MARTIJN GILBERT, Chief Executive Officer at Reading Buses, addressed the Railway Study Association in London
Reading Buses is one of now only 10 municipal bus operations but, like the rest, these are ‘arm’s length’ companies. They have 360-degree responsibility for their businesses and stand alone in terms of their commercial operation.
If bus use is measured in terms of journeys per head of population over the course of a year, Reading stands third from the top of those outside London. The results for the top five are:
■ Brighton & Hove 159.5
■ Nottingham 149.2
■ Reading 126.1
■ Tyne & Wear 104.1
■ West Midlands 94.5
Reading Buses is thus a big company, with around 550 employees. It has a modern fleet with an average age of 4½ years; it has the largest number (41 vehicles) of compressed natural gas (CNG) powered buses in the country, with another 31 hybrids. The fleet totals 193 vehicles and offers 10 colour-coded routes within the Reading built-up area.
Buses operate 24/7 on five key routes.
Reading Buses operates a further five routes to destinations beyond the Reading boundaries. Other longer-distance services operated by Go-Ahead, Arriva and Stagecoach come into Reading.
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