What are Britain’s Plans for Major Reform of Rail Services?

by Tony Prosser, Professor of Public Law, University of Bristol Law School.

 

The UK Government has proposed major changes to the organisation of its rail services, which were privatised and split between a large number of different companies in the 1990s.  The change will introduce a new ‘guiding mind’ in the form of a public body, Great British Railways, which will be responsible for managing the infrastructure and for commissioning passenger services.  The services, however, will continue to be provided under contract by private companies. (more…)

Waiting for the (free) bus to come

by Antonia Layard, Professor of Law, University of Bristol Law School

In Scotland, children and young people will have free bus travel in 2021. They join children and young people in London who also have free travel, seeing off an attempt to take the concession away through a feisty #don’tzapthezip campaign last year. Since 2008, older and disabled people have even greater concessions, able to catch a bus anywhere in England after 9.30am on weekdays as well as  all day at weekends and on bank holidays, receiving subsidised travel as part of the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS).

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