Elderly couple on bus

Social inclusion

Transport has a vital role to play in connecting people to opportunities and improving quality of life. The transport choices we make (or are able to make) have a huge impact on our individual and collective ability to fully participate in society.

To support social inclusion, transport options should strive to reflect the needs of the diverse communities that they serve, as well as fulfil ‘the 4 As’: available, accessible, affordable and acceptable.

Resources for this topic

View documents, reports and other material.

Report

Future Streets: Challenges and opportunities

Streets are often the most contested spaces in any town or city. There are a large number and wide variety of calls on street space (at least 160 legitimate calls), and they simply can’t all be met. This report seeks to help local highway and strategic transport authorities rise to the challenge of better street and kerbside management.
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Report

The Good Life: The role of transport in shaping a new and sustainable era for suburbs

We are a nation of suburbanites. However, the ubiquity of suburban living is often not reflected in transport policy. And there can be no decarbonisation of transport without specific measures to decarbonise transport in the suburbs. This report presents four foundations of suburbs for a new era – one which offers all suburbanites the promise of the ‘Good Life’ whilst addressing the climate crisis.
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Report

Leading Light: What Light Rail can do for City Regions

This report, produced by Steer for the Urban Transport Group, shows how Britain’s light rail systems have supported economic growth in the areas that they serve, promoted social inclusion and led to environmental gain, including a reduction in carbon emissions.
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Report

The cross-sector benefits of backing the bus

This report highlights how investing in bus services is key to achieving a wide range of policy objectives across Government. 

The report also finds that the way in which bus services are funded is mired in complexity, with no oversight within Whitehall of how the various funding streams from different Government departments impact on bus services overall.

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Report

Policy futures for urban transport

The latest edition of Policy futures for urban transport emphasises how a new deal on funding and powers is essential to keep the UK's cities moving forward.

The report sets out the 10 key policy changes that are needed to make cities healthier, fairer and more prosperous.

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Report

Policy Futures

Policy futures for urban transport sets out how, with more focused governance in place, the city regions are delivering major investment programmes including on public transport, highways and active travel, and smart ticketing. The report says that - with the right national policy framework - further and faster progress can be made, including:

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Report

Horizon scan of implications of technological and social change

This report aims to provide decision makers with a guide to the implications for urban transport of transformative social and technological change and how they can best respond. 

The report (which was produced in collaboration with Arup Foresight) identifies four key overarching trends: 

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Report

Ticket to Thrive: The role of urban public transport in tackling unemployment

This report reveals the vital role of public transport, and the bus in particular, in enabling people to find and sustain employment. Some 77% of jobseekers in British cities outside London do not have regular access to a car, van or motorbike and can face significant barriers to work as a result.

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Report

LSTF Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance - Final Report

Building on the work of the Department for Transport, pteg commissioned AECOM to prepare additional guidance for PTEs and other Local Transport Authorities to assist in the monitoring and evaluation of Local Sustainable Transport Fund projects. The guidance provides a practical approach to developing cost effective and affordable monitoring and evaluation programmes.

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Report

Total Transport - Working across sectors to achieve better outcomes

This report highlights the essential role of public transport, walking and cycling in achieving key health, social care and employment policy goals. It warns that this contribution could be put at risk unless there is more focus on collaborative, cross-sector funding and delivery of transport interventions.

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Report

Transport and Social Inclusion: Have we made the connections in our cities?

This report provides a general introduction to the social inclusion and transport agenda. A public transport network that promotes social inclusion is one that is available, accessible, affordable and acceptable. The report takes stock of progress towards creating such a network and considers potential next steps.

Read more about Transport and Social Inclusion: Have we made the connections in our cities? Download file

Press release

New transport technologies must promote equity and inclusion to deliver just transition to net zero, says report

Embracing new technologies will play a key role in decarbonising transport and help towns and cities to achieve net zero emissions – but steps must also be taken to ensure that the way new technologies are applied does not marginalise some groups or reinforce existing inequalities.
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Press release

National Infrastructure Commission is right to make devolved transport funding for cities a key test for Government’s future infrastructure plan

The National Infrastructure Commission’s call for Government to make devolved funding for urban transport to cities a key test of the Government’s forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy is hugely welcome, says the Urban Transport Group.
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Press release

UK's largest urban transport authorities set out vision for future of transport in the city regions

Following on from the EU referendum, the formation of a new Government and with the start of the party conference season, the Urban Transport Group has set out a vision for how UK transport policy could unfold in a way that will enable the nation’s largest urban areas to deliver inclusive growth in a smart and sustainable way.

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Briefing

Social inclusion

Transport has a vital role to play in connecting people to opportunities, improving quality of life and accelerating our transition to net zero emissions. This briefing explores the role of transport in supporting social inclusion.
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Briefing

Job access schemes - Briefing

Transport plays a major role in the decision making process about whether to apply for, accept or stay in employment. This briefing looks at job access schemes for supporting this decision making process and enabling people to overcome transport barriers to employment. It also considers how the core elements of these schemes can be secured, supported and extended.

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Briefing

Policy Futures - Young Peoples' concessions

This Policy Futures paper sets out the costs and benefits of different options for concessions for children and young people, and sets them in a wider policy context of achieving more effective overall policies in this area.

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Briefing

Concessionary Travel: The funding timebomb for PTEs

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme has been highly successful in giving older and disabled people the freedom of free off‐peak bus travel. But the costs of the scheme are rising fast whilst funding is falling. This financial ‘timebomb’ will lead to severe cuts in other frontline transport services unless a sustainable funding solution can be found.

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Briefing

Transport and Social Inclusion: Have we made the connections in our cities?

This report provides a general introduction to the social inclusion and transport agenda. A public transport network that promotes social inclusion is one that is available, accessible, affordable and acceptable. The report takes stock of progress towards creating such a network and considers potential next steps.

Read more about Transport and Social Inclusion: Have we made the connections in our cities? Download file