Written evidence submitted by the Urban Mobility Partnership (BCC0077)

About the Urban Mobility Partnership (UMP)

The Urban Mobility Partnership (UMP) is a coalition committed to providing long-term leadership and near-term solutions to improve future mobility. We were founded to ensure that effective policy at a national, regional, and local level, combined with new technology, supports better mobility and helps tackle the major challenges of congestion, air quality and decarbonisation. 

The membership of the Urban Mobility Partnership; consisting of Enterprise, Brompton Bike Hire, Stagecoach, Motability, Liftango, and Dott-Tier; covers the breadth of the mobility landscape and combines for millions of consumer journeys a year across the UK. 

UMP is submitting evidence to the ‘Buses Connecting Communities’ inquiry to share its perspective on how multimodal solutions and a new era of public private partnership will help rural transport services get back on their feet and fully serve the communities where they operate.

Introduction

As a coalition of mobility providers, UMPs membership is at the cutting edge of a range of mobility solutions that help connect consumers to public transport networks to ensure that public services are vibrant and properly utilised. Our aim is to support public transport networks, not replace them or compete with them. As such, our submission concerns a number of innovative solutions, technologies, and partnership models that will help policymakers, local authorities, and local transport networks ensure they have the tools resources they need to put rural and non-urban public transport networks on a sustainable long-term footing.

Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) – which provides flexible options for rural mobility - and mobility hubs - which allow consumers access to a variety of range-extending mobility options – are two innovations that could greatly open up rural transport options for consumers. And on Enhanced Partnerships, we will show how these franchising alternatives ensure value for money for local government while maximising service availability for consumers.

Responding to Question ‘F’:

Evaluating Alternative Service Models: Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) and Mobility Hubs

Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) presents a highly flexible, cost-effective model for improving rural mobility by complementing existing public transport services. DRT enables passengers to book transport around their schedule, providing greater convenience and accessibility than traditional fixed-route services, particularly in less populated areas where demand is low and dispersed.

Mobility hubs, meanwhile, are places of connectivity where different travel options such as walking, biking, car, bus, can be incorporated. They can help to provide connected access to a range of sustainable modes of transport, including public transport. With relatively recent and rapid advances in electric transport options such as e-bikes and e-scooters, mobility hubs can utilise new technologies to extend the range of these more traditional alternative transport modes, while also incorporating schemes such as car clubs for consumers who want the convenience and range of a car without the burden of private car ownership.

The Role of DRT in Enhancing Rural Transport

To support fixed-route buses that often have to operate at low capacity in rural areas, DRT offers dynamic scheduling and routing, allowing vehicles to serve passengers more efficiently. With advanced technology platforms, operators can optimize routes in real time, balancing cost with passenger convenience. This dynamic approach ensures better coverage, reduced travel times, and more equitable access to transport services for rural residents.

Key advantages of DRT include:

• Increased coverage without additional costs: Dynamic DRT systems allow operators to expand service coverage across wider geographies while maintaining operational efficiency.
• Improved passenger experience: Features such as real-time reservations, contactless payments, and live vehicle tracking enhance usability and safety, encouraging greater uptake.
• Environmental benefits: By optimizing vehicle dispatch and pooling passengers, DRT reduces the environmental impact of rural transport, contributing to the Government’s decarbonization goals.

Addressing Common Barriers to DRT

While DRT offers significant potential, successful implementation requires collaboration between public and private stakeholders. Key barriers, such as data sharing and integration with fixed-route services, must be addressed to ensure a seamless experience for users. We recommend that the Government incentivise partnerships between local authorities and private DRT providers, ensuring access to critical data and fostering mutual trust. Additionally, ongoing financial support is essential to help DRT services gain long-term viability in low-density areas.

The Role of Mobility Hubs in Supporting Rural Public Transport

Mobility hubs can play a pivotal role in enhancing rural transport by providing central locations where various transport modes—DRT, buses, car share, e-bikes, and e-scooters—converge. Properly designed hubs offer frictionless connectivity, enabling residents to transition easily between different modes of transport.

Key benefits of mobility hubs include:

• Encouraging multimodal transport use: By offering a range of transport options in one location, mobility hubs reduce dependency on private cars.
• Optimising public space: Hubs can be designed to integrate with parking areas and public spaces, encouraging sustainable land use and active travel.
• Data-driven improvements: Managed networks of hubs can provide real-time data to operators and local authorities, enabling continuous service optimisation.

For rural areas, carefully planned mobility hubs can enhance the efficiency of both fixed-route and DRT services by coordinating timetables and reducing waiting times. We recommend that the Government provide funding for feasibility studies and pilot programs to assess the effectiveness of mobility hubs in rural communities.

The Broader Role of Shared Mobility

Beyond DRT, other shared mobility options such as car share, e-bikes, and e-scooters can support rural transport networks by offering first- and last-mile solutions. When integrated through mobility hubs, these services can significantly enhance connectivity and reduce rural car dependency.

UMP stands ready to support further discussions on how best to integrate these innovative transport solutions into rural communities. By adopting a coordinated approach, we can ensure that rural areas are no longer left behind in the transition toward a modern, sustainable transport system.

Responding to Question ‘G’:

Enhanced Partnerships (EPs) have demonstrated significant potential in improving bus services outside major urban areas, particularly by fostering collaboration between local transport authorities (LTAs) and bus operators. UMP believes the core question remains: How can bus services be improved to benefit passengers and the wider community, especially by encouraging a sustained modal shift away from car dependency? The answer to this should guide decisions about which model—EPs, franchising, or alternative innovations—is most suitable for a given area.

Successes of Enhanced Partnerships

There are several examples of EPs delivering real improvements for passengers:

• Portsmouth Bus Partnership: This voluntary partnership between Portsmouth City Council and UMP Member Stagecoach has driven notable success, with ridership now at 115-120% of pre-COVID levels. The partnership has also seen investments in high-quality vehicles and the introduction of multi-operator travel card zones, improving convenience for passengers.
• Leicester Enhanced Partnership: In May 2022, Leicester City Council and seven bus operators formed an EP with 100 ambitious goals, supported by a mix of operator investment, council funding, and additional DfT support. By mid-2024, 94 out of 100 commitments had been achieved, including the deployment of 134 battery-electric buses, making 50% of the city’s network zero-emission. Other key outcomes include a 25% increase in patronage on orbital services, 500,000 passengers using a free city centre service in its first year, and a 26% rise in overall bus ridership, outpacing the regional average by 18%. This example shows how a well-structured partnership can improve services, enhance air quality, and boost decarbonization efforts.

To further demonstrate success, in July 2024, the Sub-national Transport Bodies (STBs) for the Wider South-East area, Transport East (TE), Transport for the South East (TfSE), and England’s Economic Heartland (EEH), alongside Suffolk County Council (SCC) and the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) brought together Enhanced Partnership (EP) Chairs and Managers and key bus organisations from across the three regions to share learnings and experiences, and to identify ways to maximise the impact of EPs in the future for the benefit of all. 

The document identifies several key benefits of Enhanced Partnerships (EPs) for improving bus services. These are:

● Strengthened relationships between Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and bus operators. The EP framework has led to more active engagement from bus operators in the areas they serve and has resulted in the co-writing of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs).

● Improved governance through regular board meetings where LTAs and bus operators can openly discuss challenges and collaboratively find solutions. These meetings provide a platform for discussing and resolving issues, leading to greater visibility of risks and faster problem resolution.

● A regulatory framework has been provided, enabling LTAs to establish specific requirements for bus operators, such as minimum service frequencies and standards for vehicles. This framework allows LTAs to enforce progress towards broader policy objectives by holding operators accountable.

● EPs provide an alternative to franchising in areas where franchising is not applicable. This is particularly relevant in more rural areas, where full franchising may not be a viable option.

● Better decision-making is enabled through a greater understanding by LTAs of how bus services operate and the challenges faced by operators.

● EPs have facilitated cross-border collaboration and idea sharing between neighboring LTAs, especially where bus services cross local authority boundaries.

● EPs have helped to put buses at the top of the agenda with local members and politicians.

Why Enhanced Partnerships Deserve Continued Support

While the Government is working to simplify the franchising process for LTAs and Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs), franchising should not be viewed as the only viable solution. Franchising involves significant financial risk, high setup costs, and requires substantial expertise. For example, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) estimates that it would need at least £100 million to establish a franchised system, covering administration, vehicle purchases, and depot acquisition. Additionally, an independent poll conducted for The Best for West Yorkshire campaign showed that two-thirds of residents prefer that financial risk remains with private operators rather than being transferred to taxpayers.

Further, the EP model may allow bus operators to more openly collaborate with other mobility providers, such as car clubs, bike and scooter share, or even Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services. This is because the risk of such collaboration would again be mostly borne on the operators, rather than the council. Under EPs collaborative projects such as mobility hubs may be more likely to flourish because the funding can be shared across operators and the LTA’s, whereas under a franchised model the LTA would more likely be responsible for a far greater share of the costs.

Given the current economic pressures on local government and the need to demonstrate value for money, Enhanced Partnerships offer a practical alternative that allows LTAs to exert greater control over services without incurring the significant costs and risks associated with franchising. With many BSIP-funded projects still in progress (funding for 2022-2025 was only allocated to 31 out of 79 authorities), it is too soon to judge EPs' full potential.

Challenges Facing Enhanced Partnerships

Enhanced Partnerships have been introduced during a historically challenging period for the bus sector:

• COVID-19: The pandemic led to a steep decline in bus use in 2020/21, but ridership has steadily recovered, reaching around 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023/24.
• Funding pressures: Since 2010, local authorities have faced severe funding constraints. The National Audit Office (NAO) highlighted that EP powers have been limited by these financial pressures, with local authorities often forced to prioritize statutory services over public transport.
• Decline in council-subsidized services: Subsidized rural routes have decreased by 45% between 2005 and 2024, with over 56% of lifeline services lost since 2009. This has left many rural communities underserved, further emphasizing the need for innovative, flexible service models like EPs and Demand Responsive Transport (DRT).

January 2025