Documents

We cannot drop urban transport solutions into small towns and villages. They need a tailored approach

Transport East Documents

Making the Case for Rural Investment

 

Further Reading from External Sources

DfT's Transport Statistics Finder: Dashboard tool

Innovations for Better Rural Mobility: International best practices and recommendations for rural transport provision

Transport Deserts Report: Looks at the absence of transport choice in England’s small towns

DfT Rural Proofing: Practical guidance for policy makers on the effects of policies on rural areas

Delivering for Rural England – the second report on rural proofing: Report from DEFRA

Levelling up the rural economy - APPG report: Inquiry into rural productivity

 

We lead the work of the seven Sub-national Transport Bodies on rural mobility

Across England 17% of people live in rural areas. In the Transport East area that goes up to 33%. Our partner STBs also experience similar levels of rurality across the country.

Energising rural communities is one of our priorities, making Transport East well suited as the lead STB for rural mobility. Through STBs sharing knowledge, approaches, evidence and best practice, many communities across the UK will benefit.

Historically, the focus for transport investment and innovation has been on urban areas as they have been easier to build an economic case for. But, rural communities are essential to national prosperity. There are more businesses registered per capita in rural areas than urban ones (outside London).

Many of these are small enterprises – people growing our food, caring for our natural assets, manufacturing and transporting goods and sharing their areas with visitors from the UK and beyond.

Investment in rural transport will increase productivity, reduce carbon emissions, boost skills and improve people’s health and well-being. However, we cannot drop urban solutions into small towns and villages. They need a tailored approach. STBs take a strategic regional view so are in the perfect position to lead in this space.

The role of STBs

Making the case for rural investment

England’s rural areas are being failed, lacking the support they need to provide countryside and coastal communities with the opportunity to thrive and prosper, says a report undertaken by WSP on behalf of England’s Sub-national Transport Bodies (STBs).

The report is available here: Making the Case for Rural Investment

It sets out the mobility challenges facing England’s 9.7 million people living rurally and highlights key interventions needed to bring about change in rural mobility investment, along with the roles government, local authorities and STBs should play in helping deliver these.

Six areas of focus have been identified that could transform mobility in rural England:

1. Recognising the diversity of our rural communities and prioritising their needs;

2. Delivering physical and digital infrastructure to enhance rural accessibility;

3. Rebalancing funding at levels that recognise the extra costs rural places face;

4. Driving joined-up thinking between organisations to support cross-boundary integrated services;

5. Providing rural communities with the support needed to make changes focused on their specific needs; and

6. Promoting the 30-minute rural communities concept to improve rural accessibility and mobility.

 

As the lead STB for rural mobility, Transport East brings together all the STBs

Together, we regularly share work programmes, outputs and insights, helping to reduce duplication of effort and allows others' knowledge to add value to outputs.

Since 2022, STBs have been progressing several innovative projects linked to rural mobility:

What is happening nationally?

The STBs are working with the Department for Transport to inform their work on rural mobility.

In October 2023, DEFRA and the DfT published their Future of Transport:  supporting rural transport innovation document. This has been informed by the call for evidence in 2020 where a number of key issues were raised,including:

  • poor access to services in rural areas
  • lack of genuine choice for completing journeys
  • heightened loneliness and isolation
  • commercial challenges for operators due to long distances and sparse populations

This is part of wider Government work to ensure the levelling up of rural areas and builds on the Unleashing Rural Opportunity paper published in June 2023, which outlines how government will deliver the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, creating better paid jobs and opportunity across the country.

DEFRA also continues its rural proofing work whereby all government policy is examined to ensure it is delivering for rural communities.

In 2021 the DfT also awarded £19.5m of funding to 17 trial projects through the Rural Mobility Fund, focusing on new models for bus services in rural areas.

For example, an interim report looking at Demand Responsive
Transport (DRT) solutions in rural communities has been published, and is available here.

Many of these projects are now live and the STBs will be working with their local authorities to monitor and share results.

Documents

Making the Case for Rural Investment

 

Further Reading from External Sources

DfT's Transport Statistics Finder: Dashboard tool

Innovations for Better Rural Mobility: International best practices and recommendations for rural transport provision

Transport Deserts Report: Looks at the absence of transport choice in England’s small towns

DfT Rural Proofing: Practical guidance for policy makers on the effects of policies on rural areas

Delivering for Rural England – the second report on rural proofing: Report from DEFRA

Levelling up the rural economy - APPG report: Inquiry into rural productivity