Leader
Warrington Borough Council
Neil Davies
Bus Planning Specialist
AtkinsRealis
Cllr Karen Shore
Deputy Leader
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Thomas Ableman
Joint Lead, Mini Switzerland
Switzerland in the
Peak District
Silviya Barrett
Director of Policy and Research
Campaign for Better Transport
Pam Turton
Director of Bus Operations
West of England Combined Authority
Martin Meacham
Principal Consultant Bus
SYSTRA
Alice Missler
Passenger Transport Manager
Hertfordshire County Council
Matthew Elliott
Bus Reform Officer
York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
Daniel Johnson
Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds
Geoff Wade
Community Engagement Lead (Bus Network)
North East Combined Authority
James Hopkins
Lead for Digital, Customer and Innovation
Essex County Council
Antoneta Horbury
Director of Policy and
Technical Affairs
Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
Richard Wellings
Principal Public Transport Officer
East Midlands Combined County Authority
Ruth Cadbury
Chair
Transport Select Committee
Councillor Mark Goldsmith
Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transport
Cheshire East Council
Leon Daniels
Chair
Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) Advisory Board
Nick Small
Head of Built Environment and Infrastructure
Go Ahead Group
Lydia Horbury
CEO
Bus Users UK
Vic Turner
Senior Project Manager
Transport for Wales
Clare Waldron
Associate Director
ITP Haskoning
Tom McKenna
Business Development Manager
Alchera Technologies
Phil Turner
Associate
Steer
Paul Bakker
Director
Traintaxi
Peter Hardy
Technical Director
ITP Haskoning
Maddy Thompson
Head of Research
Rocket Science
Miriam Binsztok
Transport Coordination Service Manager
Cornwall Council
Alistair Kirkbride
Director
Low Carbon Destinations
Robert Davis
Head of Active & Sustainable Travel
Trueform
Kristy Littler
Transport Manager
Cheshire West and Chester Council
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