Integrated transport is the prize for bold mayors, says report

Delivering more integrated transport networks in six big cities will give 1.2 million more people an easier 30-minute journey to access the jobs and education opportunities in their major city centres, Centre for Cities estimates in a report published today

Transport is the wiring that allows urban economies to function. But this wiring is faulty in big UK cities outside of London. This presents a problem for a national government wanting to deliver growth across the country, and for mayors with bold sustainable travel and net zero ambitions.

Outside of London, poor transport connectivity means the UK’s big cities are smaller than their populations suggest. Previous Centre for Cities work found just 40 per cent of their residents can easily reach opportunities in city centres compared to 67 per cent in comparable European cities.

Delivering more integrated transport networks in six big cities will give 1.2 million more people an easier 30-minute journey to access the jobs and education opportunities in their major city centres, Centre for Cities estimates in a report published today.

From next year, metro mayors will gain extra powers to take control of their local bus services, manage urban road networks, and better integrate timetables and fares systems of their local bus, tram and metro services.

This analysis from Centre for Cities shows that, with more powers, we can go further and keep delivering cleaner, more accessible, joined-up services that serve our residents and businesses, and spread the benefits of economic growth

Full network integration – including integrated ticketing, better aligned timetables, and faster and more frequent buses – would bring European- and London-style public transport to England’s next six largest cities, with a combined population of 13.2 million (23 per cent of England’s total population).

But which interventions will have the most impact? Different steps towards integration will have different impacts for each city based on their existing transport networks and urban form.

The report's analysis is based on data from a tool that maps and quantifies the additional population that would be ‘well-connected’ to each city centre from different combinations of steps toward integration, for 30 or 45 minute journey times.

Delivering integrated transport would have several benefits, including:

• Increasing by 40 per cent the number of people who could access the city centres in the six big cities would boost national economic output by an estimated £17.4 billion per year.

• Integration of existing tram and bus services and reducing congestion on key bus routes in Birmingham means an additional 265,000 people could access the city centre within 30 minutes – the largest increase of all six cities.

• Better use of West Yorkshire’s existing public transport networks – including more frequent services on key bus routes – would provide 212,000 more people with an easy connection to Leeds city centre within 30 minutes – a 54 per cent increase.

The report recommends:

• Metro mayors prioritise the interventions that will have the biggest initial accessibility impacts.

• Government and metro mayors work together to increase the number of potential passengers by building more high-rise and mid-rise housing around transport stops.

• Metro mayors make car use less attractive for journeys to the city centre to encourage a shift from cars to public transport.

• Government supports metro mayors’ requests for further transport powers, such as control of local rail networks and the ability to charge a French-style payroll tax to top-up funding for local transport infrastructure.

Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said: "There are huge economic advantages to be achieved by making better use of big cities’ large existing public transport networks.

“Flagship Government legislation will soon give metro mayors powers over their local transport networks, giving them the opportunity to deliver what is taken for granted in many cities across Europe and London – an integrated transport system that allows people to move around their cities easily and effectively.

“Government should continue to deepen the powers that metro mayors have. Many European metro mayors have power to raise local taxes to support transport services, and the Government should explore how this could work in practice in England.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: "Greater Manchester is a pioneer of public transport. We’re the first city region in 40 years to take buses back under public control – showing how devolution and local leadership can make public transport cheaper, safer, and more reliable for everyone.

“But our ambitions don’t stop there. We’ve integrated ticketing and fares across buses and trams, and now we’re preparing to bring eight commuter rail lines into the Bee Network by 2028, creating a transport system fit for the global city region that is Greater Manchester.

“This analysis from Centre for Cities shows that, with more powers, we can go further and keep delivering cleaner, more accessible, joined-up services that serve our residents and businesses, and spread the benefits of economic growth.”