Mayors are better equipped than ever before to integrate their transport networks thanks to a raft of recent and upcoming legislation such as the Bus Services Act and Railways Bill, and the Government’s Integrated National Transport Strategy, expected early next year. 

Earlier this month, new research from Centre for Cities quantified the ‘size of the prize’ for mayors who use this full range of powers to integrate existing transport networks in their cities. It finds that integrating public transport in England’s six Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities (the country’s six largest cities outside of London) would improve public transport connectivity to city centres for up to 1.2 million people.

The size of the prize

Integrated transport: The size of the prize for mayors models three steps to integration: increasing bus frequencies, reducing bus journey times and modal integration. It shows that integrating the existing network improves connectivity to the city centre in all six cities.

Figure 1: How integration changes the number of people within easy reach of their nearest large city by public transport

Source: Centre for Cities’ calculations using Bus Open Data Service, Network Rail, ONS, r5r, and Open Street Map contributors. • Notes: ‘European level’ connectivity is 50 per cent of urban population for cities above 1 million population, and 80 per cent for those below 1 million, from Rodrigues and Breach (2021). Population connected by public transport may include people outside the PUA and city region boundaries. Liverpool PUA population includes both Liverpool and Birkenhead PUAs.

The West Midlands sees the biggest increase in connectivity in absolute numbers, while the relative size of the prize is largest in West and South Yorkshire. With integration, public transport connectivity in Leeds, Newcastle and Liverpool gets closer to European levels. 

There is an economic prize to be had, too. Improving connectivity helps more people to access the jobs and opportunities concentrated in city centre. This increases cities’ effective size by deepening local labour markets and increasing productivity. Across the six large cities, the economic impact of this improved connectivity amounts to £17 billion in increased economic output.

Different interventions for different cities

Integration can involve many different steps, from the three steps modelled in Centre for Cities research to journey planning apps, active travel options and fare changes. Which of these interventions delivers the biggest impact on connectivity varies by place, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: The impact of the different integration measures modelled for each city.

Source: Centre for Cities’ calculations using Bus Open Data Service, Network Rail, ONS, r5r and Open Street Map contributors. • Note: Shows additional population connected in three scenarios where one step only is taken towards integration. In practice, many of the same people will be connected in each scenario.

Increasing bus frequencies has the biggest impact in Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and Liverpool. Modal integration has a bigger impact in Manchester and reduced bus journey times would make the biggest difference in Birmingham. Understanding how existing infrastructure and conditions shape the impact of integration measures can help policymakers in each city-region to prioritise which measures to prioritise.  

Integration measures are complementary

A single step towards integration can deliver a big impact on connectivity, it also makes any further steps more effective. In other words, the elements of integration are complementary, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Complementarity in steps towards integration in England’s six Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities

Source: Centre for Cities’ calculations using Bus Open Data Service, Network Rail, ONS, r5r, and Open Street Map contributors • Note: Shows additional population accessible in the three scenarios where a combination of two steps only is taken towards integration. In practice, many of the same people will be covered in each scenario.

Taking the example of Liverpool, increasing bus frequencies would better connect 45,000 residents, while better modal integration would increase connectivity by 21,000 people on its own, as shown in Figure 1. But doing both steps together would improve connectivity for 113,000 people, more than the impact of the two steps individually. This is because increasing frequencies on suburban bus routes improves links to the Merseyrail stations serving the city centre, boosting the total impact of the combined measures.

You can explore how this works in each city and how connectivity varies by neighbourhood using Centre for Cities interactive data tool.

A strong foundation for expansion

Integration makes best use of existing infrastructure and creates a strong foundation for network expansion. Figure 4 models the impact of the potential West Yorkshire Mass Transit system. Expanding the network puts more people within 30 minutes’ travel to the city centre, but the effect is even stronger if the existing network is integrated.

Figure 4: Integrating the existing network supports expansion projects  

Source: Centre for Cities’ calculations using Bus Open Data Service, Network Rail, ONS, r5r, and Open Street Map Contributors. • Notes: based on proposed Leeds and Bradford lines as published by West Yorkshire Mass Transit. Most preferred routes from initial rounds of consultations used. Trams assumed to stop every two minutes, and travel at an average of 21 kilometres per hour. Connecting buses are four new services, modelled with reference to existing route infrastructure and journey times.

What’s next?

Mayors now have almost all of the powers they need to deliver integrated transport, boost the impact of future infrastructure projects, and support economic growth for their city-regions – and the wider UK economy. It is now up to them to use these powers to their full extent to deliver integration, and to continue pressing for the final pieces of the puzzle.

And it is up to the Government to deliver these final pieces. In particular, mayors need the Railways Bill, currently making its way through parliament, to support local control of rail, completing the levers needed for integration.

Caitlin Rollison is External Affairs and Policy Manger at Centre for Cities