Rural bus services - with notable exceptions - are patchy, infrequent and indirect. Among the consequences of this is that people in rural areas are very car-dependent and those without cars are unable to travel independently. The impacts are often felt in towns and cities. Congestion is generated not in urban centres but on the periphery.

The Buses Bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform the bus network for all, to provide better services for rural areas and more efficient public transport in our great cities.

At the same time, the Transport Committee is examining the role of bus services in connecting rural communities with nearby towns and suburban areas. The inquiry will evaluate the effectiveness of recent Government policy in tackling the decline in bus services. It will explore the social and economic consequences of poor connectivity and consider whether innovations in alternative service models could provide solutions.

This webinar will gather reflections which may be submitted to the Transport Committee, and consider ways of thinking about the design of rural services that will be enabled by the Buses Bill.

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Speakers:

Jonathan Bray, Adviser to Welsh Government on bus reform 
Franchising: applications and implications for rural areas.

Beate Kubitz, Director at Beate Kubitz Associates Ltd
A right to mobility? How requiring access and equity shapes bus network design in France.

Stephen Joseph, Professor at the Smart Mobility Unit, University of Hertfordshire 
Will the Buses Bill ensure rural communities get connected? Lessons from the Rural Mobility Round Tables and how they can be implemented.

James West - Business Development Northern Europe at Padam Mobility 
Designing rural bus networks combining fixed routes and on-demand services to enable equitable access for all.

REGISTER HERE