Lunch with Leon

Lunch with Leon

The transport sector’s biggest asset is the people that keep everything moving. In this monthly podcast, world-renowned transport consultant Leon Daniels OBE interviews leading figures in the transport industry and discusses the latest sector news and trends. A must-listen for anyone working in transport today. See more here: www.leondaniels.co.uk

Episodes

126: Philip Gerhardt

September 8, 2026 • 34 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Philip Gerhardt, Commercial Director at Arriva London. Philip discusses the pressures reshaping London's bus network – from softening ridership to rising operator costs – and how tools like schedule optimisation and AI-assisted service control are improving reliability. He also reflects on Super Loop's success as a triumph of branding, and champions the career op...
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125: Lauren Sager Weinstein

August 4, 2026 • 35 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Lauren Sager Weinstein, Chief Data Officer at TfL. Lauren discusses the rapid rise of AI, the risk of it magnifying human bias, and the ethics of transparency in journey planning tools optimised for commission over commuters. She also reflects on the trust Londoners place in the TfL brand, and the importance of bringing young people, especially women and those from underrepr...
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124: Rose McArthur

July 7, 2026 • 38 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Rose McArthur, Director of Transport, Highways, Infrastructure and Climate Change at Cheshire West and Chester Council. Rose reflects on the recent Rural Bus Conference in Chester and the social value of community transport, traces her career from London 2012 and the Commonwealth Games to 20 years in private consultancy, and shares the financial pressures behind local author...
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123: Andrew Sherrington

June 23, 2026 • 31 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Andrew Sherrington, Head of Strategic Development at Go South Coast and General Manager for Swindons own Buses and Salisbury Reds. Andrew reflects on his career spanning First Bus and Transport for Wales before turning to the pressing challenges facing the bus industry today – from electrification and depot power supplies to road congestion, franchising, and the case f...
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122: Geoff Cross

June 9, 2026 • 34 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Geoff Cross, Managing Director of Centrad – the UK's leading telematics and CCTV business. Geoff traces his journey from teenage bus operator to transport technology entrepreneur, and discusses how AI-powered fleet management platforms are helping bus operators tackle rising insurance costs, driver fatigue, and risk management.
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121: UK Political Crisis

May 15, 2026 • 33 mins
Transport may well suffer as the UK Government once again is distracted by internal issues. Is democracy itself even threatened?
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120: Anna-Jane Hunter

May 5, 2026 • 35 mins
This month, Leon speaks with accomplished rail professional Anna-Jane Hunter, Chair of CILT UK's Board of Trustees and Partner at railway consultancy Winder Phillips. Their conversation spans the evolution of CILT and the valuable role it plays for the industry, and gets into the nitty gritty of rail reform, including the movers and shakers behind it and the challenge of fares and public trust. 
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119: Sam Mullins

April 7, 2026 • 37 mins

In the latest episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks to historian Sam Mullins, the former director of the London Transport Museum and author of the new book Every Journey Matters, which commemorates 25 years of Transport for London (TfL). Sam shares his career journey from curating community museums to transforming the London Transport Museum, with the conversation also exploring TfL's history since its formation in 2000 - hi...

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118: Laura Laker

March 24, 2026 • 32 mins
Leon delves into the world of active transport in this week's episode, joined by cycling journalist and co-host of the Streets Ahead podcast, Laura Laker. Laura, who has forged a career focused on cycling and urban transport, discusses how she first fell in love with cycling, the success of the cycling lobby in persuading city mayors to allocate road space for cyclists and the challenges of implementing cycling infrastructure,...
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117: Gareth Williams

February 24, 2026 • 36 mins

Leon’s guest is Gareth Williams, General Secretary and Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer at Eurostar. After a twenty-year career in government, including prominent leadership roles at the Department for Transport, Gareth joined Eurostar almost fifteen years ago. In this episode, he and Leon discuss how Eurostar bounced back after COVID (despite a lack of government funding), its upcoming double-decker trains designed ...

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116: Marie Daly

January 27, 2026 • 35 mins
This week, Leon Daniels speaks with Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer for Transport for Wales and Chair of Women in Rail. Marie covers a range of topics, from her non-traditional career path into transport from telecomms and energy, to crisis management during severe weather and the "one network" vision for Wales. The pair also discuss the upcoming transition to Great British Railways, and the evolving landscape of gender di...
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115: From Freewheeling: a discussion with Thomas Ableman

January 13, 2026 • 52 mins
Previously broadcast on Thomas Ableman's Freewheeling podcast, Leon and Thomas discuss progress towards the Buses Policy document originally announced by Boris' government
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114: Leon Daniels OBE

December 16, 2025 • 43 mins
In a special Christmas edition of Lunch with Leon, Leon Daniels is in the hotseat! Guest host Simon Lederman grills Leon on his 40+ years in the transport industry, with Leon sharing some stories from throughout his career and his hot takes on topical transport issues. He also answers some listener questions (some of whom have been special guests on the podcast themselves!). 
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113: David Leeder

November 18, 2025 • 34 mins
Ahead of the UK's Autumn Budget, Leon explores the UK's somewhat gloomy economic situation with eminent transport expert David Leeder. With soaring national debt squeezing essential transport budgets, David shares his insights on the potential impact on the transport industry and his crucial advice for local authorities on quickly securing promised settlements and tapping into private sector funding.
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112: Karen Dee

November 4, 2025 • 34 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon speaks with Karen Dee, CEO of Aiports UK, the trade association representing the interests of UK airports. The conversation covers growth in the aviation market, the challenge of decoupling emissions from demand, tackling the transport-wide skills crisis, leveraging high-value air freight and the critical role of retail revenue in supporting low-cost carriers.
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111: Paul Whitnell

October 7, 2025 • 34 mins
In the latest episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon pops his head out of the transport bubble and speaks with a transport-adjacent guest: Paul Whitnell, president of the British Irish Trade Alliance (BITA), a trade and commerce business organisation who describe themselves as "people that know people who help people". Paul shares more about his philosophy when it comes to business and the BITA organisation, whose members across the...
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110: Andreas Schörling

September 2, 2025 • 35 mins
Leon learns more about the diverse career of transport leader Andreas Schörling, Senior Managing Director of Flixbus UK. Andreas, who lead the launch of Flixbus in the UK in 2021, discusses the company's ambitious plan to build the largest intercity coach network in the UK. The episode also touches on the evolving perception of coach travel, the transformative impact of AI on the transport industry and Andreas' take on work-li...
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109: Nigel Holness

August 5, 2025 • 35 mins
In this episode of Lunch with Leon, rail veteran Nigel Holness reflects on his 40-year career, from his early days as a signalling consultant on the London Underground to his current role as a leading transport consultant, advising on major global projects. Leon and Nigel discuss TfL's evolution, their experiences of the 7/7 London bombings, 2012 Olympics, and the establishment of the Elizabeth line. Nigel also shares his pers...
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108: Anna Earl

July 22, 2025 • 30 mins
Leon speaks with nutritionist Anna Earl about the challenges that transport workers face maintaining nutrition, hydration, and wellbeing. Anna shares her advice for workers on how to overcome these challenges and develop a healthier lifestyle. 
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107: Richard Smith

July 10, 2025 • 36 mins
In the latest episode of Lunch with Leon, Leon talks with Richard Smith, Managing Director of the Road Haulage Association (RHA) about the key issues facing the road freight industry, including the challenges of transitioning HGVs to Net Zero, the deteriorating condition of road infrastructure and the broader implications of AI. There's also plenty of good career advice from these two transport leaders throughout the podcast!<...
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