Transport authorities set to take new role in facilitating multi-modal information services

New multi-modal transport information and ticketing services which are expected to become available over the next decade are likely to have a profound impact on transport authorities’ role in delivering timetable and journey planning services to the public.

While the public sector currently has a primary role in providing local service information to the public through its statutory responsibilities, Tim Rivett, head of information technology at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, expects that in the future this lead role will switch increasingly to the private sector with the transport authorities focusing on facilitating genuine multi- modal mobility management systems to help meet wider economic, social and sustainability objectives.

He acknowledges that the public sector has been slow to consider how public transport information could be provided in the future via multi-modal mobile journey planners. However, he does not believe that the public sector should necessarily be trying to compete with technology companies in providing new generation mobile journey planners or apps which combine travel with broader journey purpose information and ticket retailing. Instead councils and PTEs could act as facilitators for companies and individuals developing new information services and provide a relatively basic information service so that people who wish to do so can validate information provided by the private sector.

“Yes we have catching up to do, but another way of looking at it is that we have the information (on transport timetables), let’s provide it to people to do innovative things with, and we maybe need to provide a back stop base service,” he says. “There have been exceptions, but historically the public sector has not been good at innovation. If we put the data out there someone will come up with novel ways of presenting information and helping people and what we need to do is work out how to support those people to become the next Trapezes of this world.”

He envisages that the base service provided by local authorities will vary in different areas, depending on local authorities’ skills and staff resources. 

The urban areas have the greatest potential role, and opportunity to re-shape travel patterns. SYPTE itself has begun to offer some information on transport options other than bus rail and tram services on its Travel South Yorkshire website and Rivett is aiming to expand that in the future.

“There is a perception in local authorities that we have to talk more realistically about travel options beyond ‘car bad bus good’,” he says.

Internationally, big metropolitan areas like London, Paris, and the major cities in Germany, are pioneering new concepts that bring all the available travel choices together from trams to bikes, and increasingly taxi and car sharing options too. 

Tim Rivett will be speaking at the transport technology event Travel 2020