Putting people and places at the heart of transport planning

16 July 2025  |  Alice Ridley  |  Local transport

“Transport related social exclusion (TRSE) is a crisis affecting almost one in five people across England.

“Research from Transport for the North (TfN) shows that 11.2 million people in England now live in areas at high risk of TRSE – up from 9.8 million in our previous assessment in 2019. People living in coastal communities, rural towns and communities on the fringes of large city regions are at particular risk.

“The path forward is clear: if we put people at the centre of our decisions, planning and delivery, we can start to make a difference together. Only by actively seeking diverse views, understanding those needs and acting on the evidence can we create a more socially inclusive and sustainable transport system. We need to focus more on ‘people, people, people’.”

Understanding the human impact

“Transport-related social exclusion occurs when transport issues prevent people from participating fully in society – whether through cost barriers, poor accessibility, unreliable services, or inadequate connections to essential destinations. TfN’s research shows the problem disproportionately affects those on low incomes, people with disabilities, and those with caring responsibilities.

“The human cost is profound. Consider the experience of a cleaning worker living on the outskirts of a rural town who relies on buses to reach her insecure, minimum-wage job. When her usual direct service was cut, she faced a complex journey requiring two buses and a town centre connection. On one particular day, a 10-minute delay caused her to miss her connection, leaving her waiting an hour for the next service.

“By this point, she was running about an hour late for her shift. She received a text saying that because she was too late, the agency had given her three hours’ work at another site a few miles away. That would mean getting back into town and getting another bus, buying another return ticket from another bus operator, which would eat nearly an hour of her take-home pay.

“The woman chose to go home instead, losing £50 in fares and wages whilst wasting three hours travelling. The consequences create more consequences.”

The scale of the challenge

“TfN’s research reveals that northern communities are particularly affected, with rural and coastal areas in the North East showing the highest risk levels in England – around 59% of residents facing high TRSE risk. Seven local authorities, four of which are in the North, now have more than half their population at high risk.

“The situation has been compounded by significant cuts to bus services, with the North of England losing more than 30% of its bus routes – substantially more than other regions. These reductions disproportionately affect lower-income residents and disabled people, the very groups who rely most heavily on public transport.

“Yet the scale of the challenge also represents an extraordinary opportunity. Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan sets an ambitious target to reduce those at high risk of TRSE by at least one million people whilst setting out how the right transport investment with other policy levers could unlock £118 billion in economic benefits by 2050.”

Building solutions together

“Achieving this transformation means we need to change how we work. We must start by asking the right questions: what do people really need before we jump to solutions? How can we better understand the diverse travel patterns and requirements of different communities?

“The transport sector has tremendous expertise, but we need to broaden our perspective beyond traditional approaches. Rather than operating within established professional networks, we must actively engage with different groups and communities to understand their lived experiences and transport needs.

“Transport for the North has launched Northern Transport Voices, a citizens’ panel with over 2,000 members, ensuring community perspectives directly inform policy development. They have also developed sophisticated mapping tools that allow local authorities to identify areas most at risk of TRSE and target interventions where they’re needed most.”

Creating accessible infrastructure

“The accessibility challenge extends beyond buses to our rail infrastructure. Currently, just 48% of the North’s circa. 600 stations have step-free access to all areas. At the current rate of delivery, addressing this gap will take 30 years – far too long for the communities who need these improvements now.

“This represents both a moral imperative and an economic opportunity, and it is why TfN’s Rail North Committee is shining a spotlight on the issue. Research shows that people with disabilities take 38 per cent fewer trips than those without, and completely closing this transport accessibility gap could deliver substantial economic benefits.”

People at the forefront

“Getting it right requires coordinated action across multiple fronts: capital investment in infrastructure, sustainable revenue funding for services, meaningful devolution of decision-making powers, and reformed appraisal systems that capture social outcomes rather than focusing solely on benefit-cost ratios.

“Infrastructure investment alone isn’t enough – there must be revenue investment for the services that connect communities. Similarly, devolving funding and decisions requires building capacity locally and regionally to turn ambition into action on the ground.

“Most importantly, we must fundamentally shift our mindset to focus on people, people, people. When we understand the diversity of communities we serve – from young people navigating independence to older residents who prefer printed timetables and cash payments – we can design transport systems that truly work for everyone in the places they live and work.

“As transport leaders grapple with funding pressures and competing priorities, this people-first approach offers a clear roadmap for more inclusive transport planning. By putting communities at the heart of our decision-making, we can create transport systems that open up more opportunities for all.

“The prize is immense: better connectivity means greater accessibility and mobility for citizens and businesses, opening up opportunities and unlocking our collective potential. By working together, we can transform our transport system for communities and businesses across the country where it’s needed most.”

Katie Day is Deputy Chief Executive at Transport for the North. You can find more details about TfN’s research at: www.transportforthenorth.com

This blog first appeared as a feature in Passenger Transport magazine.