Hop on the (Electric) Bus

Hop on the (Electric) Bus

From Transforming Tomorrow by The Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business

April 13, 2026 · 47 min · Season 3 · Episode 27

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of public transport, particularly electric buses, in promoting sustainability and reducing car usage.

WARNING: This episode includes some mild bad language. How do we get more people to leave the car behind and take the bus? When public transport can make such a positive difference to the planet, the task is to get the public to use it. Ben Wakerley is a Lancaster University graduate – and long-time friend of Paul – whose lifelong love of buses has taken him on a journey from driving them around Manchester when he was a student to become CEO of Warrington’s Own Buses. The company has an award-winning fleet of 105 electric buses that makes them even better for the environment, but Ben catches the No.1 bus to campus to tell us you still need more to encourage passengers on board. We consider the natural fit between public transport and sustainability, how better bus networks can help ease congestion and speed up life in big cities, and how we can build bus cultures that match that of London. Ben explains how the sunk costs of buying a car plays a major part in people deciding to drive or take the bus, and what bus companies need to do to encourage people to make the switch without making it a war on motorists. We find out the challenges – logistically and investment-wise – and…

People in this episode

Host: Paul

Guest: Ben Wakerley

Topics covered

  • public transport
  • sustainability
  • electric buses
  • urban congestion
  • transport culture

Keywords

  • electric buses
  • public transport
  • sustainability
  • urban congestion
  • transport culture
  • Warrington’s Own Buses
  • Lancaster University

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lancaster University, Warrington’s Own Buses

Places: Manchester, London

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