WIREDGOV

The House of Commons Transport Committee has published techUK's further written evidence to its inquiry into joined-up journeys, in which we set out members' assessment of the Government's “Better Connected” strategy for integrated transport. 

This is our third round of evidence to the Committee on this subject - following earlier written and oral evidence - with this latest being our reaction to the publication of the strategy by the Government.  

Overall, we are supportive of the strategy and believe that it sets out a vision that defines priorities by what users need rather than by transport mode, which is precisely the shift techUK has long argued for. Integration is a whole-system issue, not a series of modal fixes.  

However, we are pressing the Government on the conditions for delivery: 

• On interoperability, we argue that seamless multi-operator, multi-modal ticketing and information depend on common data standards and a willingness to share data in compatible formats. Data quality and formatting have long been the principal blockers to integration, and so we believe that the strategy would benefit from being clearer about the standards it expects, and how it intends to balance mandated data sharing against commercial and competitive interests.  
• On capacity: as responsibility devolves to local leaders, delivery depends on local authorities having the technical and analytical capability required to create, operate and oversee sophisticated systems.  
• On industry: many of the capabilities the strategy seeks already exist in the market. We, therefore, encourage the Government to treat industry as a delivery partner through clear and well-communicated requirements, rather than as a vendor to be engaged scheme-by-scheme. 

 We also identify these gaps: 

• Emerging modes (such as self-driving vehicles, shared micromobility, autonomous delivery, and drones) receive limited attention despite being central to solving the first- and last-mile challenge. In particular, automated passenger services are set to begin this year, and so the strategy should anticipate how they fit into ticketing, information, and interchange systems rather than treating them as a separate workstream 
• Enabling infrastructure is vital for a digital, increasingly-electrified and connected system. This includes resilient digital connectivity, grid capacity and cyber resilience, and all these issues also demand greater thought.  
• Enabling technology and the tools that turn data into better decisions – such as digital twins, advanced analytics and AI-enabled network management – should be named directly, giving industry and local government a clearer signal of where to invest. 

Finally, we call for measurable objectives. The strategy is vocal on direction but lighter on specific, time-bound targets. Given the track record of transport integration ambitions going undelivered, we support ongoing monitoring by the Committee and concrete metrics attached to each priority from the outset.