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On 21 November 2008, Centre for Cities published a report (On the move: delivering integrated transport in Britain's cities) which argues that Britain's largest cities - from Newcastle to Bristol - need their own version of London's Oyster card to encourage city residents back on to public transport.
The report observes that, while London has witnessed a dramatic growth in bus use, with an increase of 51% over the last decade, bus companies are losing passengers in other large urban areas where bus use has stagnated or plummeted over the same period. For instance, Tyne and Wear (including Newcastle and Sunderland) has seen an appreciable decline in bus usage with the number of journeys made dropping by over a quarter in the past decade. Similarly, numbers of bus journeys have also declined by a fifth in Merseyside and South Yorkshire.
To increase bus use and improve public transport in UK urban areas, the report calls for ‘Oyster' style integrated travel tickets in Britain's biggest cities. It recommends new partnerships between city leaders, transport operators and private sector ticketing firms, some of whom are already willing to invest in ticketing solutions. These partnerships are needed to overcome the current financial, technological and regulatory hurdles that prevent other cities following London's lead.
Alongside clear, easy-to-use integrated tickets for buses and other modes of local transport, the report recommends:
On the move: delivering integrated transport in Britain's cities