A new guide packed with useful information about the Mini-Hollands and Liveable Neighbourhoods programmes has been published. The 64-page guide, published by Landor LINKS in partnership with Transport for London, includes a round-up of all the Liveable Neighbourhoods projects being developed across the capital. Building on the success of Mini-Hollands, the Liveable Neighbourhoods Programme will use the Healthy Streets Approach to deliver attractive, healthy, accessible and safe neighbourhoods.

The Annual Survey of Mobility as a Service is now in its third year. Whatever your work in transport, either as a planner, providing public transport, bike share, car hire, leasing, payments, operational support, TRANStech please complete the survey to gauge how MaaS – and our hopes and fears for it – are developing. Take part in the survey today Last year we had more interest from the automotive sector than public transport – but there are developments coming through now whi

Corethree, Europe’s leading mobile ticketing and data insights provider, today (21 May 2019) announced that it has reached an unprecedented milestone of one hundred million mobile tickets sold on behalf of its transport operator partners; testament to the growing popularity of mobile ticketing technologies and how m-tickets are becoming the default choice for consumers to travel and experience the smart city.  Corethree provides m-ticketing and cutting-edge data insights to some of

Aimsun has a long working history with TfL, and its software is already licensed to TfL through the city’s Strategic Modelling Framework and the Operational Modelling Frameworks, which were put in place back in 2015 and recently extended to 2020. The idea behind this current project is not only to consolidate existing models into an integrated, multi-level platform for modelling the city’s transport — with all the efficiency, consistency and cost reduction that this implies &m

Immense Simulations, the intelligent mobility software provider, today announced that it has secured $4.6m in Series A funding. The investment will aid the continued growth and development of its AI-driven ‘Simulation as a Service’ platform, which is disrupting traditional transportation modelling. The Series A funding was co-led by global technology investor, Amadeus Capital Partners, one of Europe’s most active AI investors according to Pitchbook, and Global Brain Corporatio

We’re seeing these developments on the ground now, changing the way people travel. Sometimes it’s trial on a small scale with local introductions of new services across a limited area. The flexible on demand driven bus service in launched by Arriva started in an area of Sittingbourne just 4 miles wide and 6 miles long. A single bus route converted by TransDev to ‘pay for how far you travel’ measured by Bluetooth beacons. One Royal Mail depot trialling electric cargo trike

Transport for New Homes is asking transport and housing practitioners to help it develop a checklist for avoiding car-dependency in new housing developments. It aims to outline the the various elements that make up a good housing development. Some are obvious: the development should have easy access to direct and frequent bus routes, for instance. Others are often forgotten: cycle routes should not end at the site boundary but should join up with a wider network. Homes should have secure, e

It’s clear that the auto industry has its sights on shared mobility, but in a model that is much closer to Uber and Lyft’s taxi-alternative than true co-mobility or shared modes such as Uber Pool or Lyft Line, which connect potential clients with other passengers with the same route or location. BMW and Daimler have launched a combined car-sharing venture called  ‘Jurbey’ and, under the terms of their deal, reports Automotive News, which includes Daimler's Car2Go and

Local authorities can radically improve their transport system by increasing the use of shared modes, especially active ones, but need operational and regulatory guidance. CoMoUK is supporting local authorities by bringing together stakeholders, including the DfT, to help deliver shared mobility goals, a process that will kick off at the Shared Transport Masterclass in Leicester on 22 February Cities in the UK are on the precipice of an upcoming revolution in the way we provide transport. The p

Zipcar, a company that helped define the sharing economy, has released the findings of its 2018 Impact Report. For the first time, the report comprehensively captures key findings gathered over Zipcar’s eighteen years of mobility leadership. The findings, combined with objective third-party research, offer tangible evidence that car sharing continues to provide both members, and the cities they live in, with significant and distinct social and environmental benefits, at a time when new mob

The government has awarded more than £6 million to support ultra-low emission taxis right across the country, furthering its ambition for a zero emission future. The funding will see almost 300 rapid chargepoints and 46 fast chargepoints installed for ultra-low emission taxis in 17 local authorities, including in Greater Manchester, Brighton and Hove, Leicester and the north east. This announcement marks another milestone in the delivery of the government’s Road to Zero strateg

Shared mobility modes have great potential to address congestion and poor air quality challenges, but the practical delivery of an integrated shared mobility strategy is complex. The Shared Transport Masterclass on February 22 will bring together operators, local authorities and potential mobility users to take the first steps in creating a practical framework, based on 'mobility pledges', that can guide the set-up for successful shared mobility. The mobility pledges are rooted in work tha

EU partners will continue to work over the next three years to raise the profile of shared transport solutions as part of the SHARE-North project. Speakers from project members CoMoUK and SHARE-North will be speaking at the Shared Transport Masterclass on February 22 in Leicester. The aim of the SHARE-North project is to develop, implement, promote and assess shared transport options such as car clubs, bike share, ride sharing and other shared transport options. CoMoUK will focus on engagi

Since Bolloré’s pioneering Autolib car share service pulled out of Paris last year, Daimler’s Car2Go has delivered on its plan to offer 400 electric cars for free-floating sharing across the French capital. The service is simple: all you need is the app to grab a car2go anywhere in the home area of Paris. Parking is free in the designated zone.  More cars are to follow over the course of this year, says Car2Go's CEO Olivier Reppert, who considers Paris an ideal ground fo

HERE Mobility, the mobility unit of HERE Technologies, has announced the launch of their new all-in-one mobility app. Just as platforms like LinkedIn, Airbnb, and Facebook have leveraged social connectivity,?SoMo (based on Social Mobility),?taps into the power of social networks to reimagine the future of transportation. SoMo?merges mobility and sociability and enables users to plan, share, and ride in a way that’s simple, hassle-free, and?good for the planet. SoMo is a first-of-its-kind m

Transport for London has reformed the incentives for taxi drivers to acquire low or zero emission vehicles, after the original system failed to attract significant interest.   TfL is inviting applications to: • an enhanced delicensing fund for drivers to trade-in older vehicles, providing £10,000 for the first 250 applications and then tiered payment levels at significantly higher levels than the current scheme; and • a £2.5m fund to help drivers of newer Euro 5 tax

Transport for the North (TfN) is on course to deliver a smart card for rail solution across the region by December 2018, said Alastair Richards, Programme Director, Smart and Integrated Travel, TfN, speaking at Smarter Travel LIVE! 2018 last week. This is part of a nationwide programme to roll out smart ticketing for all rail travel in the country, he addded. Phase 2, from 2019, will focus on customer information, collaboration and innovation, including enhanced information on bus fares, planned

Drivers’ dependency on the car has jumped in the last year, with third (33%) of motorists – the equivalent to 13.2m – saying they are more reliant on their cars now than 12 months earlier, compared to just 27% in 2017, reveals research conducted by the RAC. The motoring association's annual Report on Motoring is based on a representative survey of 1,808 motorists. Data from the study of motoring trends, now in its 30th year, shows car dependency had been dropping steadily sin

Opening this month, Edinburgh's Your Bike cycle hire scheme is using innovative 'hybrid lock' technology that supports a network of 'virtual' geo-fenced bike parking stations along with physical stations. It's about bringing a planned and integrated approach with new facilities and solutions for cities so that the private car is no longer first choice, says Matt McNulty, urban mobility director for Serco and Your Bike The Your Bike scheme in Edinburgh, to be known as ‘Just Eat Cycles&rsqu

Researchers have published a comprehensive report on private- and public-sector big data policies affecting transport in EU countries and abroad. The travel behaviours and transport preferences of city dwellers are changing. Transport researchers and policymakers are therefore faced with numerous challenges as they strive to create efficient, safe and sustainable transportation systems, notes CORDIS, the EU Research and innovation news service. In order to address these issues, the EU

Now in its 3rd year, the Awards will showcase the ways in whiich people's lives are being improved through cost-effective, clean and integrated transport provision across towns and cities. These awards celebrate both the positive impact that smarter travel projects can deliver, and the professionals who lead them. Whoever you are, whatever your project or service, everyone has a chance of winning a Smarter Travel Award. You don’t have to have the biggest budgets, the sexiest product or th

According to recent statistics produced by the Department for Transport, bus service use in England is in decline. Although bus use per person has increased significantly in London over the last 25 years (+52%), it has fallen by 40 per cent in many other English metropolitan areas. Along with London, Liverpool City Region is a proud exception to the rule. As a result of the introduction of a range of customer-focused improvements, including on board Wi-fi and USB charging points, the number of f

ArrivaClick is an on-demand minibus service that takes multiple passengers heading in the same direction and books them on a shared vehicle, with the aim of tackling air quality issues and congestion. Enabling people to move out of private cars with the offer of convenient and comfortable shared journeys is a key driver for the project. ArrivaClick in Liverpool will become operational later in the summer. There are no fixed routes, with journeys determined by where passengers want to go wit

Painting a picture of the changing use of our transport system is not easy. A picture composed only of averages or aggregate change amounts to clumsy brush strokes. The finer detail in the picture comes from the artist’s ability to reflect the diversity of components of change – the distributions from which the averages arise. The Department for Transport's latest statistical release, 'Road Traffic Estimates: Great Britain 2017'  attempts to paint a picture, including fine

Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, and Nathalie Nicholas, the Combined Authority’s recently-appointed Deputy Portfolio Holder for Transport and Air Quality, represented the city region during June at a National Clean Air Summit convened by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, UK100 and IPPR. The idea is a simple one, says The Independent: ‘Get people from across the UK in the same room, from a local level all the way up to the corridors of Whitehall, to see what can be do

Most of us played with Lego as children, but I was more likely to leave lines of toy cars around the house, which is somewhat ironic given my current line of work. But I still play with Lego today, as I tidy up my children's efforts when they’re not looking. But I think the two are linked in my line of work.  I like to imagine transport models in a similar way: a number of blocks that are interconnected to produce a replica of how people and goods move around our real cities. All the

A trial taxi feeder for bus services has been launched in north Bristol.  Bus operator First West of England has teamed up with Bristol-based technology start-up Esoterix Systems to deliver the taxi service, branded MyFirstMile. CityFox is providing the taxi service under a hackney taxi licence using eight-seater cabs. The trial service, which will run to the end of September, operates from 06:00-10:30 for outbound trips, and 15:00-20:00 for return trips  on weekdays, excluding bank

CAVs and MaaS will radically change the mobility landscape of the next decade. But they are not 'easy to deploy' silver bullets. The future of modelling and policy making looks set to get very interesting, says Luis Willumsen, Director, Kineo Mobility Analytics Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) have been proposed as game changers in transport in the next decade. Indeed, the combination of both, a MaaS system using CAVs, will probably reduce costs by half

Transport for London taxi and private hire (TPH) compliance officers have been granted new powers by the Metropolitan Police to carry out road stops without the need for a police presence.  The new powers will enable more enforcement against illegal and non-compliant activity to be carried out, thus improving the safety of taxi and private hire passengers while freeing up police resources. Some 109 TfL’s TPH compliance officers are being trained with powers to stop any TPH vehicle f

Brighton & Hove City Council’s licensing panel has refused to renew Uber Britannia Ltd’s private hire operator licence.  The unanimous decision was taken as members were not satisfied that Uber was a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold an operator’s licence under the terms of Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the council’s licensing objectives.  In a letter to the company, chair of licensing Jackie O’Quinn sets out the

As a major supermarket joins the trend for using electric cargo bikes for its delivery services, changes in general travel trends need much more careful scrutiny, say researchers. Increases in levels of home deliveries, and the rapid growth in light van traffic, for example, are poorly understood. In April this year, Sainsbury’s began its innovative new trial of grocery delivery services by electric cargo bike. A fleet of five zero emission bikes is making deliveries across South London,

Uber has launched a free to access web-based database of road journey time data for London based on aggregated Uber journeys. Uber Movement for London does not provide information about Ubers’ movements around London. Rather it is a database of aggregate journey time data, which does not reveal how many trips have been aggregated in order to answer your query. That aside, the tool gives access to travel times between areas for selected dates (since 2016) and the ability to compare those

Jon Orcutt, director of communications and advocacy at Transit Center, NYC, talks to Transport Xtra about the need for NYC's proposed congestion charging policy and why Uber and Lyft are currently a menace to the city. Jon talked with Andy Salkeld, Leicester City Council Transit Center is a national Foundation dedicated to improving public transit. We are based in New York City, specifically in Lower Manhattan, and were closely involved with the major positive changes that took place under th

The Campaign for Better Transport has announced it is looking to appoint a new chief executive office to replace Stephen Joseph, who will be stepping down at the end of Autumn. Joseph was appointed executive director of Transport 2000 in 1988, the same year Michael Palin was appointed President, and received an OBE in 1996 for services to transport and the environment. Transport 2000 changed its name to Campaign for Better Transport in 2007. During his 30-year tenure with the charity, Joseph

Following its trial of bus services in London last year, travel app Citymapper has finally launched what it terms ‘The Responsive Network: a  solution for dynamic shared transportation in cities’. The service is live in London, and is know as ‘Smart Ride’, and is already available via the apps. Writing in a post on medium, Citymapper declares that they ‘design a network, not a route’. ‘Unlike traditional buses that are tied to a route, our veh

Following entrance to multiple markets in the United States, Chariot  is launching its daily commuter shuttle service in London, to 'make getting around the city easier'. Chariot London is the latest of Ford’s European initiatives, accelerating the development of its smart mobility technologies. Throughout 2018, Ford will be trialling a 20-strong fleet of plug-in hybrid Transit Custom vans in the UK capital as part of the “Cleaner Air for London" initiative supported by Tra

Modelling World is the UK & Europe's longest running, best-attended and biggest annual exhibition and conference for transport and pedestrian modelling professionals.  This must-attend annual fixture is the highlight of the modelling calendar and attracts more than 300 attendees each year.  The 13th Annual Modelling World Conference & Exhibition for data and modelling professionals will return to its roots in Birmingham on Wednesday 6 June at Edgbaston Cricket Ground

The Cooperative Automotive Research Network (CARNET)* has implemented a cutting-edge simulation environment for the Barcelona Metropolitan Area in the form of The Virtual Mobility Lab. The aim of the lab is to show how it can analyse and assess the impact of smart mobility projects in Barcelona, and how the results can be extrapolated before the implementation of a pilot test. The new model will support those who make decisions on mobility policies, transport operators and new companies that are

Young adults in Great Britain and other countries are driving less now than young adults did in the early 1990s. The Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned the Centre for Transport and Society (UWE, Bristol) and the Transport Studies Unit (University of Oxford) to carry out a systematic assessment of available evidence on the subject, both by review of UK and overseas published literature, and by new secondary analysis of existing UK data sets. The study sought to address the questions:

A new report from the MaasLab at UCL, commissioned by TfL, provides insights about Londoners’ attitudes towards car-ownership, shared mobility services and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as well as an impact assessment about a potential introduction of MaaS in the city. Londoners’ attitudes towards car-ownership and Mobility-as-a-Service: Impact assessment and opportunities that lie ahead is available online.  According to the report, at least 35% of regular car users stated that

Proposals to improve the transport interchange in Bradford city centre have been approved by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee.  Phase 1 of the project – to carry out short to medium terms works – would include a new pedestrianised station frontage, improved station concourses, better inter-modal links and re-location of taxi and drop-off facilities.  The £5.65m scheme would be funded by the West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund, although the a

Councillors in York have rejected Uber’s application to renew its private hire operator’s licence – against the advice of officers.  Uber began operating in the city in 2016 and was granted a one-year licence renewal in December 2016.  Licensing manager Lesley Cooke told the council’s gambling, licensing and regulatory committee last month that the council had received complaints about Uber vehicles and drivers licensed by other authorities  working in th

Passengers in Boston’s Seaport district were able to experience self-driving rides on the Lyft network in nuTonomy vehicles from this week, announced nuTonomy. Earlier this year, nuTonomy and Lyft announced a partnership focused on bringing nuTonomy vehicles to the Lyft network in Boston. As the pilot progresses, select Boston passengers in Seaport area will be matched with nuTonomy self-driving vehicles when they request rides through the Lyft app. Our partnership with Lyft has two goals

A fleet of 500 all-electric Renault ZOEs will be arriving in Madrid this month to join new car-sharing scheme ZITY, the result of a cooperation between Renault and urban services operator Ferrovial. Madrid has the highest rate of daily car-sharing in Europe due to the city’s size, population, traffic problems and air pollution issues. This new car-sharing scheme covers a wide area of the Spanish capital, with vehicles provided to customers in the right place at the right time via a smartp

Such has been the rapid and pervasive growth of the ride-hailing app Uber that the word ‘Uberisation’ has entered the language as a shorthand expression for a distinctive mix of operational and working practices. Although the Uber smartphone app forms the technological basis for the company’s business, it is its ambitious and relentless worldwide growth, driven by its co-founder and former chief executive Travis Kalanick, which is the trademark feature of this Silicon Valley di

Jonny Goldstone, co-founder of London’s Green Tomato Cars, has returned to the company as managing director at what he calls a pivotal time in the capital’s private hire market. Green Tomato Cars seeks to provide an environmentally-friendly private transport services. Goldstone plans include upgrading the fleet to exclusively zero emissions and hybrid vehicles by the end of 2018. Other changes include an upgraded website with easy, secure booking from the home page and a simplified

The government hopes that its Industrial Strategy will place the UK at the forefront of development of autonomous vehicles (AVs), artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative approaches to shared mobility services. The draft Industrial Strategy, titled “Building a Britain Fit for the Future”, outlines how the government intends to boost businesses and worker productivity through investment in the skills, industries and infrastructure of the future. The White Paper confirms governmen

Uber is to buy thousands of self-driving vehicles from Volvo between 2019 and 2021. Last year, Uber commenced testing prototypes made by Volvo in the US. The new non-exclusive agreement will see Volvo provide Uber with up to 24,000 of XC90 SUVs, which will serve as Uber’s autonomous driving-compatible base vehicles. Volvo says the vehicles incorporate all the necessary safety, redundancy and core autonomous-driving technologies that are required for Uber to add its own self-driving techn

Replacing private car traffic with new shared mobility services in urban areas can dramatically reduce the number of cars needed, significantly cut CO2 emissions and free public land for uses other than parking – without making it more difficult for users to get from door to door. This latest report from the International Transport Forum at the OECD, presented at Smarter Travel LIVE!, examines how the optimised use of new on-demand shared transport modes could change the future of mobilit

A new set of road use rules devised specifically for London is among the ideas proposed by an independent commission studying ways of making the capital’s highways work more efficiently. A ‘Movement Code’ is one of a series of policies proposed by the Commission on the Future of London’s Roads and Streets, convened by the Centre for London think-tank with the aim of developing new thinking on what can be done to manage the conflicting pressures on the capital's surface t

The first electric black cabs are now being driven on the streets of London as they enter the final phase of testing ahead of the January 2018 deadline for all newly licensed taxis to be zero emission capable. The electric taxis have been developed by the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEV), which was formerly known as the London Taxi Company. The test fleet drivers are

Smarter Travel LIVE! 2017 offers an expertly-crafted overview of need-to know people, initiatives, products and services – all in one place Resources are squeezed, time is precious and expectations upon local authorities and transport professionals increase.  The travelling public assumes that everything about their travel experience can, and should be, improved through the smart (and positive) implementation of technological innovation.  But is it really that easy? The t

The Department for Transport has this week published its Summary Report on the Impacts of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), which indicates that the Fund successfully supported projects that reduced car use, increased walking and cycling levels, boosted bus patronage, supported local economies and cut carbon emissions. Published figures suggest that LSTF investments 'achieved high value for money', says the report. In 2011, the Department launched the £540 million LSTF to i

Propelmee, an autonomous mobility software provider with specialist expertise in perception, will unveil its last mile delivery pod ‘Go4’ at the Smarter Travel show in Milton Keynes on 19 & 20 October. ‘Go4’ will appear on the ‘Street of the Future’ showcasing the first demonstration platform of Propelmee’s unique and highly robust autonomous mobility capabilities. ‘Go4’ will go live in a public demo in Cambridge later this year as a foot

More than 300 delegates attended Healthy Streets at Walthamstow Assembly Hall last week to explore the connections between public health and transport strategies. The event, organised by Landor LINKS and hosted by Waltham Forest Council, brought together council officers, urban designers, public health specialists, transport planners, consultants, academics, equipment developers, innovators and campaigners. The programme encompassed health-led street design, re-allocation of road space, behavio

Media pundits were fairly evenly split on Transport for London’s decision to suspend ‘ride-hailing’ smartphone app platform Uber’s London operations once its current private hire licence expires on 30 September. Among those to support the ban was Toby Moses, an assistant opinion editor at The Guardian. “Uber is cheap, convenient and by and large safe,” he began. “But it has serious flaws too. No company deserves a free pass just because it’s popul

Underneath two big recent transport headlines sits a common story that points to changes in transport supply and demand that are evidence of emerging new norms for mobility. In a previous Mobility Matters column I reflected on the inadequacies of current regulation on new mobility, so let’s have a look at the current woes of community transport and Uber from a mobility perspective.  The challenge to community transport (CT) operators about whether they can undertake commercial work w

The future of app-based private hire platform Uber in London will be decided by the courts following Transport for London’s decision not to renew Uber’s licence from the end of this month.  TfL said it had concluded that Uber London Limited was “not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence”, having identified a number of issues “that have potential public safety and security implications” including: • Its approach to reporting serious

Uber London has lost its licence to provide minicab services after Transport for London (TfL) decided the ride-hailing app operator is not "fit and proper" to hold a private hire operator licence. This morning TfL announced that Uber would not be issued with a private hire operator licence after expiry of its current licence on 30 September.  Uber has signalled its intention to appeal the decision. In a statement, Uber said: "Transport for London and the mayor have caved in to a small

With less than six weeks to go before Smarter Travel LIVE! on 19 and 20 October, this year’s Smarter Travel LIVE! event is bringing together the widest ever range of key players to spark dialogue and debate. The convergence of digital technology with the travel and transport sector is catalysing the most radical and sophisticated possibilities in decades, and Smarter Travel LIVE! is the place to be for those who need to be engaged in what is happening across the UK and beyond. Such rapid

Taxi regulations need to be updated to reflect new technology, help reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation and create a level playing field for drivers, says the Local Government Association (LGA). This is in light of the proliferation of app-based taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) companies and increased cross-border hiring. Taxi and private hire legislation, much of which dates

The Healthy Streets conference, exhibition and awards will take place on Thursday 28 September at The Assembly Hall in Walthamstow, London. Anyone involved in the planning and provision of Healthy Streets should not miss out on this major industry event where the leading influencers, policy-makers and budget holders will meet, network and discuss the implications of the Mayor's draft Transport Strategy (MTS).   Healthy Streets is at the top of the policy agenda and will have implications

A modified version of Uber's internal demand and usage data has been made available after getting feedback from city transport authorities that "access to our aggregated data will inform decisions to adapt infrastructure to make our cities more efficient". Uber emphasised that "Uber Movement" preserved the privacy of riders and drivers by anonymising the data, with full details outlined in a methodology white paper and said that data on origins and destinations was available under a Creati

Britain’s community transport sector faces a huge shake-up following the DfT’s announcement that operators must hold a public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence if bidding for work from local authorities. The decision affects the issue and use of Section 19 and Section 22 (of the Transport Act 1985) permits. Section 19 permits are issued to organisations that operate vehicles to transport their members, or people whom the organisation exists to help. Section 22 permits c

Local authorities across the UK were this week digesting the implications of new DfT advice that community transport organisations must possess a public service vehicle (PSV) operator’s licence if they want to bid for council contracts.  Huge number of contracts across the country have been awarded through competitive tenders to community transport groups who do not possess an operator’s licence. Until now, the Government’s advice has been that they do not need to possess

The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the licensing system for taxi and private hire vehicles (PHVs). As LTT reported last month, the Government proposes a single tier regime to deal with taxis and PHVs in the same way. It says the distinction between taxis and PHVs is perhaps more understood in London than elsewhere. The Law Commission’s 2014 report on taxi and PHV licensing in England and Wales considered the case for treating taxis and PHVs under the

The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has announced that Paul Campion has been appointed as chief executive officer.  Campion joins the TSC from his position leading IBM’s Global Financing in the UK and Ireland. IBM Global Financing is an IT financing house that helps IBM’s clients and partners optimise the financial cases for their IT transformations. He has previously worked in a variety of technical, marketing and sales operational leadership roles for IBM, both in the UK an

The Welsh Government is proposing to introduce common regulations for taxis and private hire vehicles after it receives powers over the sector next year, through the Wales Act 2017. It will also seek to protect drivers from “exploitation” under modern working practices. Infrastructure secretary Ken Skates said a Law Commission report on the subject, published in 2014, made 84 recommendations but the UK Government had still not responded. Therefore he would press ahead with Welsh ref

Uber and other app-based ride services have led to a big increase in road traffic in New York and appear to be attracting passengers away from public transport and taxis, according to a new report.   The analysis by Bruce Schaller, of Schaller Consulting, says that Uber and other app-based ride services – he describes them as transportation network companies (TNCs) – caused a net increase of 600 million vehicle miles over three years.  His report conveys a strikingly diff

App-based private hire company Uber complements urban public transport and can help reduce private car trips in cities, a senior company official said last week.  The message was given by Fred Jones, Uber’s head of cities in the UK and Ireland, delivering the latest in the University of West of England’s Bristol Distinguished Address Series.  Uber’s website now lists 20 operating areas in the UK and there is emerging evidence that  its operations may pose a thr

The London Taxi Company (LTC) has opened the UK’s first car plant dedicated solely to the production of range-extended electric vehicles in Coventry. LTC has invested more than £300m in the new site at Ansty, which has the capacity to build more than 20,000 vehicles per year. The vehicle retains the styling and key features of a London taxi such as being wheelchair accessible and having a high level of manoeuvrability whilst incorporating new features like a larger cabin a

Nissan has joined 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), a network pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation that seeks to help cities accommodate and benefit from physical, social, and economic challenges. Nissan and 100RC will work with cities lay the groundwork for autonomous drive, electric vehicles and new mobility services. Nissan chairman and chief executive Officer Carlos Ghosn announced the partnership at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Ghosn told delegates that

Buses and taxis are to be banned from a busy shopping street in Oxford city centre on safety grounds.  Oxfordshire’s cabinet has approved plans for an experimental traffic regulation order (TRO) to close Queen Street to buses and taxis in time for the opening of the adjacent Westgate shopping centre this autumn. The future of cycling in the street is also to be reviewed.  Queen Street is already busy with pedestrians and footfall is expected to grow dramatically when Westgate o

In thinking about tomorrow’s world, it is important to separate out the modelling required in operating such a future, recognising quite different levels of automation and connectivity, data and information flows, pricing and control mechanisms; as opposed to the modelling required to forecast what such futures may look like, and supporting decision-making today.  In that context it may be useful to separate out four quadrants in the modelling vs time range. Modelling Today's World

Says Tom van Vuren: It was of course inevitable – that our Modelling World family would at some point also include Tomorrow’s World. And although we tend to peek into the future in our traditional Modelling World events, this new conference in the series is an opportunity to bring in new perspectives from organisations and players not immediately involved in delivery of modelling, data and visualisation in today’s world. 

It's not difficult to agree with the statement that existing modelling is inadequate, says Miles Logie, director at Minnerva, but he is concerned about' throwing away' too many  relevant items from existing modelling practice. 'I think the challenge is to find a way which hangs on to the significant elements of what’s been achieved, but is also open to new approaches that deal with the new circumstances that need to be modelled,' he says. 'Finding the right path forwards is a key iss

Transport is being disrupted at a rapid pace, and this creates uncertainty but also new business opportunities. Over the past few years the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has met many decision-makers who want to know what transport market disruption means for investing in infrastructure, place-making, vehicle manufacturing and city operations. We have also met with many academics, SMEs and entrepreneurs who have excellent ideas for innovations to take forward the opportunities that are opening

Transport is experiencing a period of disruption. New thinking, new business models, new technologies and new channels for sharing and engagement are combining to offer real potential for positive change. Join us on 24 November to meet expert international speakers and hear them explain how towns and cities can make the most of these new opportunites. Become part of the Better Places Network to remain involved with news, developments and best practice. Why?

For Mobility as a Service to succeed in cities, it should not just aim to meet the needs of travellers and service providers, but also contribute to the livability of places. James Gleave, Foresight Analyst, Transport Systems Catapult The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) has defined Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as 'using a digital interface to source and manage the provision of a transport related service(s) which meets the mobility requirements of a customer'. There are two core strengths

'Times are changing,' says Hugh Neffendorf, founder, Katalysis Limited, and one of the coordinators for the Transport Systems Catapult-organised Modelling Tomorrow's World. Our models need to change too, he says. 'We need to ask whether many of the models we use today are fit for purpose in terms of modelling for a very different future...'  The models we use today, says Neffendorf, in conversation with Modelling World programme director Juliana O'Rourke, tend to be based on how people beh

Falling bus ridership in Hanoi has prompted concerns by public transport officials over ride-hailing apps and accusations that a city motorbike ban is unrealistic. The director of Hanoi's Public Transport Management and Operation Centre Nguyen Hoang Hai said in an interview that increased ownership of personal vehicles and lower petrol prices were leading to an increase in use of ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Grab. 

The UK Smart Mobility Lab in Greenwich has been presented with an award by Intelligent Systems (UK). The lab has been set up by TRL to provide a real world test bed for testing connected and automated vehicle technologies. It has been created with the support of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, CCAV, Innovate UK and DfT. Key partners include RSA, Direct Line, Telefonica, Shell, Sony, Jaguar Land Rover and Oxbotica. ITS (UK) is a not-for-profit public/private sector association that provides a

Transport will "be like Netflix and Spotify," with nobody owning a car, but instead subscribing for a "mobility service," according to MaaS, the Finnish firm behind a smartphone app bringing together public transport and car-hire and taxi-hailing. Sampo Hietanen, MaaS chief executive, made the claim as the firm continues its drive for investment for a commercial launch next year. He gave more details to journalists of the service, which will allow users to specify how many train j

 LTT was amused to receive a picture from a reader who is less than impressed with London mayor Boris Johnson’s cycle superhighways. It’s not, however, the only example of the bike lanes being put to unexpected uses. The Evening Standard reports a fleet of minicabs being spotted driving up one superhighway late at night. A few days later the paper reported that the superhighway on the Victoria Embankment was “being overrun with joggers”. “Bike riders are being

An initiative to develop a system where travellers could book one journey using many different modes of transport is getting underway in Manchester. The TravelSpirit consortium's website has launched after enthusiasm from the DfT, which is a board member of the consortium, and "progressive city region authorities" in Alto Adige and Helsinki - which pledged to make personal car travel obsolete by combining private and public data from all providers of m

The majority of people using taxi and other apps to get lifts or share cars report using trains more often, a U.S study of the travel habits of thousands of people in seven U.S cities has found. The study Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit, for the American Public Transportation Association, found that public transport was at the heart of a shift in behaviour that results in less driving, said APTA chair Valarie J. McCall. Based on the behaviour of 4,500 taxi app use

READING BOROUGH Council has turned down an application on behalf of the Uber taxi/minicab firm to obtain a licence to enable its drivers to operate in the town.  Rejecting the application, the council’s licensing applications sub-committee heard: “Officers are concerned that, due to the way Uber works by listing the closest driver/vehicle to the customer, any vehicle from any borough within close proximity would be able to access the job and complete the booking.” This w

Global trends are disrupting traditional ways of providing services to people and businesses in urban areas. Smart mobile in combination with the Cloud will provide packages of mobility services profiled to an individual’s needs and values. This emerging market is attracting new, non-traditional players who have the skills and expertise to provide such services. These changes will bring huge benefits to users and cities, but also disruption and threats to existing business models and gover

A new survey suggests high opposition in the capital to taxi app Uber’s policy of surge pricing, which sees tariffs increase during busy times. Uber says it carries out this practice to encourage more drivers to become available. But 69% of respondents are opposed to surge pricing, according to a YouGov survey in London carried out for car sharing firm DriveNow.The survey revealed that 43% of London Uber users complained that the minicab drivers didn’t know any good shortcuts, with 2

A Beijing transport chief has blamed taxi apps for the city's rising traffic congestion problem, it has been reported, as the apps expand in China. Beijing transport commission director Zhou Zhengyu said that ride-hailing apps, and falling oil prices, had reversed an easing in congestion in the four years to 2014, the Beijing Daily reported. China's leading taxi app Didi Kuaidi told the media that its research indicated that its services "reduced China's total daily car trips by 1.14 million on

The Mayor of London has announced he wants to address congestion caused by the increasing number of private hire vehicles operating, fuelled by smartphone app Uber. The Mayor will not pursue proposals to tighten regulations on private hire vehicles by forcing operators to provide booking confirmations at least five minutes before journeys, and banning showing vehicles available for immediate hire. Instead, after a public consultation that attracted over 16,000 responses he will only take f

Digital advertising boards on black cabs will display road traffic information to help drivers avoid congestion. Transport for London (TfL) launched the siz0-month trial today in partnership with BrightMove Media. Initially messages will inform road users of traffic levels at 40 to 50 areas where there are known traffic delays. TfL predicts that the technology could be used to provide real-time updates on incidents across London’s road network. Messages will be displayed on around 200 t

Uber tomorrow launches its 'uberPOOL' taxi-sharing service in London tomorrow, reducing journey costs by a quarter and promising to increase vehicle occupancy. Uber, currently trying to fend off new private hire regulations, says of the launch of the service that if empty seats could be filled with people heading in the same direction, "we could help cut mileage and emissions, and ultimately take cars off the road by making the need to own your own car a thing of the past". Users will save

Disabled travellers can now use an app to get priority booking on black cabs via a partnership between the assist-Mi and Gett apps. Users of assist-Mi now have access to Gett’s premium corporate black cab solution, meaning they will gave waiting times of less than five minutes. The service also offers consolidated reporting, including instant email receipts, which the app providers say will minimise the hassle of compiling expenses or Access to Work taxi claims manually.

That’s the kernel of a conversation the Landor LINKS team had earlier this year in Birmingham. A group of senior transport and urban professionals were debating the potential offered by ‘Intelligent Mobility’ to transform the relationship between cars and urban space. They were asking if it will improve the places we live and work, or is a once in a career opportunity going to be wasted?  Unsurprisingly, everyone admitted they had nothing like a complete picture of a

The UK’s most ambitious programme of road space reallocation away from general traffic in a generation was granted approval this week, as Transport for London’s board authorised implementation of four cycle superhighways in central and inner London. Construction of the routes, featuring extensive sections of fully segregated cycle lane, will begin almost immediately as London mayor Boris Johnson tries to ensure his flagship cycling policy bears fruit before he leaves City Hall next

The London Borough of Camden plans to implement ‘stepped track’ cycleways on some streets in the West End, whereby the cycle lane is built at a different height to the main road and footway.  The borough had been planning to implement cycle lanes on Gower Street, Bloomsbury Street, and Shaftesbury Avenue using  ‘light segregation’ such as  ‘armadillos’ but has instead opted for ‘stepped tracks’, similar to those on the Old Shoreham

Shared-mobility services are making themselves felt on the transport landscape – with Uber recently valued at a higher market capitalisation than Tesco, it can be safely concluded that we are now witnessing the ‘sharing economy’ come of age, with transport leading the way. The time is therefore right to take stock of where we are now, where events are headed, and what needs to happen to realise the sharing economy’s full potential.  The starting point must be the sh

As our cities grow and sustainability and environmental concerns become core to providing robust, pleasant and competitive places to live and work, mobility is changing. This is also changing the role of taxis and other shared vehicles. The role of a number of the existing providers, such as the black cabs in London, New York’s famous yellow cabs and even the local private hire/ minicab vehicles in a UK provincial town is being challenged. On 11 June we saw taxi strikes around Europe and m

Cyclists and road danger reduction campaigners have welcomed Transport for London’s decision to end the use of ‘Cyclists stay back’ stickers on vehicles in the capital. Cyclist groups and the Road Danger Reduction Forum say the stickers, which appear on many commercial vehicles in the capital, imply that cyclists are “second class road users” (LTT 16 May). They are particularly unhappy that the stickers have appeared not only on HGVs – which can trap cyclists

Leicestershire County Council is expected to approve plans next week for four ‘community bus partnerships’ (CBPs) that will see local communities tasked with helping boost ridership and reduce subsidies.  The CBPs will seek to replicate the success of community rail partnerships (CRPs) that have helped revive the fortunes of many rural rail lines.  LTT columnist Paul Salveson pioneered CRPs and has recently been championing the bus variant as a way of saving bus services

A liverpool taxi operator has launched a taxibus service in direct competition with bus services between the city centre and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.   The Taxi 1A service operated by A&J Taxis starts from a bus stop in Skelhorne Street, beside Lime Street railway station, which is shared with bus operator Arriva’s airport service 500. The taxibus calls at one stop (Aigburth Vale) on the way to the airport, with a journey time of  25 minutes.  On the return, Taxi

All new taxis in London will have to be zero emission capable from 2018, London mayor Boris Johnson has announced.  The mayor said he wanted the vehicles to “automatically” operate in zero emission mode while in areas of the capital where air quality is at its worst, such as parts of central London. Johnson made the announcement last week as he met representatives of five manufacturers developing zero-emission capable taxis: Fraser-Nash, Nissan, Karsan, the London Taxi Company

London’s modal shift from private to public transport, cycling and walking continues apace, and is the main theme behind TfL’s annual Travel in London publication now in its sixth year. The 250-page document – which generally reflects the 2012 calendar year and the 2012/13 financial year – says that journey stages in the capital by private transport have declined from 46% in 1993 to 33% in 2012, whereas those made by public transport have increased from 30% to 44% during

Two taxi operators in Liverpool are teaming up to operate taxibus services in competition with bus operators.  The firms, A&J Taxis and Gawiths, have created a new company, Taxi One Solutions Ltd, which will operate taxibuses as well as bidding for contract work. A&J already operates a taxibus service to Anfield for Liverpool FC home games and plans to launch a new service this month between Liverpool Lime Street station and the city’s John Lennon Airport. The service, Taxi

Brighton and Hove City Council has scaled back a planned roll-out of 20mph speed limits because a majority of the public opposed the lower limits in some areas. In April the Green administration implemented the first phase of its 20mph limit plan, introducing the lower limit on most streets within central Brighton and Hove. Phase two, on which consultation was held this summer, covered nine further areas of the city.  Emma Sheridan, the council’s principal transport planner, told co

Much is being said about the need to reconfigure public transport services to reduce public spending. The Design Council (Public Sector by Design: a new route to public sector innovation) and the Design Commission (Restarting Britain 2: design and public services) recently made a strong case for service redesign to be at the heart of public sector efficiency measures. This chimes with the need, flowing from the Spending Review, to consider alternative service formats and how these can complement

IIn the last issue we reported a significant transaction involving a car hire business moving across into urban mobility, with the acquisition of the ZipCar car share system by Avis. It’s not the only major strategic move being made by major players interested in a new role for cars in cities, and now the subject of New Transit’s new Car Share and Urban Mobility event in Brussels on 9th July. Another major deal has seen the big money US private equity firm Carlyle Group buying Addiso

A London based company is developing its shared executive travel minibus service with the introduction of all electric 10 and 16 seater vehicles. The GUTSi Executive Transfer service is based upon consolidating regular passenger journeys for people commuting in London and seeking to avoid the stresses of public transport whilst able to use their travel time for working without all travelling in separate vehicles. The GUTSi Express Commuting Service brings together commuters each morning using

The news that Avis have bought Zipcar, and that car2go (run by Daimler, Mercedes’s parent company) have begun building up carshare operations around London, has further highlighted the potential of this sector to produce new solutions for urban mobility and potentially pose a challenge to traditional public transport. But will these new players in the urban transport mix - including other major car manufacturers like Peugeot and BMW and car hire firms like Hertz, Sixt and Enterprise - take

Across the transport sector there are certain individuals whose activities stand out either as beyond the significance of their own specific role within an organisation, or for introducing new ideas from an inventive technological or entrepreneurial standpoint. In an era of rapid change to the way transport services are managed, marketed and paid for it is not surprising that a group of such people feature amongst our power list. Elaine Rosscraig, Stagecoach’s head of bus customer insigh

A group of individuals hold significant power in their role defining regulatory frameworks and supervising transport industry activities. Following last year’s Competition Commission inquiry into the local bus market, headed by Jeremy Peat, that disappointed some with its rejection of any new regulation, MPs on the transport select committee called for greater resources to be given to the traffic commissioners in order for them to supervise the proposed new bus operators’ code of con

Smart Links - the range of short distance, often automated transport modes - have begun to shake up long-held models of what public transport is, and what it can do, over the last decade. Yet they are still only just beginning to show their true utility. This fledgling sector could well be in a position similar to the early years of railway development, when pioneering lines showed the potential, but it took several years before the rest of the world caught on and railway mania exploded. If so

More than 50 exhibitors met over 500 visitors at this year’s Travel 2020 event at the Kia Oval in London on October 10th and 11th. Smart systems for passenger information, payment, management support and customer service represented the core exhibits, along with complimentary transport and mobility concepts including car share and demand responsive systems. Visitors came from transport operators in the UK and Europe, local transport authorities and government bodies, plus innovative sys

Train operator First Capital Connect has introduced a cashless payment service for taxis picking up passengers at its stations in the south-east of England. The roll-out of the new payment arrangements started in June. The Dash cashless technology, including a mobile phone app, has been developed and delivered by Adaptis Solutions, a provider of transport payment platforms for parking, permits, buses, boats and trains. Manni Marway, chief executive of Adaptis Solutions, said: “There is g

Life as a councillor continues to be interesting. I’ll come to the saga of our bridge works in my Golcar ward later but first I’ll reflect on some more strategic activities I’ve been involved in. The Local Government Association held its annual ‘rural conference’ in the splendid surroundings of the Low Wood Hotel on Lake Windermere last month. Myself and a Conservative colleague represented Kirklees. Given the current political balance within rural England the Labou

Businesses in London’s West End are calling for the number of buses serving Oxford Street to be dramatically reduced when Crossrail opens, with more roadspace being given to pedestrians. The call comes in a new five-year business plan by the New West End Company (NWEC), the Business Improvement District (BID) management and promotional company for Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and 22 connecting streets.  NWEC describes the capital’s east-west Crossrail scheme, wh

Some readers of LTT may recall an article by me in February 2011, ‘Some councils are giving community transport providers an easy ride’ and the time is now appropriate for an update in where we are with all of this. I know I am in danger of repeating myself but the commercial PCV (passenger carrying vehicle) operating licence operators are not against Section 19 permit holders and community transport organisations, as there is a vital role for them to fulfil in the spirit of the or

Relatively short connections in the transport network can have a disproportionate significance in both addressing end-to-end journey requirements, and complementing the accessibility needs of large activity sites and potential new development opportunities. In this field, some recent innovative systems are showing exciting potential to tackle problems in new ways – and even more economically and rapidly than hitherto. A group of emerging, new generation short transport concepts are offe

A range of innovative concepts have been emerging to provide rail based transport solutions for areas of low demand over short distances. The fruits of both individual inventors and large companies looking for the next technology, they have featured smaller, alternatively powered vehicles capable of running on both existing and new track for journey lengths of 2kms or so. The quest has been to find economical and attractive links to the main rail networks that can replace conventional branch li

An innovative French scheme appears to have solved many of the financial and operational issues around the provision of Demand Responsive Transport (DRT). The scheme, based around St Brieuc (Brittany), uses bespoke computer technology to deliver a comprehensive half-hourly ‘virtual’ bus network in rural areas, which cannot sustain conventional bus services. It books and plans journeys on local taxis, and automatically pays taxi providers. While the advantages of DRT are well recogni

Around  40% of Europeans  choose not to travel using shared or collective transport if the journey involves a connection. And, in Europe, 83% of us prefer to use a car for our daily or occasional travel. These two percentages are perplexing in this age of eco-citizenship. Although the range of shared and collective transport options is ever-increasing in Europe, the constraints related to a trip whose components and uncertainties are beyond the control of an individual continue to be

The development of transport services in the UK and across much of the world is a “market failure”, that has caused huge costs to the economy, health and the environment according to TRL’s new director of sustainable transport, Heather Allen. Allen, formerly sustainable transport manager at UITP, the International Association of Public Transport, told the Travel 2020 conference that in contrast to other public services such as health and education, the quality of transport acr

Cambridgeshire County Council plans to launch three local transport franchise pilots this winter, with the  aim of delivering public transport at lower cost than conventional tendered bus services. Under the Cambridgeshire Future Transport project, the county council will offer the franchisees resources including vehicles taxed and insured; vehicle maintenance; marketing; support in identifying viable routes; access to data; and training. In return, the franchisee will pay the council a fr

The M55 consortium, led by Mott MacDonald and including Baca Architects, has submitted a feasibility study to assess the viability of a railway connection between Amsterdam-South and Almere-South Centre under the IJmeer Lake in the Netherlands. As part of its proposal, on behalf of Werkmaatschappij Almere-Amsterdam (WAA), the consortium has designed a 20km long connection from Diemen-Zuid to Almere Centrum. This includes a 9km tunnel under IJburg and IJmeer. This will include five new stations

When the Dial-a-Bus service CallConnect launched in Lincolnshire ten years ago, it was an innovative response to meeting the mobility needs of rural communities. This upstart alternative to scheduled services is now becoming the main option for large swathes of the country as more and more authorities replace expensive and infrequent scheduled services with this more cost-effective and flexible option. In Lincolnshire, CallConnect services have continued to expand over the years and now serve m

Partnering and pooling resources is now seen as common sense. But when Lincolnshire County Council forged an innovative new relationship with other organisations tackling road safety over a decade ago, they broke new ground. It is an arrangement that has stood the test of time. The county council builds on this with its new Lincolnshire Highways Alliance between client, contractor, consultant and traffic signal specialist to deliver the full range of highways services. This again uses co-locat

“We need to do things differently. Why spend a lot of money on scheduled services that are not meeting mobility needs?” This is the message of David Farquhar, assistant director of highways, transport and infrastructure at Northamptonshire County Council, who says that the authority’s review of public transport provision is designed to achieve better value for money, but also to improve accessibility. “We’ve only had one public transport goal, to date: to try to gi

New Transit strives to feature the cutting edge of passenger transport provision, both in thinking, design and operations. This summer has seen two major projects come to fruition in the UK, representing what could be important steps forward. We are pleased to feature both in this issue, alongside a major overview of some of the other developments that are re-shaping the quality, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of passenger transport services. The opening of the Cambridgeshire guided bus

Despite the prevailing economic conditions, Daventry, in Northamptonshire in England, is  still hoping to find funding to become the first local authority in Europe to implement an urban-scale automated group rapid transit (GRT) public transport service. The £20 million scheme would see ‘turn-up-and go’ driverless electric minibuses running on specially segregated paths around the town centre. In an application that could be replicated in hundreds of towns around the worl

In what was at one time a close race to deliver a world showpiece new generation Personal Rapid Transit System, Heathrow airport in London lost out by a matter of months to Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, where a public system developed by Dutch company 2getthere opened last autumn. It forms the transport core of the first phase of this US$22bn eco-metropolis, designed by UK architects Foster Associates to be the world’s first carbon-neutral city, with no fossil fuel-powered vehicles allowed in.

The first true public transport, and well before the buses, came the railways- short stretches of steam powered ‘iron horses’. They quickly changed the nature of communications, and the shape of cities, introducing ‘commuting’ and the separation of where people lived and worked. In the late 19th century, electric motors started to do the work in urban areas, where steam and soot were less welcome than in the countryside or around industrial areas. Eventually stretches of

After years of neglect, it seems that it is finally being acknowledged in the UK that taxis are an important part of the public transport system and the framework for their operation needs revision. In the past few weeks the Transport Select Committee of the House of Commons has reported positively on the role of taxis and now the Law Commission has added a review of taxi legislation to its current programme of work. As explored in the last issue of New Transit, taxis and taxi-related services

Local authority public transport co-ordinators in England this week called for the end of concessionary free travel and warned that devolving Bus Service Operators Grant to local authorities could lead to the funding being channelled out of transport. The comments by the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers come in response to this week’s publication of the House of Commons transport select committee report on bus services after the spending review. The MPs call for free trav

New approaches to passenger transport provision and use are emerging in a variety of ways and a range of situations. Some are coming from an institutional level through the initiatives of large public authorities (mainly cities) or corporations (like transport vehicle makers). Others are more local projects to “join up” pieces of the jigsaw or add helpful new elements to the offer. 1. Transport for London Transport for London has promoted a widening definition of collective transpo

Car-sharing Car sharing and car clubs are a system that enables people to make collective use of a fleet of different cars. It is a membership based service where no separate written agreement is required each time a member reserves and uses a vehicle, unlike car hire or rental. Car-sharing organisations offer members access to a network of shared vehicles 24 hours a day and 7 days a week at unattended self-service locations with affordable ‘pay-as-you-drive’ rates that include fu

The International Union of Public Transport has just produced a position paper challenging it 3,000-plus member authorities in 92 countries, to consider becoming “real mobility providers,” and promoting the joint mobility of public transport in combination with other modes like car-sharing, taxis and cycling. It is a significant moment for traditional public transport companies, as they decide where their future business prospects lie. If they do not rise to this challenge, there i

Why aren’t taxis treated as a serious part of the public transport mix? It’s surprising that this question hasn’t been answered because taxis, and derivatives from them, bridging the gap between conventional public transport and the private car, offer a unique contribution to efficient and sustainable mobility. In 1999 a conference was held in Birmingham entitled “Taxis: the Cinderella method of transport” at which speakers including Steven Norris, then the Minister

Intelligent Energy has announced that the first units of its fleet of hydrogen fuel cell-powered London taxis have taken to the roads since being awarded ‘road legal’ status by the UK Vehicle Certification Authority (VCA). The zero emission taxis have been developed by a consortium, led by Intelligent Energy, which includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt with part-funding for the project coming from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board. T

Cuts to council budgets, reductions in concessionary fares reimbursement and lower Bus Service Operators Grant payments: it’s a toxic mix that is putting pressure on passenger transport services across England – particularly in parts of the shires where commercial operations are often marginal or non-existent. But in one rural part of the country the council is looking forward to delivering higher quality passenger transport to its citizens and at lower cost to the taxpayer. Dorset

Do we need specialised accessible transport services?  (By ‘accessible transport’, I mean transport that a wheelchair user or other mobility impaired user can access). The question is not as daft as it sounds, especially as some local authorities pay very large sums annually for inefficient or incomplete specialised accessible transport systems.  Take a not untypical scenario. A large local authority may operate or support a considerable, centralised, grant-aided, but rat

Dai Powell, chief executive of the HCT Group, is not like most other people working in the public transport sector right now. For one thing, he is optimistic that mobility can be maintained or even improved over the coming years, despite the decline in public spending. “If local authorities are prepared to do things differently, we can rise to this challenge of reduced budgets without reducing people’s travel options,” he tells LTT. “If councils are prepared to pool budg

As Ministers champion the role that community transport can play in meeting people’s travel needs, readers of Local Transport Today should be aware of the controversy surrounding some community transport operations and, in particular, their compatibility with the 1985 Transport Act. In recent months, various articles have appeared in the bus trade magazines regarding Section 19/22 permits, their rules and their interpretation. The Section 19/22 Action Group, chaired by Derek Hemstock of Do

Local Authorities are  studying new ways of meeting the transport needs of rural areas as budgets for tendered bus services are slashed. Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Hartlepool councils are planning to axe their entire tendered service budget in response to the cuts to local government formula grant. The authorities are among those highlighted in the Campaign for Better Transport’s new ‘Save our buses’ campaign. Cambridgeshire held a summit last week with bus ope

As part of the Government’s bonfire of the quangos announced in October, the Disabled Persons’ Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) is to be abolished. It is therefore timely to look back at the work of this body that has made a real difference to public transport over its 23-year existence. DPTAC’s principal statutory remit was to advise the secretary of state for transport, who had to “secure that at all times at least half of the committee consists of persons who are

London’s transport system is, depending on your point of view, either world class or an embarrassment. However, in this new age of austerity, future improvements to the capital’s transport, before schemes already under way, will be few and far between. With this in mind, experts in various disciplines at transport consultancy Colin Buchanan have produced a collection of 10 innovative ideas, that are low cost and deliverable in the short term, for London mayor Boris Johnson and his t

Nexus is to scrap a network of demand responsive bus services in Tyne and Wear in favour of fixed link subsidised services, timetabled taxibuses and community transport. The proposal follows a review of the conurbation’s subsidised public transport network aimed at  getting better value for money from the £9.1m (net) annual budget.  Nexus’s LinkUp network of demand response transport (DRT) services has operated across the conurbation since 2006. Anyone can use the

Well, if this winter’s weather was anything to go by we’re certainly in for climate change – whether it be an ice age or a tropical desert! Politicians are pontificating on meeting ‘green targets’ at the macro level, whilst on a more micro level, people are getting hot under the collar about needing to move to cleaner fuels to minimise urban pollution. As someone who has worked closely on bus, BRT, guided bus, light rail and heavy rail systems, I am always fascinat

How much public transport should there be? Transport policies imply comprehensive public transport network coverage so that all people’s needs are met but where demand is low it makes no sense for public transport services to be running empty most of the time. For many people and places flexibility is needed to ensure good value provision, so demand responsive transport (DRT) services are the key to unlocking accessibility for all. Provided the design of these flexible services is appropri

At Heathrow’s Terminal 5, the world’s first Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system reached a significant milestone this summer as the £25m system was officially handed over from construction to operational testing. When it enters service later this year it will change the airport experience for passengers. A fleet of 21 battery-powered, driverless vehicles, capable of carrying four passengers, will operate along a dedicated guideway connecting Terminal 5’s business car park

While government ministers and opposition spokespersons vie with each other in promising new high speed rail lines, apparently forgetting the failure of HS1 to deliver a commercial return on its capital investment costs, it is worth reminding ourselves what the nation’s decision makers should be looking for in assessing the case for new high speed rail lines in the UK. It is first important to distinguish between a commercial case and a social cost benefit case for a new HS Line. A comme

Imagine, if you will, it is 1995 and you live in a village in Vaud, a substantially rural region of Switzerland. During the day, in school term time, there are reasonable bus services to your dentist, supermarket or office, albeit with a long walk to your nearest bus stop.  But off-peak, services are not so good and there are threats of cutbacks as national legislation dictates that buses need a minimum number of passengers on each run to justify the need for that service. Cue the introd

Later this year will see the launch of the new Personal Rapid Transit system at London’s Heathrow airport, connecting Terminal 5 with parking facilities to the north of the airport. Airport operator BAA is already planning an expansion of the system that could eventually stretch across the airport. The driverless pods operate on a dedicated guideways and are able to convey up to six passengers directly to their destination and technology firm Eurotech, working in partnership with Arrowval

BAA Heathrow last week held a series of previews of its ULTra PRT system that will be introduced later this year linking Terminal 5 with a business car parking facility on the northern perimeter of the airport. The initial 4.3km-long system, which could eventually be expanded to link hotels, car parks and offices across the airport, is being introduced as part of the Europe-wide CityMobil project with three vehicles currently at Heathrow for initial testing. It is expected that BAA will adopt a

Boston RailPod: one track short of a train car, the future of transportation? Think the PRT podcar is the pod that will re-invent transportation? Prepare to get those opinions railed, as the RailPod is on its way to get you where you're going - and to put all those striking cabbies out of work. The idea is that unused (or underused) railway lines can be turned into bi-directional traffic routes, with the RailPod using gyros to balance precariously on a single strip of iron, taking up only

Lothian Buses has announced it is to either sell or close its innovative demand responsive airport transfer business Edinburgh Shuttle. In operation since December 2006, Edinburgh Shuttle has built up an impressive passenger base offering a cost effective and alternative transport option between Edinburgh Airport and the City Centre. Since its launch, the operation has carried on average around 75,000 passengers every year and built up a reliable base of over 100 sales agents as well as a numbe

Transport Minister Paul Clark has launched a consultation on new proposals to improve access to taxis for disabled people. The document asks for feedback on design and service improvements from taxi drivers and operators, vehicle manufacturers, local authorities and organisations responsible for major transport interchanges as well as disabled people and their representatives. Large regional variations in the proportion of the licensed taxi fleet classed as wheelchair accessible are a signifi

Transport for London has announced that it is reviewing its ownership of in-house bus operator East Thames Buses. TfL’s board is considering whether a sell-off would offer better value for money for passengers and taxpayers. Speculation about TfL’s future ownership of the business first emerged over the summer following the election of Boris Johnson as London mayor. TfL told Transit then that although all of its business was subject to regular review, there were no plans to sell Eas

Advanced Transport Systems and BAA Heathrow have commenced running tests on the new ULTra Personal Rapid Transit system that will link the Terminal 5 with a car park on the periphery of the airport. The construction phase of the project was completed on time and on budget. ATS have now begun the fit out programme and extensive system testing in preparation for the launch of ULTra to passengers in autumn 2009. The £25m system is the first commercial PRT system in the world. Project manage

Transport for London is currently merging its two principle enforcement directorates, for congestion charging and traffic offence enforcement, into a single unit. As a result of this, there is currently some duplication of effort by staff and so John Mason, who was recently appointed deputy director of the newly-merged directorate, is currently working on the implementation of a new, and presumably more streamlined, structure for the directorate by January 2009. In addition to this, TfL is usin

Daventry District Council has announced that it is inviting Personal Rapid Transit system developers to bid for the construction of a pilot route in the town which it says could make it a world leader in PRT systems. The council has been formulating plans for a PRT network for some time on the back of regional development plans that will see the population of Daventry almost double by 2021 to 40,000. The Daventry scheme could be a competitor or replacement for the town’s bus network t

REGIONAL PLANS that will see the population of Daventry in Northamptonshire almost double by 2021 have led the district council to opt for a Personalised Rapid Transit system, a conference in the town heard last week. Malcolm Buchanan, managing director of consultancy firm Colin Buchanan told delegates at the Daventry Transport Conference 2007 that the PRT system was part of plans to rejuvenate the town and to accommodate the planned growth as part of a wider study conducted by his firm into

The future of pay-to-ride pedicabs in London is hanging in the balance as calls to regulate or ban them gather momentum. Increased concern over pedicab passenger safety and the adverse impact of rickshaw operations on congestion in central London were highlighted this week by a critical open letter to the Public Carriage Office (PCO). The letter, from the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), condemns PCO proposals for a pedicab licensing scheme in the capital. The LTDA says that pedal-powe

Cardiff is preparing to tackle its legendary bus delays after being awarded Welsh Assembly grants of £5.22m. This summer cars will be removed from St Mary Street, a key bus corridor in the city centre, under an experimental traffic order which will be made permanent early next year if the arrangement is successful. Work will also commence on improving bus flows on the main routes west and north out of the city, although only a short section of bus lane is currently planned. Bus prior

The introduction of concessionary travel has been a contentious issue for many involved in passenger transport, but its introduction, both at countywide level in England as well as the nationwide schemes in Scotland and Wales, has seen transport operators looking at the implications for their business models. But it is not just transport operators who have had to do this. Malcolm Daughtrey, the recently appointed managing director of National Transport Tokens, believes that he has found

Anyone over 60 in England can now travel around their local area for free on public transport and in Scotland and Wales the over-60s can travel the length and breadth of the country for free. On the face of it free travel for pensioners seems like a good idea and is a policy favoured by the normally pragmatic chancellor Gordon Brown. But is this really a good use of taxpayers' money? Why don't we just abolish concessions and give pensioners the cash equivalent of their concessions? The £1

Lancashire County Council's innovative Carnforth Connect project illustrates how new ideas can work in the traditionally difficult area of accessibility and public transport in rural areas. However, although the project is seen as a model of its type, passenger numbers on one of the two bus services have fallen below expectations and there is significant uncertainty over future funding. The essence of Carnforth Connect is to provide a co-ordinated and flexible service that involves principally

Seven years on from the 1998 Integrated Transport White Paper and its From Workhorse to Thoroughbred daughter document on buses and despite sustained investment in infrastructure, vehicles and services and some notable patronage growth successes in urban areas (e.g. York, Brighton and Oxford), overall bus use outside London continues to decline. This is most marked in rural areas. In spite of continuing Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Bus Challenge investment, local authorities and commercial opera

It was interesting and encouraging to read the article on the development of both Hackney and Ealing Community Transport into thriving social enterprises ('Community transport: starting to think outside the traditional box' LTT 23 Feb). Readers, however, may be forgiven for thinking that such development is solely confined to organisations based in the capital. This is not the case. Here in Sheffield, for example, the community transport sector has also been moving with the times. Sheffield Com