Amid growing concerns over air quality, congestion and the desire to support the growth of cities, great and small, the role of public transport is being reimagined, and devolved governance is raising ambition. A new generation of major urban transport projects are coming on stream; many more are under development. Quality Bus Transit is for all those who plan, promote, design, build and operate these schemes.

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Programme

09.00  Registration - Tea & Coffee Served Upon Arrival

Session 1 – Transforming a Passenger Transport Network

09.45  Welcome
           Alan Bailes, Chairman, BRTuk
           Chair: Colin Brader, Chairman, ITP

09.50  Morning Keynote Speech
           Councillor Zaffar, Cabinet Lead for Transport, Birmingham City Council

10.05  The Role of Sprint in the West Midlands
           Sandeep Shingadia, Director of Development and Delivery, Transport for West Midlands

10.25  Delivering Sprint
           Angela Hosford, Head of Sprint, Transport for West Midlands

           Followed by Q&A session

11.00  Morning break - Tea & Coffee Served

Session 2 – Trends Transforming Urban Transport

Chair: Matt Gamble, Principal Consultant, Transportation, SNC-Lavalin's Atkins Business

11.25  New Mobility Trends – What do they mean for Passenger Transport?
           Toby Thornton, Associate, WSP

11.40  Autonomous Buses
          John Birtwistle, Head of Policy UK Business, FirstGroup

11.55  Delivering a new BRT System in the City of Amiens
          Alberto Gonzalez , Commercial Director, Irizar 

12.10  Platforms for Seamless Integration
           Rob Holton, Associate Client Director, VIX

12.25  Very Light Rail
           Nicola Small, Programme Manager, Coventry City Council 

Followed by Q&A session

13.00  Lunch Break - Refreshments Served

Session 3 – Major Projects Review

Reports on Current Operations, Expansion Proposals and New Schemes

Chair: Tom Hacker, Public Sector Team Leader, WSP

14.00  Bristol – metrobus
           Pete Woodhouse, Group Manager, Sustainable Transport, Bristol City Council

Belfast Glider Project
Robin Totten, Belfast Glider Senior Programme Manager and Head of Business Change, Translink

Dublin BusConnects
Tim Gaston, Director of Public Transport Services, National Transport Authority

Connecting Leeds - Leeds City Council's Plans to Double Bus Patronage
Andrew Wheeler, Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme Manager & Simon Pope, Associate Director, WSP

London Update including Sutton extension Sutton and outer London pilot studies like Thamesmead
Zoe Vidion, Lead Sponsor (Bus Priority), Transport for London & David Field, Principal Strategy Planner, Transport for London 

Followed by Q&A session

15.00  Afternoon break - Tea & Coffee Served

Session 4 – Panel Debate:  Great Cities Require Great Public Transport. How Can We Work Together to Develop and Promote Better Schemes

Chair: Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive, Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce

15.15  Panel to debate with audience participation

Operators and investment
Alex Perry, CEO, Croftdale Services

Passengers
Linda McCord, Senior Stakeholder Manager, Transport Focus & Chair, West Midlands Bus Alliance 

Media
Peter Plisner, BBC Midlands Transport & Business Correspondent

Property and Development
Chris Keogh, Joint Managing Director, Court Collaboration

Strategic regional development
Sandeep Shingadia, Director of Development and Delivery, Transport for West Midlands

Session 5 – Closing Plenary

16.05  Keynote: Quality Bus Transit and Future Transport
           James Gleave, Strategist, Futurist and Advisor to the Transport Sector

16.25  Closing Remarks
           Alan Bailes, Chairman, BRTuk

16.30  Networking Drinks Reception

17.30  Conference Close