Excessive reliance by Government on short-term competition funding for the long-term task of transforming urban transport networks is inefficient and costly, according to a new report by the Urban Transport Group, the UK’s network of city region transport authorities.

The Urban Transport Group has welcomed the launch of the NHS’ campaign ‘For A Greener NHS’ designed to tackle the climate “health emergency”, which it announced this weekend.

The Urban Transport Group has commissioned a new and improved model to help city regions plan the future of their bus networks through forecasting how factors such as population, employment, car ownership, service levels, fares and public funding will drive bus patronage over the next decade. 

New research has uncovered valuable insights into how passengers spend their time while travelling by bus, and sets out the implications for future bus design and promotion.

City regions in the UK and beyond have the opportunity to address the escalating climate crisis whilst creating healthier and more liveable cities, by making connections between the transport, energy and built environment sectors.

Groundbreaking new research has identified the underlying conditions that best predict levels of bus use in local areas, as well as additional factors which may explain why some areas exceed expectations with higher levels of bus use than predicted.

The Urban Transport Group has today responded to a speech made by the Chancellor in which he described buses as the “backbone of our public transport in most of the country.”

The challenges to improving transport in the UK’s city regions and the solutions needed to overcome them have been set out by the Urban Transport Group today.