2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (George Lythgoe)
Greater Manchester has been leading the charge in transforming public transport, according to Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood. During his visit to Manchester on Tuesday where he celebrated women's contributions to the bus, coach, and community transport sector, he praised the region for its pioneering efforts. In January, Greater Manchester took a historic step by bringing all buses under public control, a move not seen outside London in four decades.
This initiative, which saw south Manchester integrated into the system, has been lauded by GM Mayor Andy Burnham for delivering improved reliability and boosting passenger numbers. The government is now keen to replicate this success across the country, with an emphasis on increasing female participation in the transport industry as part of their strategy to revolutionise it. Lightwood remarked: "We all accept that buses are vital to all communities, in fact they are the most popular forms of public transport.
That is why as a government we're delivering the biggest overhaul on buses in a generation, calling time on the postcode lottery of unreliability." The minister added: "In Greater Manchester under the Bee Network they've come on leaps and bounds in terms of taking back control and we've seen some fantastic results in passenger numbers and timeliness of buses. I want to make sure that all areas of the country are able to enjoy those same benefits.
" Touching upon gender disparities within the industry, the minister highlighted a pressing issue: "Around 10 per cent of people who work in transport are women. That doesn't reflect the users of the network which is predominantly women.", reports .
The minister added: "Too often in the past public transport has been designed by men for men, and actually if we're to make sure public transport is safe and reliable for everyone it's safe to have that representation." Speaking at the event in the Midland Hotel in the city centre, mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: "In Greater Manchester we're bringing buses back into local control, with cheaper fares, better buses and, crucially, more reliable services all attracting more people on-board. "Our success is down to the hard work and dedication of Bee Network staff, including the many brilliant women working tirelessly to deliver a great service to the people of Greater Manchester, whether that's driving buses, working at our bus stations, interchanges or Travelshops, or leading our franchising programme.
"It was fantastic to see that recognised today, and as we grow the Bee Network and take forward our plans to transform technical education in Greater Manchester through the MBacc, we want to encourage even more women into the industry.".
