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Britain’s Largest Cities Need Their Own ‘Oyster’

21st November 2008

Britain’s largest cities – from Newcastle to Bristol – need their own version of London’s Oyster card to encourage city residents back on to public transport, according to a new Centre for Cities report, out today.

While London has seen a boom in bus use, with 51% growth over the last decade, bus companies are losing passengers in other large urban areas, where bus use has stagnated or plummeted over the same period:

  • Tyne and Wear (including Newcastle and Sunderland) has seen a decline in bus rider-ship – with the number of bus journeys made during the past decade dropping by over a quarter.
  • Numbers of bus journeys have also dropped by a fifth in Merseyside and by 10% in South Yorkshire.

To drive up bus use and improve public transport in UK urban areas, the report calls for ‘Oyster’ style integrated travel tickets in Britain’s biggest cities. Centre for Cities recommend new partnerships between city leaders, transport operators and private sector ticketing firms, some of which are already willing to invest in ticketing solutions. These partnerships are needed to overcome the current financial, technological and regulatory hurdles that prevent other cities from following London’s lead.

Alongside clear, easy-to-use integrated tickets for buses and all other modes of local transport, the report also recommends:

  • A faster transition to new Integrated Transport Authorities in Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Merseyside, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol and Tees Valley - with boundaries that reflect city region labour markets. These new bodies have all the powers needed to bring together local transport services - which existing transport authorities currently lack.
  • A greater focus from the Department for Transport on urban bus services, establishing a clear point of contact for city-regions seeking to improve bus services, whether through London-style franchised services or through a tighter partnership between operators and local councils, like in Brighton, Cambridge and York.

Dr Adam Marshall, Head of Policy at the Centre for Cities said,

“Over the past three decades Labour and Conservative governments alike have failed to turn around public transport in Britain’s big urban areas – and city residents have increasingly opted for the car.

“Except in London, transport in most British cities remains fragmented and uncoordinated. This is a big problem in today’s tough economic climate as public transport is a lifeline to work and services. Cities like Newcastle and Liverpool need their own Oyster-style travel card if they’re to persuade people back on to buses – and help residents stay in work.”

Robbie Owen, Partner and Head of Major Projects at Bircham Dyson Bell said:

“The Local Transport Bill provides some important opportunities for the development and integration of local transport. The introduction of Integrated Transport Authorities and the prospect of the new powers which come with them, need to be grasped and this will mean undertaking governance reviews. Whilst Quality Contracts may be the headline, smarter choices and smartcard ticketing will also deliver massive improvements for passengers.”

Keith Mitchell, Partner, Peter Brett Associates said,

“The planning and delivery of public transport in our major cities is fragmented and does not permit the substantial improvements to public transport we need to be made rapidly and effectively. This paper offers some interesting and practical policy options that could help to overcome some of the barriers to improved ridership, and enable public transport to better support the economy by providing better access to jobs and business.”

For more information, please contact:
Rosamund Taylor, Acting External Affairs Manager,
Centre for Cities, Telephone 0207 803 4316.
Mobile: 07876 175 426. Email: r.taylor@centreforcities.org

 

On the move: Delivering integrated transport in Britain’s cities is available to download from www.centreforcities.org/onthemove from Friday 21st November or upon request.

This report was authored by John Preston, Professor at the School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, and director of the Transportation Research Group and Dr Adam Marshall and Lena Tochtermann at the Centre for Cities.

This independent report was produced with support from Peter Brett Associates and Bircham Dyson Bell.

Peter Brett Associates LLP is an independent multi-disciplinary consultancy, bringing engineering, planning and technical excellence together to deliver sustainable development and infrastructure projects worldwide.

Bircham Dyson Bell LLP is a leading law firm with a particular focus on real estate and major projects, providing a uniquely comprehensive range of legal, political and public affairs services to clients involved in regeneration and renewal. These extend from initial feasibility, through the planning and authorisation stages and on to procurement, funding and construction.

The Centre for Cities is an independent urban policy research unit. It is a registered charity (No 1119841) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (No 6215397). Our main goal is to understand how and why economic growth and change takes place in Britain's cities, and to help cities improve their economic performance.