Mayors urged to act fast to deliver London-style transport

England’s six largest city regions outside London could see 1.2 million more residents reach their city centres within 30 minutes if metro mayors use new powers to deliver fully integrated public transport systems, according to analysis from Centre for Cities.

From next year, metro mayors will gain enhanced control over buses, urban road networks, and the integration of timetables and fares across buses, trams and metro services.

The think tank’s report argues that using these powers to create European- and London-style networks in Birmingham, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, the North East and South Yorkshire would give 40 percent more people quicker access to jobs, education and services. Centre for Cities estimates this could boost the national economy by £17.4 billion a year.

The report warns that capacity and funding will be the biggest challenges. Some mayoral authorities have more experience and resources to deliver reforms at pace than others, with differences in staffing levels, technical capability and the complexity of the bus market across regions.

Rob Johnson, Analyst at Centre for Cities and co-author of the report, told Cities Today that Integrated Settlements and Transport for City Regions settlements are welcome, but in many places these could be largely used up on capital-intensive network expansion plans.

“Places like Greater Manchester simply have more capacity to make these changes… than places like West and South Yorkshire (who also have bus provision that is particularly fragmented across different private operators currently).”

The think tank argues that mayors should prioritise visible improvements that can be delivered quickly. Bus franchising is expected to be a major catalyst for change, alongside better-aligned timetables, simpler fares and investment in more frequent services.

“Mayors will definitely see the benefits of bus franchising within their current term,” Johnson said. “See early signs of how the Bee Network [pictured] has improved services (particularly reliability and punctuality) in Manchester.”

The report calls for deeper devolution to enable full network integration, including greater powers over commuter rail services. The forthcoming Railways Bill will shape how Great British Railways works with city regions and how far local control can go.

“There should be scope to almost fully devolve rail services with minimal oversight (such as the Overground in London), but also models where GBR plays a more active role and gives local transport authorities more guidance,” said Johnson.

Funding reform is another priority, with Centre for Cities urging government to introduce new local revenue-raising tools to support public transport.

“In practice, a tourist tax–levied on overnight accommodation–should be allowed in the ‘Scottish style’ as a percentage fee per night that can be set by a mayor, rather than a flat fee,” he added. “The French-style payroll tax would be a small top-up on income tax that could be set, collected, and spent locally on local infrastructure.”

The report also highlights a strong link between integrated transport and inclusive housing growth, calling for more development around transport hubs and stronger mayoral powers to align housing and transport strategies.

“Transport integration means higher land values and greater potential to deliver affordable housing in these areas,” he said. “To help align this with transport networks, mayors should be given the powers to manage the distribution of the Affordable Homes Programme funding (like the GLA).”

Centre for Cities says a focus on high-impact, early interventions–such as more frequent buses, multimodal ticketing and faster journey times–will be key to building public support and shifting more journeys away from private cars.

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