The Go-Ahead Group and engineering and consulting firm Arup have published their vision of improved bus stops and interchanges amid local authority bids for £3bn of funding under the government’s Bus Back Better programme.
The Future Mobility Hubs report explores how a network of such interchanges could better integrate public transport, micromobility, walking and cycling, declaring that an increase in the latter in recent years has highlighted deficiencies in infrastructure. Such improvements will be a key factor in encouraging more bus travel, the company says.
Using a “hub, node and spoke approach”, the hubs would be built around an existing urban plan, extending out from urban centres to rural areas emphasising current transport corridors while opening new routes along walking and cycling routes.
The futuristic hubs would benefit from solar-powered lighting and heating, cycle storage and hire, charging points and integrated wi-fi, community gardens, and co-working spaces. They would be complemented by a digital framework integrated with smartphones to enhance the journey experience.
A number of sites have already been identified by Go-Ahead operating companies for mobility hubs in submissions to local authorities.
“The onboard environment on buses has improved markedly with modern vehicles and better accessibility. But our customers also want a more comfortable environment to wait for a bus, or to change between modes of transport,” says Go-Ahead’s Interim Customer and Commercial Director Mark Anderson. “Today we’re setting out a vision of what bus stops and interchanges could look like in the future.
“For the UK to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, we need millions of people to switch from cars to public transport. We’ll only achieve that, as a country, if we think big, work closely with local authorities and come up with ideas to make travelling as attractive as possible.”
Adds Richard de Cani, Arup’s Global Planning Lead: “As people demand improved connectivity solutions and grapple with the impact that their choices have on climate change, this vision for mobility hubs sets out a high-quality framework to spark fundamental change – providing us with a sustainable alternative to shift our behaviour and support decarbonisation of the transport network.
“Currently, transport options in our towns and cities can be fragmented. Mobility hubs could combine services to provide more integrated and convenient journey choices while reducing the carbon impact and helping us achieve our net zero ambitions.”
