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Mobility Hubs 2025: Creating connections between people and places

Landor LINKS showcased the design, development and delivery of local travel points in Bristol and across the UK and in Europe

Mark Moran
03 November 2025
Meristem Design created this mobility hub for the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority at the UWE Grenchay Campus

 

Mobility hubs bring together a range of transport options and community facilities in a single, attractive place, making it easier for people to travel without using private cars.

Placed strategically on key travel corridors, they bring together established forms of transport such as walking, cycling, buses and shared cars, as well as bus and rail. Mobility hubs also encourage the uptake of new modes such electric scooters and cargo bikes. Well designed hubs can support communities by providing information on a locality and enhance the urban realm by offering safe and attractive spaces in which to sit, wait and meet.

Mobility Hubs 2025, hosted by Bristol City Council, looked at the practical realities of designing, developing and managing hubs. The event considered issues such as raising revenue, providing real-time data, electric vehicle charging as well as ensuring a safety, accessibility, and a positive user experience.

Through case studies, expert panels, and real-world examples, the 4th annual Landor LINKS Mobility Hubs event unpacked what makes a successful hub. Delegates were able to take part in a guided tour of multiple live mobility hub sites across Bristol. The tour showcased how the city is integrating shared transport, electric vehicle charging and improved public space. Insights into the implementation of the hubs were provided by the team from the West of England Combined Mayoral Authority and lead contractor Meristem Design. 

Vision for a connected city

Bristol City Council is planning a greener future
Bristol City Council has a vision of creating a well-connected city that enables people to move around efficiently with increased transport options that are accessible and inclusive, while also helping achieve net zero by 2030. Cllr Ed Plowden, portfolio holder for transport, explored how the city is working to address traffic congestion, improve air quality, a challenging bus market, high levels of car ownership and a need to provide more housing.

All these elements are in play in the city’s landmark Temple Meads regeneration project. The new Southern Gateway transport hub will see the creation of a standalone secure cycle building, new bus stops, improved walking and cycling routes, and a new multi-storey car park.

Cllr Plowden welcomed the work being done by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority to create a network of mobility hubs that connect bus and active travel options.  He also flagged up the benefits that could be achieved by better integrating the various travel apps that populate people’s mobile phones. 

Building a mobility network

The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s mobility hubs are live, reports Matthew Ledbury
Effective collaboration between partners is essential if networks of mobility hubs are to be successfully delivered. A network of ten mobility hubs has been developed

in the Bristol area on a 12-month trial basis. The first of these opened at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay campus in Stoke Gifford in November 2024. Development of the hubs has been led by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, and funded out of the £24m Future Transport Zone allocation that the authority received from the Department for Transport.

Amanda Edmondson, mobility hubs project manager at the combined authority, outlined the complexity of hub delivery. Stakeholders that had to be brought together included the combined authority, the relevant unitary authorities, landowners, community groups, consultancies, contractors and local artists, meaning that partnership working was essential from the start.

An additional challenge for the combined authority is that even though it is leading the development of the hubs, its powers are limited due to it not having transport responsibilities or owning any land.

“If you don’t own the land, building a relationship with the landowner is crucial,” she said. “Land ownership has to be clarified early to remove any sites with complexities. In some places it wasn’t clear who actually owned the site which restricted what could be delivered, and three of the proposed trial sites had to be dropped because of this issue.”

The conference heard that the Bristol trial features three different types of hubs. These include:

  • corridor hubs, which are focussed on bus stops on routes with a high frequency service
  • campus hubs at destination points that attract high numbers of trips such as universities
  • community hubs in local neighbourhood centres. 

One of the hubs also has the additional advantage of being sited next to Portway, an existing park & ride railway station.

Once the trial period for each of the hubs draws to a close, decisions on their longer-term future will be taken, based on monitoring and evaluation of their effectiveness. 

Some funding has already been allocated to create an extended maintenance fund for South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council to take the hubs on, although this will only last for three years and beyond this they will have to find new sources of funding to finance the hubs themselves.

A key feature of the hubs has been the consideration of their visual appeal. Meristem Design, a company that specialises in ‘urban greening’, has been responsible for designing and installing the hubs. A common feature is the use of modular design seating, with plants used to improve their attractiveness. 

Bristol-based artists have also been commissioned to create artworks to reflect the hub’s local identity, giving local communities the opportunity to shape their colour, look and feel.

Currently the hubs lack any car club vehicles, partly due to the lack of any revenue funding being available for them. Some commercial facilities are being developed though, with parcel lockers being introduced at some of the hubs.

Matthew Ledbury is a consultant on sustainable transport 

Green and pleasant places

Meristem Design is delivering mobility hubs
Meristem Design was the main contractor on the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority mobility hubs project. It designed, built and installed 10 hubs located around South Gloucestershire, across Bristol and at the University of the West of England.

Habib Khan, managing director for Meristem Design, explained how each hub offers features such as parklets and planters, bike storage, solar lighting, Wi-Fi, seating and defibrillators. Khan said: “The project supports a greener, more connected future for the West of England, setting a model for cities across the UK. By transforming how people move around the region, the mobility hubs offer convenient, integrated transport options that help reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.

“Local communities now have greater access to shared mobility services such as cycling and e-scooters, making it far easier to choose alternatives to private car use. This shift supports the region’s broader goals of achieving net zero carbon emissions.

The hubs also contribute to community well-being by improving the public realm with features like seating, greenery, and digital connectivity. These spaces foster a sense of place, providing comfortable and functional areas where people can meet, work, or relax. Local businesses benefit from increased foot traffic, while the hubs’ flexible design supports evolving community and commercial needs. Furthermore, by promoting active travel and improving accessibility, mobility hubs support healthier, more connected, and more vibrant neighbourhoods.

Design and delivery

Creating Local Travel Points in the West Midlands
Transport for West Midlands is creating a network of mobility hubs. The ‘Local Travel Points’ are being rolled out at key locations including high streets, rail and bus stations, housing developments and community centres. The scheme aims to ease transition between types of travel and encourage use of shared or active travel modes like cycling, walking, hire bikes and e-scooters. 

The main contractor on the Transport for West Midlands project is Trueform, a specialist in passenger transport systems such as bus shelters and digital wayfinding. Robert Davis, sustainable travel lead at Trueform, told delegates at Mobility Hubs: “Local Travel Points bring together a range of transport and community services in one attractive place.”

Each Local Travel Point offers a range of services, including: cycle hire; bike repair and storage; car clubs; electric vehicle charging; travel information; wayfinding; parcel lockers; and a canopied social space and seating.

The look of the Local Travel Points was developed by Trueform in collaboration with JedCo Product Design. Ed Griffiths, JedCo’s creative director, said the design process considered the way each element interacted with one another so as to create a modular, safe, well-lit and easily navigable system.

“In order to create a strong sense of locality Jedco began the project by visiting the site and undertaking research into local history and landmarks, with the intention of creating a distinct and recognisable visual language for the Local Travel Points,” he said.

“We created rendered impression visuals so the designs could attain approval and go through the public consultation processes. Once given the green light we then developed detailed manufacturing drawings, working closely with the manufacturers to ensure design intent was retained throughout.”

Reviewing the project’s impact, Trueform’s Robert Davis said the Local Travel Points have:

  • improved accessibility by bringing travel options closer to communities
  • encouraged sustainable transportation
  • promoted physical activity
  • enhanced connectivity by creating connection points between different modes
  • reduced traffic by promoting alternative modes of transport
  • fostered a sense of community engagement in a centralised location.

Painting a picture in real-time

BetaStreets is a system for visualising streetscapes
BetaStreets is a purpose-built software design platform that aims to transform the way people design streets and places. BetaStreets combines photos of the present with assets from a library of things to create a vision of the future of an urban space in a matter of minutes.

BetaStreets co-founders Jon Little and Andy Heather demonstrated how BetaStreets can be used to develop ideas for mobility hubs. Jon Little said: “BetaStreets lets you produce high-quality visualisations wherever you are working. The browser-based software can be used on a desktop, in design surgeries, at public events or even at the kerbside.”

BetaStreets Pro is available for subscription. BetaStreets is also available as a platform for local authorities, consultancies, campaigns and projects. Specialist versions have been used by the London Cycling Campaign, Lambeth Council, material suppliers and mobility providers.

Planning for the future

SLR Consulting champions a ‘vision-led’ approach
A ‘Vision-led Planning’ approach can identify placemaking and mobility interventions to realise desired outcomes of a new development, said Paul Curtis, director of transport and mobility planning at SLR Consulting. 

Vision-led transport planning is based on setting outcomes for a development based on achieving well-designed, sustainable and popular places, and providing transport solutions to deliver those solutions as opposed to predicting future demand to provide capacity – often referred to as ‘predict and provide’.

Curtis illustrated this approach with a project in Scotland. Following engagement with community groups and stakeholders, Dumfries & Galloway Council identified a need for several multi-functional mobility hubs to provide services including car and bike sharing, secure cycle parking, and EV charging for the use of residents and tourists. Some designs need to include solar panel canopies and battery storage, whilst others will also afford access to bus and logistics operators. 

Dumfries & Galloway Council required expert consultancy advice to appraise the optimal mobility hub components, bespoke for each site, as well as the precise locations to offer the maximum benefit to communities and encourage uptake. 

Curtis said: “The council appointed SLR, which deployed its mobility hub design team, which offers cross-sector competencies in: transport and mobility planning; architecture and design; and electrical engineering and grid connection.”

SLR conducted market engagement with shared mobility service and EV charging providers. It also confirmed suitable locations for the hubs and analysed grid connection options. The team then drafted layouts and illustrations of the hubs comprising the different components recommended for each site, as well as drawings showing access points.

Curtis said: “SLR’s report included a set of recommendations regarding the optimal hub components, locations, illustrations and drawings for Dumfries & Galloway. This has provided the client with the necessary evidence to proceed to the detailed design, planning and delivery stages. The hubs will ultimately provide residents and tourists with modern mobility services and assist the transition towards a low carbon economy.”

The case for investment 

Making the economic case for mobility hubs
England’s Economic Heartland is the sub-national transport body for the region stretching from Swindon and Oxfordshire across to Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Mobility hubs are places where public transport, active travel, and shared mobility converge, which is why EEH sees them as key to reducing car dependency, improving connectivity, and supporting sustainable growth. This is why EEH has published advice on how private sector investment in mobility hubs can be unlocked across the region. 

Trevor Brennan, EEH’s project lead, explained how the advise was developed in collaboration with KPMG and informed by a cross-sector workshop. The resulting Mobility Hubs: White Paper sets out practical steps to overcome barriers to delivery and scale up deployment of these vital transport nodes.

Brennan said: “The White Paper proposes a new delivery model based on aggregating sites into investable portfolios, monetising services such as electric vehicle charging and retail, and managing risk through long-term governance structures. It also introduces the concept of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to streamline delivery and reduce risk for both public and private partners.”

Mapping progress and potential

CoMoUK is championing the role of mobility hubs
Collaborative mobility charity CoMoUk has been working on hubs in depth since 2019. This spans publications including guidance and accreditation as well as supporting stakeholders interested in hubs and providing consultancy services to public authorities about hubs.

CoMoUK has developed an accreditation for mobility hubs which assesses them against six success factors: choice of sustainable modes; visibility and accessibility; ease of switching; safety; practical facilities; and visual, social and community appeal. The accreditation has different levels (bronze, silver, gold).

The charity has also created an online map of mobility hubs across Britain that shows operational and planned projects.

Will Airey, consultancy and research officer at CoMoUK, said that with growing public and political interest, now is the time to take stock and set direction. He said: “As mobility hubs gain in popularity across the UK, a clearer picture is emerging of where provision is flourishing, where gaps remain, and what’s needed to scale up with consistency and ambition.”  

The business of mobility

APCOA is creating an urban mobility hub portfolio
Parking operator APCOA has placed providing mobility hubs at the centre of its business. It defines an ‘Urban Mobility Hub’ as a community focal point that creates a principle point of access to multiple mobility modes as well as a range of community related services. Adam Richards, head of commercial asset management at APCOA, said that by promoting shared travel, mobility hubs enhance the international group’s sustainability credentials.

“The APCOA mobility hub journey began in 2023 when it launched a site in a car park in Carmarthen, South Wales,” he said.

The Carmarthen project saw a car park in the Welsh town transformed into a hub for urban logistics and the local community. The hub offers facilities to support for cars, bikes, mobility scooters, trains, buses and taxis, with an information screen displaying live departures of trains and buses in the area. The hub also provides seating, collection lockers, food and drink vending, and free Wi-Fi.

A number of companies have been attracted to the site since the mobility hub opened, including We Buy Any Car and an Autoglass Car Repair centre. “It is important that mobility hubs are financially sustainable,” said Richards.

This summer saw APCOA start operating the Ancoats Mobility Hub, a Manchester City Council project that combines a multi-storey car park with mobility services and additional facilities to serve the local community. The Ancoats regeneration scheme has seen derelict industrial land turned into a mixed-use development of homes, office space and retail and hospitality businesses. 

The Ancoats Mobility Hub is set to play a key part in the creation of a 1,500 home neighbourhood with low car dependency. As the neighbourhood will have largely parking free streets, the hub provides 406 spaces for residents and visitors. It also boasts a 150-strong secure bike parking facility, electric vehicle charging points, a car club including electric vehicles, a parcel delivery hub and spaces for a cycle repair shop and café. 

The structure’s green credentials include green walls and solar power. It also enhances the urban realm, and sits adjacent to green space and walking routes.

Creating accessible hubs

The Walk Wheel Trust wants to transform mobility
Disabled people are in danger of being further excluded in society if future changes to transport do not involve them and address their needs. To ensure transport is accessible, the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust is developing a new strategy which includes a focus on joining walking, wheeling and cycling with buses, trams and trains. Mobility hubs will play a key role in this strategy.

The trust’s Transforming Mobility project revealed that 81% of disabled people support the provision of a better experience when they are changing between different types of transport, Tim Burns, head of research at the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans), told delegates.

The Transforming Mobility research report includes the findings from Sustrans’ 2024 survey of 1,107 disabled people across the UK, carried out by More in Common. There were also workshops with disabled people in Birmingham, Edinburgh and Oxford. 

The researchers found that half (48%) of disabled people think that the government is not doing enough to ensure accessibility is a priority.

The Walk Wheel Trust report sets out five ways to improve transport connections for disabled people:

  • Legalise side road zebra crossings, which do not include beacons or zig-zag markings, to ensure they are quick to install and much cheaper.
  • Rebalance street space, prioritising through traffic on some roads while reducing it on others can improve speed and reliability for cars and buses. 65% of disabled people support local councils developing a framework for how streets should be used for different types of transport.
  • Reduce unnecessary parking to free up public space and declutter pavements. Only 22% of disabled people oppose reducing on-street visitor parking, excluding disabled bays.
  • Develop a network of ‘mobility hubs’ to seamlessly connect walking, wheeling and cycling with buses, trams and trains.
  • Set up paid access panels of disabled people to inform local transport policy and practice across the country following Scotland’s lead. 65% of disabled people support giving funding to local councils to create access panels to inform and shape transport plans and projects.

Tim Burns said: “We know that disabled people face greater barriers to getting around and accessing the things they need to live well while also wanting to travel more sustainably. The next ten years will see exciting changes in the way we move around our cities, as local authorities respond to the UK’s economic, health and environmental challenges with visionary transport plans. To be truly transformative, these plans need strong, local leadership who will put disabled people at their heart.”

More than just a car park

Q-Park is becoming a sustainable mobility provider
Car park operator Q-Park is aiming to develop its facilities into vital instruments to help realise urban accessibility, sustainability and liveability. Sacha Oerlemans, corporate sustainability, communications and brand manager at Q-Park, set out how the European parking group aims to develop its parking facilities into vital instruments to help realise urban accessibility, sustainability and liveability. Mobility hubs are a key aspect of Q-Park’s Integrated Mobility Vision. 

Q-Park mobility hubs integrate services including parking, EV charging, pre-booking and sharing. Besides offering parking , each mobility hub connects travellers with sustainable mobility partners offering alternative ways of getting around the city: public transport; car and bicycle sharing options (including rental); secure bicycle parking; charging points for electric cars and bicycles; and bicycle lockers. In parallel, Q-Park is also making space for click & collect lockers and storage units.

In its efforts, Q-Park looks at the specific needs of local residents and businesses as a starting point for initial discussions with councils and policymakers. As well as looking into accessibility and quality of life in the city, Q-Park considers educational, economic, social and safety standards, said Oerlemans.

“Instead of facilitating traffic, Q-Park aims to organise traffic differently. We want to eliminate unnecessary traffic searching for a place to park on the street. We help limit and facilitate efficient car journeys directly to the destination, using smart navigation and pre-booking options. We ensure that all kinds of vehicles can park in our parking facilities – cars, bicycles and scooters. And we provide sufficient EV charging points for electric vehicles.”

Travelling on the right track

The rail sector is interested in mobility hubs
Rail stations are key elements in the transport system. There are 2,585 railway stations on mainland Great Britain and they could play a major role in building connected and sustainable communities. Two key rail organisations addressed Mobility Hubs 2025: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the rail industry membership body; and advocacy group The Railway Industry Association (RIA).

Monica Bassan, the RDG’s policy manager, said from a customer’s standpoint integration should be logical so as to make trips as short and seamless as possible. “Integration means more than just physical connections,” said Bassan. “It’s about physical, information, and fare integration – making journeys seamless, logical, and accessible from end to end. The goal is to improve access, reduce duplication, and make public transport the natural choice.

“Making transport more ‘joined up’ requires breaking down barriers between different modes of transport. This can be achieved by enhancing physical infrastructure; by providing more frequent, better-aligned, higher-capacity, or faster services; or through an improved ticketing offer. However, the benefits of better joining up the transport network go beyond a smoother customer experience; providing fast, convenient, accessible public transport incentivises customers away from private, often more carbon-intensive modes into cleaner transport modes.”

The Railway Industry Association believes that train stations could be become intermodal hubs. The RIA commissioned consultant Steer to understand the commercial opportunities and asset challenges that might arise with the estate. Unlocking Station Potential: Delivery model exploration uses a portfolio of 11 stations in North Kent as a representative sample to understand the commercial realities for stations, the role they play in communities and their contributions to the network at large.

Some stations have low footfall and revenue potential, but still absorb material costs and resources. The report suggested leveraging those resources to realise value offers potential for investment in the wider estate. For example, many stations have surrounding land that can be released for home building.

Robert Cook, policy director at the RIA, said: “The research identified up to 110 stations as potential ‘inclusive intermodal hubs’ suitable for investment. The creation of Great British Railways and the ongoing move towards devolution presents an opportune moment to re-think and re-model how we invest in railway stations.” 

Reinventing the bus stop

East Lothian Council is working on transforming rural bus shelters into modular mobility hubs
Local authorities face challenges in designing transport infrastructure that effectively integrates different modes of transport, particularly in rural areas.

There is a need to bridge the ‘last-mile gap’ and encourage the use of sustainable transport options as an attractive gateway into the bus network and a modal interchange between walking, cycling and public transport while ensuring bus shelters meet the core needs of users, such as weather protection and accessibility.

The East Lothian Bus Shelter project is exploring the feasibility of transforming rural bus shelters into modular mobility hubs. It has developed design recommendations and guidance for local authorities to create more effective and user-friendly transport hubs that also promote placemaking. The project is part of the Transport Decarbonisation Demonstrators programme, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by Innovate UK. 

The project was managed by consultancy Cenex, with support from design consultant Quarterre. The key deliverables were a set of designs for innovative bus shelters with additional modular elements that can be ‘bolted on’. 

In addition, the project will produce estimated benefits of rolling out the shelters, looking at both likely emissions savings, and social benefits from the placemaking opportunity they present. These will be included in a guide for other local authorities on best practice.

Morag Haddow, transport policy officer, East Lothian Council, said: “Consultation took place with communities in Musselburgh, Tranent and Pencaitland in October to help understand users’ needs, and a follow-up exercise allowed groups and individuals to comment on the designs. Through stakeholder engagement, the project team produced final designs that provide a range of modules for all streetscapes that can be tailored to user needs like elderly and retired, commuters, young families and those with disabilities, including:

  • modular bench designs that allow larger installations to be easily created
  • a range of seating options
  • wayfinding to connect locations clearly
  • designs that encourage placemaking.

Bus Shelter Design Tool: Bus shelters can play a crucial role in enhancing the experience of bus users by providing protection from adverse weather conditions, ensuring adequate waiting areas meet demand, and promoting intermodal integration with other transportation modes such as cycling. Dominic Scholfield, mobility team leader at Cenex, said: “Standardised bus shelters are not always effective in addressing local needs. Therefore, to support local authorities in optimising bus shelter designs, the study team developed a tool that identifies site-specific parameters and design priorities. This tool generates a list of ordered design recommendations, helping to set priorities for more effective and user-friendly bus shelters.”

Moving House: Moving House is an intelligent, modular system of bus shelters and street furniture developed with residents, community groups and council policy makers. “Moving House is a practical and flexible system that enables better placemaking for communities,” said Clive Hartley, founder of Quarterre Studio. “Our aim was to create a holistic solution that served the wide range of views of the many different public transport users we spoke to. These inputs formed the foundation of our concepts that spoke to this ‘spectrum of desires’, and fed into the family of products that can be used in many ways to provide vital transport infrastructure and – at the same time – enhance the public realm.”

A rural role for mobility hubs

An interactive game explored rural mobility issues
A role-playing workshop was one of the highlights of Mobility Hubs 2025. Designing and operating rural mobility hubs was a gamified, hands-on workshop in which participants took on the roles of key stakeholders working to design an integrated rural mobility network for a fictional region. The game was led by Dominic Scholfield, team leader at Cenex, working with Simon Barnett, Suffolk County Council’s integrated transport and enhanced partnership manager.

Each table became a local taskforce, tasked with solving access challenges, coordinating multiple transport modes, and deciding where and how to deploy mobility hubs as interchange points. Armed with maps and role cards, players negotiated priorities, balanced trade-offs, and found creative solutions to support rural connectivity, accessibility and decarbonisation goals.

What do people really want?

Kirklees Council is analysing public attitudes
Kirklees is a metropolitan district in the West Yorkshire City Region that borders the cities of Leeds and Bradford, and the boroughs of Wakefield and Calderdale. While Kirklees is in many ways at the crossroads for many road and rail routes, the rural nature of the district, its hilly topography and the cost of rail connections have proven barriers to many of its citizens being able to access job opportunities in Leeds, Manchester and York.

However, there is an optimism that projects such as the £11bn Transpennine Route Update (TRU) and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Mass Transit scheme will provide more reliable and affordable commuter routes.

Kirklees Council is working with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to discuss future-proofing these with spaces for mobility hubs in the context of these projects, said Rory Davis, Kirklees’ transport strategy and policy team manager.

“In West Yorkshire mobility hubs are to be known as ‘Shared Transport Hubs’, partly due to the confusion with the term ‘mobility’ and connotations of disability and accessible mobility aids such as Shopmobility and Motability. 

“Shared Transport Hubs aim to make journeys seamless – with improved facilities at key locations, including improved bus stops with real-time information, better waiting environment, improved cycle parking, better drop off facilities, parking for electric vehicles, bike and car clubs.”

Kirklees Council has been working to understand the how mobility hubs can meet residents’ travel needs and on the views of transport operators and delivery stakeholders. Kirklees commissioned the Future Mobility Centre at the University of Huddersfield to conduct people-centred research into mobility hubs. Dr

Alexandros Nikitas and his team’s work on unpicking the definitions, challenges and opportunities of bring forward mobility hubs found more than 16 definitions for hubs, explored worldwide case study precedents and explored opportunities and challenges – challenges included maintenance, lack of public demand and safety., opportunities included mode shift, community cohesion and economic development.

The University of Huddersfield team surveyed more than 500 people and undertaking focus groups with underrepresented groups and industry stakeholders such as rail company representatives and bus station managers.

When surveyed, more than three-quarters of the public hadn’t heard of a mobility hub. However, when the concept was explained to them: more than two-thirds were supportive of hubs as a beneficial addition; useful in terms of supporting sustainable travel by serving those without a car; and as helping to reduce congestion.

When asked what they would like to see in a hub, people rated non-transport facilities as the top seven functions: toilets; waiting areas; free Wi-Fi; shelter; cafés; information kiosks; and lockers.

Rory Davis reflected: “As transport professionals, we often get most excited about the transport, the apps, the branding and what might suit the transport business case. When looking at the wider benefits, we can reflect on how some of these aims might differ from the public’s responses. 

“The fact that cost heavy infrastructure and staffing are some of the most highly rated responses is food for thought. But when asked what would encourage people to use a hub, many of the fundamentals around the transport sector came out on top – convenient locations, cheap fares, amenities, more modes, routes and better timetables were the main responses.” 

Endpiece: Challenges and opportunities

Robin Tyne looks to the future of mobility hubs
As mobility hubs become embedded in the transport landscape, attention turns to how they operate day to day, how they serve diverse users, and how they can adapt to evolving community needs. It was great to be at the 2025 Landor LINKS’ Mobility Hubs conference in Bristol. I enjoyed being on the closing panel chaired by Dominic Scholfield FCILT, discussing where mobility hubs go next.

Some reflections from the debate:

  • The term ‘mobility hub’ is still not a universally agreed concept, nor is it well-understood by the public, but in some ways that doesn’t matter (at least not yet). Projects such as the West of England Combined Mayoral Authority hubs are ‘showing, not telling’ what a mobility hub could be: spaces that make it easier to take journeys involving different types of sustainable transport.
  • As more mobility hubs are built in the UK, some projects will move to a monitoring and evaluation phase. This should provide an evidence base for hubs in terms of what works and what doesn’t. Although as some speakers throughout the day noted, transport integration is not a new idea. Mobility hubs simply go a step further than many transport interchanges of old by thinking about integration more holistically.
  • There was some discussion around CoMoUK’s mobility hubs standards. In the absence of any guidance from any of the UK’s national governments, CoMoUK’s standards are important and prevent the concept of mobility hubs being diluted to the point where it is meaningless. 
  • However, there were fair questions over applying the framework to rural settings where shared transport modes – particularly shared micromobility – are less viable than in urban areas. The debate also points to some of the wider challenges we have in the UK in providing decent public transport in rural areas – a mobility hub can’t make up for the lack of a reliable bus service.

No doubt these discussions will continue to evolve, and given the developments on the ground since last year’s conference, I’m looking forward to seeing more progress in a year’s time at Mobility Hubs 2026.

Credit to Mark Moran and the Landor LINKS team for programming and running a really useful conference.

Robin Tyne is a researcher and consultant on sustainable transport 

Mobility Hubs 2026

Landor LINKS is planning Mobility Hubs 2026 
To find out more email Jason Conboy on jason@landor.co.uk
www.mobilityhubs.uk
 

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