Setting up the transport ecosystem for success under devolution

Guest blog by Keith Hawker, Director - Transport at Civica

As plans for local government devolution in England begin to take shape, here we look at how local authorities can start to envision the future of their public transport infrastructure and the role that data will play.

The first thing to buy when you arrive in Zurich is one of its famous travel cards. They are available via an app or from any ticket machine and offer unlimited travel on the city’s tram, bus, train, funicular (those are the trains that carry you up steep diagonal tracks) and cable car network, including airport transfers. One ticket to cover them all. It’s one of the world’s leading examples of multimodal public transport – being able to travel seamlessly across different modes of transport – and is a best practice case of data sharing in transportation.

Joining up different modes of transport in this way has several key requirements. For starters, all modes need to be integrated under one digital ticket that’s readable by the different transport providers. Pay As You Go systems mean that passengers can freely tap in and out along their journey without prior booking. Cycling and walking routes are integrated into the transport network too, to encourage more active travel. When it comes to moving between modes of transport, the connecting stations, stops and hubs are built in close proximity to one another, including good accessibility and appropriate wayfinder signage to make transitions as easy as possible. But it’s no good getting off a train just after your connecting bus pulls away. Timetables need to be joined up, routes need to be optimised, and passengers need to be kept informed with real-time updates. And then there is daily fleet management to make sure that things like maintenance schedules, staff and vehicle availability, performance monitoring and vehicle safety and compliance are all kept up to date so that the network can continue to run smoothly.

Aside from making it easy for tourists to get around, modern, connected transport systems such as Zurich’s are great for improving productivity, spurring growth, increasing employment opportunities within the region, championing urban regeneration, connecting communities, contributing to net zero strategies, supporting housing development and tackling regional inequalities. It's no wonder that improving regional transport systems is one of the key drivers in the UK government’s devolution programme. It promises to bring greater financial resilience to local government, deliver on wider community commitments for economic growth and improve citizen welfare – making it a win-win-win scenario.

Devolving public transport in the UK

Greater Manchester is often held up as the leading example of what devolved transportation can achieve, and for good reason. Its new integrated Bee Network comprises a franchised bus network, a comprehensive tram system, plenty of walking and cycling routes and there are plans to integrate local rail services by 2030 using ridership analytics and network modelling. Indeed, the network has been designed using mobility data and insights on travel patterns. Greater Manchester Combined Authority is able to report increased passenger numbers on its buses and trams and a 10% improvement on bus punctuality since franchising. Meanwhile, 25% of the bus fleet will become zero emission by the end of 2025 and approximately 2.5 million car journeys have been taken off the road thanks to Manchester’s growing Metrolink. EY is forecasting that Greater Manchester will outpace the UK’s economic growth rate in the coming years, and its transport network is one of the main reasons why.

Elsewhere, other Mayoral Authorities are benefitting from their devolved powers to decide how funding can improve transport infrastructure too. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has a £500m new train fleet and more than 100 fully electric buses, tram networks are being expanded in both East and West Midlands and a new tram system is now pencilled in for delivery in West Yorkshire by the mid-2030s. Of course, establishing successful transport infrastructure takes time and requires sustainable funding that lives beyond a single parliament. There is now a chance to review what the new devolution structure will look like long term for both the established and the soon-to-be-created new strategic authorities.

With six combined authorities on the government’s Devolution Priority Programme, and agreements in place for a further 13 regions, new strategic authorities will be considering how they too can build their case for integrated transport infrastructure to deliver huge economic and social benefits.

Devolution and data sharing agreements

The government’s white paper on English devolution highlights that ‘greater devolved powers need to go hand in hand with the necessary evidence and data – both to design and deliver efficient, effective, and equitable local services, and to help the public hold their leaders to account for delivering change.’ The gauntlet is set for local authorities to enhance their data capabilities and improve maturity so that they can build business cases, optimise services and track performance. This should be looked at from two perspectives.

In the first instance, it means getting internal data practices in order. As Civica’s Future of Local Government Report 2025 has revealed, however, there is still a lot of work to be done in this regard. In terms of the barriers to implementing data initiatives, 39% of councils report that their existing digital infrastructure is inadequate to support innovation, while digital skills gaps persist for 40% of councils. Turning this around will begin by first reviewing current levels of data maturity, identifying the gaps and then establishing robust data governance on which to build. It’s a cleansing and reorganising job that is going to require dedicated time and support to bring digital capabilities up to the appropriate baseline.

The other angle to look at this is from the challenge of making data interoperable so that it can be shared in useful ways with partners. That’s other departments and councils but also transport providers, technology specialists and regional stakeholders that will be involved in any changes to the transport infrastructure. Back to the Zurich example, its success has been in creating an ecosystem in which all partners can work off the same sheet (interoperable data) while passengers experience zero friction when moving through the system. For most regional authorities in England, a multimodal transport system does not need to be as complex as Zurich’s. They will need solutions that best serve the local population and bring equity to the region, but in terms of good data practices, the same rules will apply.

Again, there is a lot of work to do. 48% of local authorities reported having made minimal or no progress in improving the standardisation and interoperability of their data, and 53% have made minimal or no progress in improving overall data quality.

By establishing better data governance, local authorities’ ability to work with transport and population data will improve exponentially, but it’s the establishment of effective data sharing agreements that will really expedite plans under devolution. This is the way that critical citizen and population data is protected without compromising the evidence and insights needed to push crucial transport initiatives forward.

At this point, it’s possible to embed data across every layer of planning, delivery and evaluation, empowering local authorities to design transport systems that are not only efficient and sustainable, but also equitable, responsive and future-ready. By investing in digital infrastructure, fostering cross-sector collaboration and building public trust, devolved regions can unlock transformative potential to create transport networks that truly reflect and serve the evolving needs of their communities.

About Civica

Civica is a global GovTech champion focused on developing critical cloud-based software and services that are integral to the everyday lives of citizens around the world. From central and local government to education, health and care, more than 6,000 customers trust and partner with Civica, using our software to deliver critical services to more than 100 million citizens. With operations in seven countries across North America, Europe and APAC and more than 20 years of experience, we’re passionate about supporting the needs of citizens and those that serve them every day. Find out more: www.civica.com

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