Jane Cole, who has been the Managing Director of Blackpool Transport Services Limited for past 12 years, has been recognised for services to public transport and the local community. Jane has been awarded an OBE having spent 12 years at the transport operator, alongside more than three decades in the rail industry.
Since Jane joined Blackpool Transport she has seen the operator scoop numerous industry awards and has also bought her knowledge, experience and energy to the development of commercial, educational, industrial and transport policy at a local, regional and national level.
Jane Cole OBE commented: “It really is a privilege to serve the people of Blackpool and the surrounding areas, and I receive this award with humility. This recognition belongs as much to the people who have inspired and supported me as it does to me.
“It has been an honour to work with so many remarkable people here on the Fylde Coast over the past 12 years, and during 35 years in the wider rail industry.
“I am also grateful for having the opportunity to make a contribution to public transport, a sector that brings together communities and is vitally important to so many people who rely on it every day.”
In addition to her role at Blackpool Transport, Jane became the first female President of the industry trade association The Confederation of Passenger Transport in 2021. She is also a non-executive Director of the Road Operators Safety Council and the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board.
- Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, has also been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List. Mr Everitt received a CBE for his contribution to public transport, including playing a pivotal role in the delivery of major transport improvements for the city region’s communities.
Director of the Road Operator’s Safety Council and the Light Rail satety and Standards Board? All while being Manager at Blackpool Blackpool Transport?
Now there’s a conflict of interests if ever I saw one.
In her time at Blackpool she has unnecessarily spent millions of pounds, buying new buses that weren’t needed, rebranding things with new brabding where the old branding had served the town well for a century, and generally destroyed not just a historic landmark but a massive source of income for Blackpool.
In the whole history of Blackpool, the town’s transport system has never been so damaged and mis-managed by any one individual.
It was Walter Luff, Joe Franklyn or even Tony Depledge who were for more worthy of awards that the woman who single handedly killed Britain’s last traditional tramway stone dead!
Where does the conflict of interest lie?
There isn’t a conflict of interest. Senior transport managers sitting on safety and standards bodies is entirely normal – that’s why those bodies exist, to draw on real operational experience.
The awards in question were judged independently by regional, national and international industry panels. To suggest they’re all wrong, biased or somehow invalid is ridiculous.
You can criticise management choices all you like, many of the choices regarding heritage over the last 15 years have been poor but claiming every award body got it wrong just undermines the argument
What rebranding?
It has been consistently Blackpool Transport under her tenure. OK the grey livery is awful but the biggest rebrand was the Metro branding which had nothing to do with her.
The purple predates her also.
I’m also confused what lasted for a Century? Blackpool Corporation Tramways, then transport which ceased to be in 1986. The 40 year old BTS or the green and cream which came into being in the early 30s?
Speechless – just speechless.
History will judge her and I hope it will be very very harshly. I was unaware of her LRSSB position. Now the overly hasty and unnecessary action to prove her credentials by consigning the revenue positive “heritage” tram operation to history by deliberately emasculating it, and then suggesting as was later disproved – that safety issues were the reason to stop operating the historic tram fleet is shown up for what it was – virtue signalling which was gleefully taken on board by those who thrive on this type of management!
I understand she is moving on – Good Riddance, I say!
To be fair, she didn’t only cite ‘safety issues’ but also claimed ‘complex operational issues’ and then the cost of maintenance.
Ironically, she always began her statements with ‘I really love the old trams…BUT!!!!!’