We know the pledges – but what’s the plan?
In signing up to climate change pledges politicians are also signing up to a seismic public policy shift – especially for the way we travel Change is possible: The Netherlands was heading down our car dependent route until they made a big shift to the bike in the 1970s (Photo: Elisabeth Aardema /...
Berlin – a working model of new mobility
Berlin has for a number of years been one of the world’s leading cities for innovation and, in particular, mobility innovation BVG has done a partnership deal with operator ViaVan to operate a joint service I have visited Berlin a number of times over the years, but it was interesting to reflect...
How can we support towns like Batley?
Towns can help themselves – but they need big institutions, including the transport sector, to think carefully to back them up There are so many policy reports on transport and cities you could stack them up as high as the Beetham Tower. However, the pile of reports on transport and towns would...
Habits are changing – so must transport
The internet is reducing the need to travel for a range of activities. How should the public transport world react to this trend? In London the number of trips made per person per day began to fall from 2006 Build a new road and cars will use it, and in plentiful numbers....
Northern Ireland is getting ahead
You may not have yet noticed, but it’s become the place to watch, with growing bus and rail demand and plans for unified ticketing Glider: As a visitor to Belfast you can’t miss this striking new addition to Belfast’s city centre Of the four main constituent parts of the UK, only one of...
We need bold and ambitious solutions
Climate change is back on the political agenda and government must respond with radical new policies that achieve modal shift Stagecoach operates nine BYD ADL zero emission electric buses in Guildford We haven’t got long. The five warmest years on record have occurred in the last 10 years. The incidence of flooding, drought,...
We need to wake up to climate change
Our politicial leaders are under pressure to take action on climate change – and the public transport sector could also do much more Greta Thunberg’s recent travels around Europe have been by train They say that fact is stranger than fiction. Who would have dared write a story in which leading politicians of...
What do we really feel about the bus?
Do we fully understand how people respond to the experience of bus travel at a gut level? And how can we influence their emotions? There are so many points in a bus journey where you can feel stressed and vulnerable Most of the discourse on buses treats people as if they know...
A portal into the world of mobility
The smartphone experience is raising our expectations for comprehensive, yet targeted, regular information – and it’s influencing how we use transport These issues will only intensify with the pending arrival of autonomous shuttles Mobile phone penetration is currently at over 85% in the UK. Over 40% of UK adults look at their...
Clouds loom over London’s transport
After years of sunshine a chill wind developed in the air and it has begun raining down on the mayor and Transport for London Caroline Pidgeon’s solution is radical but in my view makes a lot of sense Once upon a time, not very long ago, everything in the garden looked rosy....
Bus schedulers – our true rockstars
They’re a vital cog in the UK’s public transport machine, and yet bus schedulers are rarely afforded the recognition they deserve By Tom Quay: Timetables are utilitarian. They serve a purpose. They provide structure and process to the bus networks they chart and confidence to the customers who use them. And yet, despite...
Boris Johnson has tricky transport to-do list