Transport Insights

Following publication of the government’s “Better Connected” so-called strategy for integrated transport last week, the Commons Transport Committee is to hold another session in its inquiry into “joined-up journeys”, including asking witnesses whether the strategy sets out a feasible approach to better integration.

The main aim of the session, led by committee chair Ruth Cadbury, is to probe factors shaping transport users’ behaviour with a number of experts, including behavioural scientists.

But, according to the committee’s explanation of the context for the inquiry, the problem to be addressed is quite a drastic one, beyond the scope of behavioural science:

The session comes as Government data shows that most passenger miles travelled in the UK in 2024 did not involve any mode of public transport. One of the reasons advanced for this in evidence to the Committee is that transport systems are often not reliable or convenient enough for people and that in some cases this is due to a lack of integration.  

The Committee will look in particular into the main factors shaping people’s transport choices, the barriers that discourage people from switching modes and how integration could affect travel behaviour.  

MPs will explore how active travel options, such as cycling and walking, should be integrated into the transport network to encourage users to consider healthier and more sustainable options when possible. They will also probe how transport integration could affect groups with fewer choices, including low-income households, shift workers, disabled people and rural residents.  

With the government’s “strategy” mainly focusing on superficial consumer-facing measures rather than actually integrating transport, it seems unlikely that the committee will decide that it “sets out a feasible approach to better integration” – except that slightly better than at present is a pretty low bar.

Interestingly, this particular inquiry was launched in July and stopped taking submissions in October, but is currently holding around one evidence session a month.