Jun-2021

Study into how ticketing data can be used to analyse usage patterns at a major transport hub. Data can be used to analyse both long and short term horizons and takes into account major events such as the pandemic and significant strikes. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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Dec-2019

Investigation into how to better meet the needs of bus users who use buses that run on the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The report contains a number of recommendations for Highways England, including reducing dwell  times at stops, upgrading bus stops, considering how road closures may affect passengers - and in limited circumstances allowing for buses to use closed roads, and working with operators to better integrate with services running on adjacent roads. 

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Nov-2020

Study concerning how park and ride services may be able to reduce traffic levels on the strategic road network (SRN). Study suggests focusing on providing a clear reason for passengers to shift modes (i.e. faster, cheaper journeys) could alleviate congestion on the SRN. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.    

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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.

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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.

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Apr-2020

Study evaluating the feasibility of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for smart ticketing purposes. The researchers tracked passengers’ trips from start to finish as part of a check in/be-out system. Results suggested the BLE is feasible for use in smart ticketing. 

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Jun-2025

Paper intended to develop a methodology to evaluate the benefits of smart ticketing systems. Bases evaluation on 6 KPIs: Validations, Rejected Validations, Ticket Inspections, Sale of Travel Passes, Quality of Service, and Alarms. The study demonstrates this methodology in case study evaluating the Italian Region of Lombardy.

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May-2015

Study into the predictors of the intention to use mobile ticketing. Analyses the acceptance and use of these systems on the part of the users. 

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Apr-2020

Study into the effectiveness of the Movingo integrated ticketing scheme in Sweden. Investigated the extent to which public transport use increased, use satisfaction and perceived quality of the service. Found that both satisfaction and public transport use increased as a result of the scheme. 

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Jan-2018

A study into the Verkehrsverbund model for transport operations. The model focuses on integration between services, and collaboration between operators and local governments. The study praises Verkehrsverbunde for improving quality and quantity of public transport services, increasing public transport mode share and reducing subsidies as a percent of revenue.  

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Apri-2018

Paper provides an overview of Bus Services Act 2017, within the context of the deregulation that occurred during the 1980s. Study suggests that the act represents a shift from the extreme emphasis on competition between operators to having a greater emphasis on partnerships between operators and local government. 

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Jun-2018

Study into the extent to which bus service partnerships can lead to improvements in bus services. The study finds that partnerships have increased investment and provided for greater communication between operators and authorities, leading to constructive augmentation of a typical market-based model. 

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Sep-2021

Paper investigating how franchising, classified as a "formal institution", and bus partnerships, classified as an "informal institution", handle the "unintended consequences" of a deregulated market. Includes an overview of the recent history and current state of the bus market in Britain. 

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Apr-2024

Study into the demographics and travel behaviour of the users of a smart ticketing system. The study finds that being educated, wealthy and younger increased rates of adoption, and vice versa. The study also found that longer-term smart ticketing users travelled more for recreational activity and work than non- and new users.

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