What I didn’t say
As I mentioned last week, I have decided to stop writing Freewheeling, at least for now.
But it isn’t for lack of topics!
Transport and mobility are endlessly fascinating and generate more topics than it’s possible to cover, even with a daily blog.
So here’s a quick summary of the topics I intended to cover but was never able to fit in:
Exponential growth. We’ve all got used to exponential growth curves through the pandemic, but what about in transport? We treat 10% growth as outstanding, but what about 10x. Startups like Uber have achieved exponential growth, using buyer-get-buyer viral marketing, very heavy use of discounting and a willingness to pump-prime supply until demand builds up. It worked, though it cost billions to make it work. Might there be lessons for transport here?
Buses aren’t cars. I often see people talk about how we need to make ‘travelling by bus equivalent to the comfort of a car’. But is that right? Cars are always going to be more comfortable, given the ability control your own climate and listen to your own music. So instead of trying to replicate the benefits of cars, should buses be trying to build product features that accentuate the benefits of buses? Buses are social and sociable. Buses enable you to drink and drive. Buses build community. Buses enable you to leave your transport in place A and pick it up in place B. Someone else does the parking. Someone else does the driving. Are these where competitive advantage lies?
An empty street in Birmingham
Birmingham. Birmingham has an exciting new plan for its city centre. Worth watching how it goes. Are there lessons for other cities?
Road-building. OK, you could argue I’ve already done this to death. But the National Infrastructure Commission is preparing to produce its next three-year plan. Given the UK's climate targets, surely it must kill off the Government's £27 billion roadbuilding programme?
Pricing. It should never be cheaper to park in town than get the bus for the family. Can this become a specific partnership metric in Bus Service Improvement Plans?
Product. Leon have announced their first drive-thru. I had really hoped that the era of chains feeling they need to develop drive-thrus was behind us. As the car product continues to evolve, it’s critical the public mobility product does so as well.
Financing. The British Business Bank provides support to startups but indirectly; channelling money into investors who then invest commercially. Could there be a model here for pump-priming new mobility services?
Open data. Another one in the ‘you’ve already banged on about this’ category. Bus fares need to be accessible, simple and well-communicated. Open data is part of the answer but, as my trip to Cornwall showed, there’s a long way to go
Free travel. The National Audit Office of Estonia has concluded that offering free travel did not reduce car journeys. Their recommendations are relevant here as well.
Fyra. A story to remind us that things go wrong with lots of projects: the extraordinary Fyra saga in the Netherlands when their new high-speed rail service lasted just 2 months and was never reintroduced, despite an entirely new high speed line having been built to carry it. No matter how bad things get with HS2…….
Covid. How are we going to avoid a doom loop? Customers aren’t back yet but cuts to service will ensure they never return. Structural changes to demand patterns have occurred and these need to be reflected, but this mustn’t be cuts that prevent latent demand from returning.
Remote driving. Blue Origin flights to space are remotely driven. Could remote driving be part of the long-term future of buses?
Climate change. Polestar are offering a genuinely climate-neutral car from 2030. Is it genuinely climate neutral?
The future. The future of car parking, the future of micromobility and the future of retailing of train tickets were all on the short-term agenda
Mobility hubs. The first are starting to appear. Are they a vanguard of something bigger? Should they be?
The US coach market. If you haven’t been watching - it’s transformed in recent years. Greyhound may be suffering but Flixbus, Megabus, Rally, Ourbus have all entered the market in a big way.
Planning. The planning system needs reform to ensure we stop designing houses that require cars
Transport Vision 2050. A review of Innovate UK’s newly published Transport Vision 2050
In addition, there was also the day-to-day business of seeing how things go with the Bus Strategy, the Rail white paper, the Cycle strategy and - of course - the spending review in October.
Well, sorry, but I won’t be doing any of it now.
But - quite frankly - you’ve got the headlines now. Who needs the articles?!
