‘The future of transport will be shaped by apps, not infrastructure’

There is growing evidence of a shift in lifestyle choices from ownership to use, according to Alistair Kirkbride, director at Carplus, the environmental transport NGO. “Whether it’s AirBnB or Uber, the headlines are being grabbed by apps rather than infrastructure. And travel is at the centre of this revolution,” says Kirkbride, who will be speaking at Smarter Travel LIVE.

“Young professionals in cities increasingly invest in smartphones to hail a ride rather than in their own set of wheels, and rural silver surfers use their tablets to share lifts. Their new travel demands are being met by the digital revolution rather than a timetable or set of keys.”

Smarter Travel LIVE will discuss existing trends and explore ways in which shared transport will complement public transport. The event will assess the likely scale of the sharing of cars, lifts and bikes and how these new trends are already disrupting the existing transport landscape. 

Speakers will highlight innovations and trends from overseas, consider how shared transport fits in to accepted wisdom of future mobility in the UK and the implications of a sharing economy.

Leading car clubs, car share and bike share operators will set out their models for the development of the sector within a UK context. A panel debate will address common thinking, identify challenges and point to opportunities. The discussion and workshops will focus on how this translates to delivery.

Four workshops along with speed networking sessions will explore: 

• The business case for shared transport for LEPs (Local Enterprise Partnerships) and city regions

• How bike share can benefit cities 

• Sharing lifts and the UberPool ‘disruptor’ 

• Shared transport in rural areas 

The event, organised by Landor LINKS, will also host the formal launch of Bikeplus, the new representative voice of the UK’s bike share sector as well as the Smarter Travel Awards, which will include a new Shared Transport award.

Alistair Kirkbride will be speaking at Smarter Travel LIVE, which takes place at ArenaMK, Milton Keynes on 17-18 March 2106.