Forum Brief: Transport plans

Partnerships between public and private sectors are "at the heart" of the government's transport plans, Alistair Darling has said.

"We face complex problems to which there's a number of solutions. We don't have a monopoly of wisdom. So its in all our interests to work together," said the transport secretary.

He was speaking as Stagecoach Group set out its plans for a new partnership, "Kick Start", to reinvigorate the UK bus network.

Kick Start involves the introduction of a dedicated government fund, administered by the Department for Transport, to deliver "one off" short-term public investment in bus projects that are currently not commercially sustainable.

Forum response: Transport for London

A spokesman for Transport for London told ePolitix.com: "The best transport solution is that which is appropriate to the locality. Transport for London are responsible for bus base, tram based, river based transport and will soon be responsible for London Underground.

"Transport for London was created to provide an integrated approach to transport in the capital. We view all transport modes as complementary."

Forum Response: Stagecoach Group

Brian Souter, chief executive of Stagecoach Group, told ePolitix.com: "Stagecoach Group's radical new partnership approach can deliver a much needed kick start to Britain's buses. It is a practical, quick-win initiative that can make a real difference to the provincial UK bus network and peripheral communities outside London by attracting people out of their cars and onto buses.

"Buses are the people's transport - don't forget that seven out of ten journeys on public transport are on the bus. That's a massive 4.9 billion passengers a year. But there are many borderline services - not many people use them, but those that do really need them. With Kick Start, we can protect these routes from fading away - and make them better.

"Kick Start can deliver better value for taxpayers, produce better bus services for our communities, boost social inclusion, cut congestion and emissions, and help the government achieve its growth targets on the UK's bus network.

"We believe Kick Start has a number of attractions to government and we look forward to opening a dialogue with ministers on the proposal."