Speeches by Mayer.

“The clocks change this weekend, and at a stroke we will have light in the evenings. We could have light at evenings all year round if we adopted Churchill time; it would also cut bills, reduce road traffic accidents and boost the hospitality industry. Given that this is a cross-departmental issue, how can I best get tr…”

“I am always pleased to speak in debates about transport. I want to paint a picture for the Minister of Leighton Buzzard station—he is, of course, welcome to visit too. There are two lifts, which is fantastic, and I do not knock those lifts at all, because I know that many people want them. At the moment, a person can w…”

“Do you detect that there is any plan from Government for the coach sector?”

“Are there any other practical things that the Government could be doing?”

“It is a very quick one that has just occurred to me while you have been talking. You have been talking a lot about sharing facilities at depots. Is that happening organically, or should Government grants perhaps be incentivising it so that you only get your grant if you agree to share those facilities?”

“Midway through our inquiry, President Trump started a war in Iran. That has obviously caused petrol prices at the pumps to rise considerably. Has that already changed the comparative running costs between EV cars and petrol cars, and are there any early signs it is changing public perception?”

“Looking specifically at coaches again, they sometimes have very different roles throughout their lifespan, perhaps starting with more premium work and then, right at the end, being a school bus or maybe a rail-replacement bus. To what extent do you think we have policies in place that take into account the fact that it…”

“Is education something you think the Government should do?”

“You are presumably pleased that the zero-emission HGV and coach infrastructure strategy puts HGVs and coaches together. Is there anything specific you would like to see in that strategy?”

“If I am a voter and I think that the transport in my area is rubbish and badly integrated, who do I vote out of office?”

“Is there a danger that you just end up with the lowest common denominator?”

“Is this all predicated upon goodwill or are everyone’s incentives aligned enough to achieve good transport outcomes?”

“We heard very much from the last panel that strategic powers were going to mayoral strategic authorities—as they now are—but that they are not delivery bodies. Do you think that is an issue? Obviously, you could have mayoral development corporations tagged on, but do we need to get delivery powers at a regional level t…”

“Sorry to interrupt, but is that because you lack control? That is what Transport for West Midlands said in its evidence to us.”

“Let us assume I want to achieve transport integration. What should I be measuring?”

“How should we measure and put a value on transport integration? Can you give a couple of practical examples of what we are already measuring that makes sense, and what we should be measuring that would be helpful?”

“Who should I be chucking out?”

“Integrating transport and aligning it with spatial planning and development involves bringing lots of people and organisations—both public and private—together. Whose job is it to be the leader in this and do they have enough powers?”

“It was very largely the same point, in the sense that I cannot see what is in it for a local authority. I understand what is in it for the driver and the national economy. Perhaps you can see what is in it for the local authority, but if you cannot, perhaps it needs to be taken away from the local authority.”

“Can you put the price up when the facilities are better?”