ITS UK advocates for demand-responsive transport at UK Parliament’s Transport Committee

ITS UK‘s Max Sugarman urged UK lawmakers to secure sustainable funding and regulatory flexibility for demand-responsive transport (DRT), emphasizing its cost-effectiveness, social value, and role in rural access and decarbonization. He advocated integrating DRT into national transport strategy, stressing metrics beyond subsidies and addressing barriers to transport technology adoption.

Max Sugarman, chief executive of Intelligent Transport Systems UK (ITS UK) appeared before the UK Parliament's Transport Select Committee on Wednesday March 12th, to give evidence in its Buses Connecting Communities inquiry.

Speaking on the use of demand responsive transport (DRT) systems, Mr Sugarman urged the Committee to consider how longer term, sustainable funding can support the wider roll out of DRT services and how changes to regulations around private hire and service can give more flexibility to DRT operators, particularly in size of vehicles.

Sugarman also pointed out that DRT can be delivered cost-effectively, but should be considered on wider metrics than just subsidy per passenger, with considerations around social value, accessibility and inclusion taken into account; and urged that DRT services are considered as part of an integrated transport system, as the government develops the Integrated National Transport Strategy.

The session also covered a variety of topics around buses, with ITS UK urging a more strategic approach from government to Mobility as a Service (MaaS), that the committee looks at the cancellation by government of the £20m Intelligent Traffic Management Fund (ITMF) for innovation in road traffic, and ITS UK raising issues around the use of operational expenditure by local authorities, which acts as a barrier to procuring transport technology services.

"Demand responsive transport – the use of digital technology to provide flexible, on-demand public transport – is essential to communities across the country," says Sugarman. "Whether through supporting rural areas where there are few other public transport options, in supporting those with accessibility needs to get to services in their local area or by helping the decarbonisation of the transport system.

"So, it was great to be able to set out to the Transport Select Committee today, why these services are so valuable, that many are delivering cost-effectively and how government can support the sector further through long term funding certainty and changes to regulations to make DRT easier to implement. As our written evidence sets out, DRT can do so much in supporting the government's key aims, helping support an integrated, green, accessible and affordable transport network for the country."

The session was videoed and ITS UK has published its written evidence submitted to the committee.

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