Simon Lightwood MP, Minister for Roads and Buses, joined coach industry leaders at London’s Victoria Coach Station to celebrate the role of coach travel in connecting communities, supporting the economy and delivering sustainable transport across the UK.
The visit marked the launch of Better Transport Week 2026, organised by the Campaign for Better Transport, which runs from 15-21 June and celebrates how better transport connects people and places. Wednesday 17
June will also be marked as Coach Day.
Hosted by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), the visit brought together representatives from Transport for London, National Express, FlixBus, Arriva Greenline, Oxford Tube, Flibco and Campaign for Better Transport at the UK’s premier hub for coach travel.
Victoria Coach Station handles 20 million passenger journeys every year and provides connections to destinations across Britain, helping support tourism, economic growth and affordable access to travel.
The event also highlighted the growing scale and reach of the UK scheduled coach sector ahead of the busy summer travel season. National Express operates 9,500 journeys per week to over 350 destinations
nationwide, while FlixBus now offers 711 direct routes across its UK network, having expanded to more than 100 destinations since launching in the UK in 2021, as part of its global network across 45 countries.
Research commissioned by CPT and conducted by KPMG found that coach passengers spend £8.3 billion every year in local economies across Britain, supporting tourism, retail, hospitality and leisure businesses
nationwide. The sector also supports around 81,000 jobs and contributes£6.4 billion in wider economic value to the UK economy.
The research found that coaches deliver around 450 million passenger journeys annually, with domestic tourist coach passengers spending £5.4 billion each year at destinations across the UK.
Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent City Council is marking Better Transport Week 2026 (June 15 -21) by encouraging residents to rediscover their local bus service and experience just how ‘smart’ bus travel across the city has become.
Organised by Campaign for Better Transport, the annual event underlines the importance of affordable, accessible and reliable travel options.
This year, the council is highlighting the Smart tickets scheme, which continues to offer cheaper, simpler bus travel across multiple operators with one great-value ticket, making public transport more accessible for work, education and shopping.
Councillor Finlay Gordon McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure, planning and regeneration, at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “The speed and scale of progress of the bus network across the city has been impressive – and our Smart tickets, which we’ve extended to March 2029, have played a huge role in that.
“However, there are many people who perhaps haven’t used a bus in a long while, and I think they would be surprised by how much has changed.
“Affordable, simple fares make a real difference to people’s daily lives. Whether you’re travelling for work, education, to a health appointment, out shopping, or just meeting family or friends, a Smart ticket means you don’t need to search for cash or worry about providing the exact change. They are so much quicker, easier and cheaper.
“From booking tickets in advance on a mobile app, to receiving live updates from over 100 Real Time Information displays across the city, today’s bus network offers an all-round faster and more reliable experience for passengers.
“Even before boarding their bus, many people will see improvements to bus stations and stops with waiting areas increasingly more accessible for wheelchair or pram users. Similarly, we’ve upgraded over 200 bus stops with CCTV in place at many which, along with our team of Transport Safety Officers, adds to passenger safety and security.
“Therefore, to those who haven’t been on a bus in a while, I would say, use Better Transport Week to ‘give it another go’.
“And there are more improvements in the pipeline as we look to deliver the bus network that the city deserves.”
(Picture: Confederation of Passenger Transport)
