Bus passengers’ priorities for improvement
Feb-2020
Study into what bus passengers consider to be important for improving buses. Key areas were: Buses arriving on time, buses going to more places, value for money, faster journey times, tackling antisocial behaviour and improving passenger information.
We need fare-free buses! It’s time to raise our sights
Mar-2018
Policy proposal advocating for fare-free buses, funded by a public transport payroll levy. The paper runs through a variety of case studies showcasing the feasibility of fareless public transport. Suggests that funding this proposal would be highly feasible as public money already accounts for 40% of bus operator revenue.
Getting free passholders back on buses
Jul-2023
Report into how older and disabled free bus pass holders may be encouraged to use buses, conducted in the context of the significant drop in concessionary use that occurred post-pandemic. The report suggests two possible reasons for this decline. The first is that concessionary users are simply getting out less due to the cost of living crisis and high street closures. The second suggests that the decline is patronage is due to a decline in bus services. The report claims that coronavirus plays a limited factor in dissuading bus use, with only 7% concerned about catching the virus due to using the bus.
Making great bus journeys
Nov-2024
Report conducts an analysis on a national bus user survey to determine what bus passengers find most important to a good bus journey. The report recommends further use of franchising and enhanced bus partnerships, alongside work by local authorities to enforce measures to speed up buses to ensure they quickly and on time. The report also recommends reviews of operational and ticketing arrangements to reduce dwell time and reduce cancellations.
Using the bus - what young people think
Feb-2018
Report concerning how to encourage more young people to use buses, and to improve customer satisfaction among young people. The report notes some improvements made by bus operators including: cheaper and more comprehensible fares for those in full-time education, introducing free Wi-Fi and charging on buses and using mobile technology to provide smart ticketing and journey planning.
Will there be space on board?
Apr-2021
Study analysing the results of a 5000 person passenger survey into attitudes towards how busy public transport services are. Provides recommendations towards providing information about how busy services are to allow passengers, to allow them to make decisions about when and how they travel.
Public Transport - A cleaner future
May-21
Report researching passenger attitudes towards cleanliness on public transport. Report written in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Makes recommendations for operators as to how they can improve cleanliness and perceptions of cleanliness on their services.
The route ahead: getting passengers back on buses
Jun-2021
Report aiming to understand how perceptions and experiences of bus passengers have changed as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Focuses on three user groups: Current users, Former Users, and Non-Users.
fflecsi - The experience of Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) in Wales
Aug-2022
Two reports studying the implementation of a Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot schemes in Denbigh, Pembrokeshire, Conwy Valley and Newport. Interviews were conducted with passengers, potential passengers, operators and local authorities.
Motivations and barriers to bus use
Jun-2023
Study into why people do or do not use buses. Report finds that there is a sizeable group of people who have not returned to bus use post-pandemic, buses are perceived as inconvenient, there is some interest in more bus use, the £2 cap for buses provided value-for-money for many users, and a lack of knowledge about services discourages many users.
Three stages to better bus services using the Bus Services Act
Jul-2018
Report encouraging authorities to make use of the bus services act 2017 to enhance bus services. The three stages are: 1.) Take buses seriously - assemble stakeholders, develop plans, set targets and collect evidence on buses to develop best practice. 2.) Work out what powers are available - these include advanced quality partnerships, enhanced partnerships, multi-operator ticketing schemes and access to financial data. 3.) Decide what benefits you want to see.
The future of rural bus services in the UK
Dec-2019
Report concerning the issues facing rural bus travel and potential solutions. The report highlights the decline in bus use, noting people who use rural bus services largely do so because it is the only option, or because it is free via concessionary tickets and that there was a need to improve rural bus services, or risk serious social impacts upon these users.
The future of the bus: future funding arrangements
Oct-2019
Report concerning how to improve the funding of buses, published pre-pandemic. Report highlights significant decreases in local funding for buses over a 10 year period, alongside a long term decline in passenger volumes.
The future of the bus: Policy and fiscal interventions as part of a National Bus Strategy
Sep-2019
Report detailing and advocating for policy and fiscal interventions necessary for supporting buses. Report focuses on the increasing usage across the country, clarifying the path to zero emission buses, better integration with other forms of transport and increasing the use of technology to improve services.
Supporting local authorities to improve local use and expand zero emission bus provision
Sep-2021
Report into how the Bus Back Better strategy might be achieved. The report finds that the capacity and capability to deliver the strategy varies greatly between authorities, that it is unclear how zero emission vehicle standards will be enforced in local authorities which have enhanced partnerships, that there is uncertainty about funding cycles, making local authorities postpone investment decisions and that there are gaps in knowledge concerning the acquisition of zero emission buses.
Funding local bus services in England
Jun-2022
Report in the funding of bus services. Report notes the severe impact the pandemic has had on the provision of bus services. Suggests that the current strategy has produced funding gaps, as LTAs with smaller transport teams are less capable of applying for funding. Report suggests ways this may be remedied, but ultimately recommends a substantial increase in funding for bus services.
A fare future for rail: blueprint for fares and ticketing reform
Oct-2023
Report advocating for a reform of rail fares and ticketing to make travelling by rail more affordable, accessible and appealing. The report lays out a series of reforms to be made, and advocates for an arms-length body to be established to execute them.
Better buses: Reforming bus funding
Nov-2024
Report advocating for changes to be made to the way buses are funded. The report recommends that funding should be allocated on the basis of need to reduce the funding gap between authorities, that there should be a bus service guarantee, with support provided to local authorities to ensure that it can be delivered, for long term, multi-modal funding settlements for all LTAs, to transfer all bus-related funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to the Department for Transport, and ensure it is ringfenced and transparent and requiring NHS trusts to coordinate transport provision with authorities, bus operators and community transport operators.
Oxford SmartZone
Feb-2015
A Review of the Oxford Smartzone - an inter-operable smart-ticketing system implemented by a collaboration between Oxford's two private bus suppliers. Report notes that Oxford has unique factors which have enabled this to happen, specifically the pro-bus attitude of local authorities, the unusual equally-split bus duopoly. Nonetheless the report suggests that this collaboration indicates that inter-operable smart ticketing systems can be implemented under the deregulated model such as the UK's.
Our vision for smart ticketing in the city regions
Jun-2019
Report advocating, and setting out a vision for the use of smart ticketing in the city regions. Report highlights the benefits of smart ticketing, advocates for central government action to give greater powers and funding to ensure effective implementation of smart ticketing, whilst cautioning the barriers to smart ticketing.