David Astill on ALBUM's success, local elections impact, and the future of local bus management

Leon's latest guest on the Lunch with Leon podcast is David Astill, the newly appointed chairman of ALBUM (Association of Local Bus Managers) and Managing Director of Nottingham City Transport. Speaking from Lyon, France, where he was attending RATP Dev's senior international leadership event, Leon caught up with David fresh from ALBUM's hugely successful annual conference in Nottingham to discuss the highlights, current industry challenges, and the future direction of local bus management.

The conversation begins with David reflecting on what was clearly a memorable conference. "It was one to remember. I'd like to think. The team at NCT put on a fantastic conference, which I'm very proud of and proud to be associated with Leon," David said, revealing that over 400 different delegates joined across the three days, with over 300 in the theatre for the main Tuesday afternoon speakers.

One of the conference highlights was the presence of metro mayors, including Claire Ward, the Labour mayor for the East Midlands Combined Authority. David was particularly encouraged by her approach: "It was very heartening to hear Claire talk about her commitment to bus partnership working and wanting to build on what we have, rather than tear up what's there and start again."

However, the discussion quickly turned to the current climate of uncertainty facing the industry. As David noted, "We have lots of it, don't we? Uncertainty, if you're in an area where franchising is a possibility. We have uncertainty over the future of the cap national fare. We have uncertainty over labour costs."

The recent local elections have added another layer of complexity, with Reform UK's unexpected success creating new unknowns. "10 councils now controlled by Reform. Indeed, in the East Midlands, two of the four authorities now controlled by Reform. And I don't think any of us really know what their transport priorities and policies are going to be," David observed, particularly noting Reform's apparent scepticism towards decarbonisation initiatives.

David Leader's presentation at the conference provided his characteristic analytical insight into funding realities. As David Astill explained, "David thinks that that's very unlikely" that other metro mayors will receive the same level of funding that Andy Burnham has seen for Manchester's franchising scheme, with the comprehensive spending review likely to constrain available resources.

The conversation highlighted some positive developments, particularly around staff welfare and retention. David shared Nottingham City Transport's innovative approach: "We hit on the revolutionary idea of asking our staff what they actually thought." This led to significant changes in shift patterns, with 10% of drivers now working part-time and 8% on flexible shifts, helping reduce turnover from 20% to just 8%.

Transport Focus results reinforced familiar themes, with Louise Collins highlighting that bus users want "reliability and punctuality and fast journey times." As David noted, "If they want direct fast journeys, the answer has to be bus priority, rather than less efficient schedules to keep buses on time."

Roger French provided one of the conference's memorable moments with his presentation on the strengths of local operations. "Roger probably left me with the most obvious thought at the end of the conference," David recalled. "If you take the L out of ALBUM, what are you left with?" - a pointed reminder that local focus is ALBUM's core strength.

This local focus was validated by Transport Focus results, where "four of the top five operators in the 2025 operator league table, of course, were ALBUM members." David emphasised that this reflects ALBUM's strength in "local ownership, local management, local people re: their local bus service."

The discussion touched on the broader funding landscape, with David Leader noting that government funding now represents "just over 50% of revenue" compared to about 30% before the pandemic. This shift has implications for the industry's relationship with government and the expectations that come with increased public investment.

Leicester's success story featured prominently, with Daniel Pearman describing their BSIP achievements without initial basic funding. "Leicester initially didn't get any basic funding. So as agile commercial operators, there are still things we can do if we've got a proactive, supportive local authority that doesn't need a lot of money to actually get bus ridership up."

On the contentious issue of direct awards to local authority bus companies under the Buses Bill, David outlined ALBUM's nuanced position: supporting direct awards to existing municipals while having "understandable reservation about extending the concept of direct award to any new Lab cos."

The episode concluded with news of significant changes in ALBUM's leadership. David has taken over as chairman from Bill Hiron, while Tony Depledge is stepping down as policy advisor to be replaced by Alex Perry. "Tony and Bill have really put ALBUM on the map, and we are taken seriously as an organisation, across the industry and in DFT," David noted, emphasising the importance of maintaining this momentum.

Throughout their conversation, David's passion for local bus operations and ALBUM's mission shines through. Representing "something like 40 different bus companies with a combined fleet of about 5,000 vehicles," ALBUM continues to punch above its weight in an industry dominated by major groups, proving that local knowledge, management, and ownership remain vital components of successful public transport.

Listen to the full episode