CILT(UK) and PTRC’s annual Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) was held last month at Manchester Metropolitan University. The event attracted over 250 transport professionals delivering over 120 presentations over two days.

Manchester was a fitting venue for the event and delegates had the opportunity to experience the trailblazing public transport system in the city centre. Vernon Everitt, the transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, gave the keynote speech on the first day and explained the importance of a fully integrated transport system. We heard how Manchester’s Bee Network branding applies to buses, trams, cycles wayfinding and will soon be expanding to local rail. 

The keynote was followed by a panel discussion where Vernon was joined by Beate Kubitz, Andy Gibbons and Lee White. The panellists agreed that bus services were vital for the local economy, inclusivity, sustainability and reducing congestion. More and more local transport authorities are moving towards taking control of bus services through partnerships or franchising models but it is a new responsibility requiring a new skillset. The panel agreed there was an immediate need to upskill staff to prepare Bus Service Improvement Plans and run bus partnerships.

Over the two days, a wide range of topics were covered enabling speakers to showcase new findings and new approaches. At times it was difficult to choose which session to attend but the presentations are being uploaded to the TPM webpage where they can be viewed by all.

Day One included a walking tour through the city centre on a busy Wednesday afternoon. Our special thanks to Claire Stocks who hosted the tour. We saw wonderful examples of public realm schemes to encourage active travel and really appreciated the ease with which a group of 30 delegates were able to move freely through the city.

Day One ended with the TPS drinks reception and awards dinner. It was incredibly difficult for the judges to select the award-winning papers when they were all such high quality. Congratulations to the winners:-

- PTRC Lifetime Achievement Award: Vernon Everitt

- AtkinsRéalis Best Paper at the conference by a Young Practitioner: Gregory Neil

- Transport Planning Society Best Paper at the Conference: Josef Whitfield

- Urban Movement Urban Transport Design Award: Bristol City Council

- Citisense Best Paper demonstrating Sustainable Transport Solutions: Firuz Sulaimi

Day Two started with a pecha kucha session -  A fast-paced presentation technique of delivering 20 slides, spending just 20 seconds on each slide. Well done to our PK speakers who rose to the challenge.

Of course TPM is not just about the talks, it is also an unparalleled opportunity to showcase current trends and network with clients and contractors.  Our headline sponsors, AtkinsRéalis were well-represented with 13 speaker sessions on topics including electric vehicle charging, decarbonisation, buses, rail and travelling safely.

Commiserations if your paper was not selected for inclusion in this year’s TPM but there is always next year. We are particularly interested in receiving papers from young transport practitioners who have made a difference by bringing fresh innovative thinking to their profession. Submitting a paper to TPM is a great way to enhance your continuing professional development and public speaker skills.

We’ll be doing it again next year so follow us on LinkedIn for the call for papers and 2026TPM announcements in Autumn, and if you are interested in joining the Selection Committee, do drop us a line.

With thanks to our sponsors and exhibitors; AtkinsRéalis, Aecom, Transport Planning Society, Bee Network, Citisense, JCT Consultancy, Transport for Greater Manchester, Pindar Creative, 2-3 degrees.

Please contact Shania at Shania.mccalla@ptrc-training.co.uk to discuss sponsorship opportunities for 2026TPM.