The future of mobility will always be a hot topic – connected cities, seamless travel and greener choices lie at the heart of connected communities and a thriving society.
But sometimes, the best way to understand where we're heading is to look back at where we've been.
Historians often tend to reflect fondly on the UK transport network of the '50s when buses and trams were the very backbone of daily life.
And while I'm not suggesting we bring back paper tickets, it's worth considering some of the principles which shaped and helped public transport thrive back then – and see if they could be embraced today.
In the post-war era, more than 14 billion bus journeys were taken annually.
The network worked because it was fairly reliable, integrated and simple to use. People didn't need to think about whether they'd get the best fare or whether the service would show up. They trusted the system because it was designed around them.
With those facts front of mind, it begs the question – has the industry grown complacent and lost sight of the guiding principles that the British public took to their hearts.
Opportunity ahead
Fast-forward to today with affordable congestion-causing cars, shifting work patterns and the pressures on local network budgets, and the reasons for the decline are clear.
But wait. Although bus journey numbers had fallen to around two billion annually by the mid-90s, London's regulated model of public transport was staging a fightback by recognising changing consumer expectations.
The availability of data and its power to allow real-time journey information sharing has irrevocably changed the customer experience for the better. And its influence will only grow in the years to come.
The post-pandemic era has also created an unexpected turning point, driven by changing public habits born of greater public awareness of the environment, sustainability and greener travel.
That and a renewed appreciation of reliability, integrated journeys and user-friendly payment experiences. has almost certainly played its part in a bounce back to around four billion trips.
And that raises a pivotal question: Are changes in regulation and digital integration the catalysts that finally enable us to rebuild an efficient, joined-up national transport network?
From where I sit they represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity that the transport industry, government and private sector must seize together.
A new era of expectation
Today's travellers expect to move easily and intuitively across modes and regions with confidence and don't care who the operator is. They want:
- Clear and consistent fares
- An end-to-end service they can trust
- Best-value guarantees
- Seamless digital purchasing
- Hassle-free journeys across buses, trams, trains from the first to last mile.
Failure to deliver those basic needs to today's discerning customer-base that's grown used to good experiences in their other retail journeys will mean the industry loses them to the car.
Government policy is moving to support improved experiences. With £15.6 billion allocated for mayoral combined authorities and a further £2.3 billion committed to improving local transport infrastructure, the conditions are aligning for real, lasting change.
The recent announcement of a £3 billion government boost for bus infrastructure will mean faster, cheaper and more reliable services for millions of customers. Councils will have freedom to spend their allocations on a multi-year basis how they like – from lowering fares, launching new routes or creating safer bus stops.
Add in the introduction of fuel duty adjustments, EV charge policies and the introduction of pay-per-mile taxes and we're likely to see more people reconsidering public transport as not only a sustainable choice but the sensible economic one.
Technology as the catalyst
At Worldline, we've spent three decades helping to build and power some of Europe's most trusted rail and mobility systems. We're now in the vanguard of using powerful AI tech tools to deliver a step-change for operators and authorities.
Our modern back-office systems remove the complexity while enabling users to deliver data-led, personalised, flexible travel experiences that were impossible even ten years ago.
In cities like Lyon, the Sytral Tap 2 Use system has transformed the customer journey. Since launch, it has processed 40 million transactions and supports 80,000 daily validations across a vast multimodal network. Travellers embraced it immediately because it's simple... tap in, travel, and the system automatically calculates the best possible price.
Meanwhile, in the Île de France region, more than two million users now carry the Navigo pass digitally on their smartphone or smartwatch. They tap, ride and move freely across metro, train and bus services without ever needing to worry about paper tickets or fare tables.
Both examples prove the same fundamental point that when technology and forward-thinking partnerships remove friction, public transport becomes the natural choice.
A customer-centric future
The goal now is clear. We must encourage people who don't typically use public transport to see it as their most reliable, sustainable and tailored option that matches their daily needs.
That means sharing and using data intelligently to instil confidence so customers feel that the system is built just for them and their needs, reflects their priorities and works consistently every single time.
From my experience on both the public and supply side of the industry, several things have always been apparent – where networks are well-integrated, frequent and most importantly reliable, people will use them.
We're now seeing local authorities regain more control of their networks, enabling them to integrate services across modes and break down barriers that historically made public transport feel siloed or confusing. That has to be the foundation of a truly scalable local network that can be rolled out across the UK.
Generational opportunity
With national policy shifting and the anticipated empowerment of Great British Railways and local leaders, we have an opportunity to fix the fragmented systems of the past that we must act on.
The challenge ahead is to design transport experiences that are geography-proof, technology-proof and barrier-proof.
If we get it right, the "glory days" of public transport won't be a nostalgic memory. They'll be the blueprint for a modern, integrated era of mobility that delivers on what customers value most... simplicity, trust and valued for money freedom of movement.
And this time, we won't be turning back the clock. We'll be moving it forward. Together.
