New transport strategy includes plan for real-time

bus tracking in rural areas

Published on Thursday 2 April, Better Connected: A Strategy for Integrated Transport outlines the government’s plans for improving how people across the country get from A to B, with the document giving specific emphasis to supporting those who live outside of big towns and cities.

A newly announced partnership between the government and global tech giant Google is one of the measures included in the new strategy, and will enable passengers to track their bus in real-time via the Google Maps app on their smartphone.

While live bus tracking has been around for some time, the new partnership means all bus passengers, regardless of their location or which travel provider they are using, will be able to benefit from the technology, meaning more journeys can be planned with confidence.

The new technology is expected to be of significant benefit to people who live and work in rural communities across England, where transport connections are widely accepted as being less reliable than those in urban parts of the country.

ACRE’s own five-year strategy – Rural Ambition: Enabling Communities to Thrive – lists transport as one of the top challenges facing rural communities today.

The issue of poor transport within rural areas is compounded by the fact that people living in the countryside are often further away from everyday amenities, such as shops, places of work and healthcare services, than their urban counterparts, making long journeys essentially unavoidable.

Patrick Mahon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, said: “The lack of reliable, affordable public transport in rural areas is a widespread problem which impacts on those in greatest need and holds back economic growth.

“We welcome the fact that the new integrated national transport strategy explicitly recognises several of the main challenges that face public transport users in rural communities.

“These include the delays and extra costs they encounter when they have to take multiple buses or trains to get to their destination, and the difficulty of knowing when the next bus will actually turn up.

“The strategy has the potential to deliver a step change for rural transport users, and ACRE looks forward to working with central and local government to ensure that this potential is delivered in practice.”

Elsewhere, the strategy includes plans for a pilot project in the Peak District that will ensure better alignment between rural bus and train timetables, so that overall journeys are more joined-up and passengers are waiting less for connecting services.

Titled Mini Switzerland, the pilot was inspired by the smooth transport connections that are widely available to people living in more rural parts of Europe, such as the Alps.

Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, said: “For too long, getting from A to B has been more complicated than it needs to be.

“People want journeys to be easy and reliable. They want to be able to get off a train and straight on to a bus without having to battle through a confusing system or buy separate tickets for each part of their journey.

“That’s why we’re giving local leaders the powers to build transport networks that are simpler, more accessible and better connected, improving everyday journeys and supporting growth in every corner of the country.”

To find out more and to read the new strategy in full, visit www.gov.uk/transport.

“The lack of reliable, affordable public transport in rural areas is a widespread problem which impacts on those in greatest need and holds back economic growth.”

Patrick Mahon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, ACRE