MPs may investigate ‘door to door’ travel

The roundtable examined how to capture people who do not currently use public transport and how to improve connectivity between services for those that already do.

“How do we link commercial value for the individual players with the public good?” she asked.

“The technology is there but it has to be applied. We need to know more about examples of good practice. Perhaps there’s another enquiry there.”

Also at the roundtable was Iain Stewart, MP for Milton Keynes South and PPS to the Transport Secretary.

He said transport providers must “make public transport journeys as personal as possible.”

“Making it as easy to use, getting the information there to people, with technology but also having the human touch,” he said.

The discussion touched on the commercial incentive for integration and service sharing and the fact that technology is often already there but needs to be implemented.

The need to ensure human touch isn’t lost, such as staff at stations, was also discussed.

Adrian Sanders MP, a member of the Transport Select Committee, stressed the need for better communication with the public.

“Integration is a great concept but we need to monetise the social value in relation to future franchises,” he said.

Also taking part were John Verity, Chief Advisor, ITSO; Jonathan Willcock, Managing Director of Transport Global Solutions, Alstom; Sharon Goodsell, Integrated and Sustainable Transport Policy Manager, Department for Transport; Claire Porter, Head of Strategy, Thales; Bob Powell, On Board Director, Virgin Trains and Sue Percy, Chief Executive, Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation.