Third Report of Session 2024–25

Transport Committee report calls on the Government to reform the way local bus services are funded and to adopt a national ambition for a minimum level of public transport connectivity. This, MPs say, would protect residents in England’s towns and villages from becoming increasingly isolated.

What people want from transport

New research from IPPR and More in Common reveals that the government has the public’s backing in delivering meaningful transport improvements. Report author Stephen Frost says “the public are clear what better transport looks like. No matter how you vote, where you live or currently get around there is a clear desire for more public transport options and for these to be affordable, accessible and better integrated. City and town centres that prioritise pedestrians, neighbourhood streets with space for children to play and supporting more active journeys to school are all popular. Fear of political backlash is overpriced in many politicians’ views on transport policies.”

Modernising the air transport tax system

The New Economics Foundation’s report argues the UK’s air transport tax system demands urgent modernisation. Author Dr Alex Chapman argues that the UK government is right to recognise the social and economic importance of the UK’s air connectivity, but current tax rates are misaligned with government policy; the current system contains perverse incentives that encourage environmentally damaging behaviour while failing to apply the ​‘polluter pays’ principle to which the government has subscribed.

A four-point plan to save the railways

A new report from centre-right think tank, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), authored by Tony Lodge, warns that the government’s planned introduction of Great British Railways (GBR) risks repeating the mistakes of British Rail by reducing accountability and discouraging competition. The report outlines urgent reforms needed to ensure Great British Railways delivers improved services and financial sustainability. It is critical, Lodge concludes, that Great British Railways is designed and run with customer focus at its heart; encouraging innovation and competition, promoting open access, supporting rail freight, and maximising income from the wider railway estate. Without this, he says, “Great British Railways will merely resurrect the ghost of British Rail”.

How to plan development and transport infrastructure more sustainably

Endorsed by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and the Transport Planning Society, the report is a joint initiative of the Centre for Transport and Society at the University of the West of England, Bristol; ITP; Jon Parker Consultancy; Transport for Quality of Life. The report argues that planning development and transport infrastructure by using an approach that limits road construction and car travel can help grow prosperity; meet decarbonisation objectives; and deliver more sustainable, accessible, equitable and healthy communities.

Cross Modal Safety Change Programme

Acting as an introduction to systems thinking in transport safety, the guide, produced by TRL for DfT, shows how a holistic approach can help prevent accidents and save lives. Through engaging case studies, including the Herald of Free Enterprise, Air France flight 447, and the Selby rail crash, it explores the interplay between people, technology, and wider social structures, highlighting how feedback loops, delayed effects, and system boundaries influence safety. It also tackles the challenges posed by automation and the increasingly complex relationship between humans and intelligent machines.

Transforming Ambitions

The Department for Transport’s Transport AI Action Plan is a 23-point plan which sets out how the Government is using AI to improve transport for everyone in the UK. The plan builds upon the Transport Data Strategy and the AI Opportunities Action Plan to align the transport sector with the broader AI agenda, drive economic growth and deliver on the Plan for Change.

Delivering better, greener buses

IPPR report making the case that good buses drive a strong economy, healthy environment and thriving society. Authors Marcus Johns and  Dr Maya Singer Hobbs propose eight principles for better buses, setting the standard for what governance and funding reforms should seek to achieve. Their research finds that an ambitious modal shift target, accompanied by appropriate funding, can unlock buses’ economic, environmental and social value. Now is the moment to set these in motion to build better local bus networks in every community: a visible and tangible change for everyone.

Advice for the UK Government

The Climate Change Committee’s advice to Government on how it achieves its recommended limit on UK greenhouse gas emissions over the five-year period 2038 to 2042 – the Seventh Carbon Budget – as part of the UK’s legally binding balanced pathway to net zero by 2050. The Seventh Carbon Budget includes detailed decarbonisation targets for surface transport, aviation and maritime. The CCC concludes the best way forward is now clear; the targets are ambitious, but deliverable, provided action is taken rapidly.

Overcoming the Barriers to AI Adoption in Transport

TRL report identifies the major obstacles preventing AI from reaching its full potential in transport. The consensus is clear: Despite major barriers, AI offers significant potential to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability in transport – if deployed thoughtfully and at scale.

Rail investment to unlock prosperity in Yorkshire

Lord Blunkett’s Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail sets out a credible and affordable package of investment in new and accessible stations. Alongside modern rolling stock, improved services in the short term, upgrades to unlock capacity at key stations, development of strategic schemes to transform connectivity between the North’s major centres in the long term, will be investment for housing, jobs and growth. In addition, the report calls for increased powers as part of the devolution agenda to drive change.