Students Shape the Future of Reading Buses

An exciting new sustainable transport initiative, the brainwave of Lower Sixth student, Holly, is already having an impact for young people across Reading.

The Reading Buses Youth Panel has successfully brought together students from five local secondary schools, creating a valuable opportunity for young people to share their perspectives and experiences of using local bus services.  Students from Kendrick School, Reading School, Theale Green, Blessed Hugh Faringdon and Leighton Park have engaged in collaborative discussions to identify key priorities for improving accessibility, communication, customer experience, and engagement with young passengers.

Holly, explained: “I was inspired by the Transport for London Youth Panel because I’d read that young people were being given a voice on the transport that they use every day. So I reached out to Connect Reading who I knew had a link with Reading Buses. We have already started having an impact with an extra bus on the number two route. All the schools involved with the panel are on prominent bus routes in Reading so it matters to us. Hopefully our ideas will help transform Reading Buses into a service that young people love and that young people will use. The panel isn’t for Reading Buses; it’s for young people and how they can be sustainable. It’s really nice to have a voice and to be heard and to know that I’ve had an impact.”

CEO of Reading Buses, Robert Williams, enthused: “It’s really useful for us to gather the thoughts of the young generation to build into what we are planning for the future. Ultimately young people will be our customers and our passengers of the future and we want to make sure that we are continuing to evolve and develop what we do to reflect their thoughts.

Lorraine Briffit, CEO of Connect Reading, commented: "When Connect Reading sees an opportunity to connect, we can't resist. Connecting Reading Buses and Leighton Park (and their secondary school network) to create the Reading Buses Youth Panel was a prime example of generating impact through a simple connection."

Speaking on behalf of the Partnerships Team at Leighton Park, Anja Nash reflected: “The four sessions completed over the past few months have enabled students to exchange ideas, highlight common challenges, and explore innovative ways to develop the Youth Panel further, ensuring it is representative and impactful. The students also have commented on how they have developed skills in communication and confidence through these sessions. As a result, stronger relationships have been established between Reading Buses and local schools, providing a foundation for ongoing dialogue and meaningful youth involvement in shaping future transport services and initiatives.”

Robert concluded: “It has been fantastic to work with Leighton Park and Connect Reading who’ve helped provide the momentum that we needed to get this off the ground. The commitment to bringing in other schools to make it inclusive and fully representative of the area has been really fantastic.”

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