Feeling the pinch? Apply for local pinch point funding

We all know that traffic congestion is one of the biggest issues to contend with in our towns and cities.

In 2016, the average delay on local ‘A’ roads in England and Wales was 46 seconds per mile – and bus journey times are increasing by almost 1% every year. 

Our ebook, The Passenger Satisfaction Playbook, revealed punctuality and journey times are among the most common concerns for bus passengers. And earlier this year, the Open Data Institute Leeds conducted some research that indicated there would be a 7% increase in GDP per capita if peak journey times were as reliable as off-peak.

The UK Government has clearly taken studies such as this to heart. Earlier this year it launched a £150 million 'local pinch point fund', for local authorities to bid for high-impact schemes to address their congestion pinch points.

They are looking for 'shovel ready' proposals that can be implemented quickly to help alleviate traffic congestion and improve journey times. But technology solutions exist that can help local authorities achieve these goals without the need for shovels (or any other construction tools).

The CitySwift platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to accurately predict bus journey times and passenger demand, ensuring on-time performance and increased passenger satisfaction. It enables bus schedulers to understand the impact of disruption and automatically generate routes and timetables that take traffic congestion into account. User-friendly business intelligence dashboards allow users to instantly visualise vast amounts of data; identify and act on trends; predict future growth areas using big data; set custom alerts; and track their KPIs.

The platform not only keeps buses flowing as they should regardless of congestion, it also helps reduce congestion. By restoring people’s faith in their local bus services, they will be encouraged to leave their cars at home.

If you're a local authority that's interested in applying for pinch point funding, we'd love to help. At CitySwift, we've worked with local authorities across Europe to mitigate the impact of traffic congestion and ensure on-time bus performance during peak and off-peak periods. We'd be happy to share our learnings and experience with you and help you to craft a winning bid.

If you’re a UK bus operator, we’d strongly recommend bringing the local pinch point fund to the attention of your partner local authority. Again, we’d be very happy to help you create a successful pitch.

We've worked with local authorities across Europe to mitigate the impact of traffic congestion and ensure on-time bus performance during peak and off-peak periods. We'd be happy to share our learnings and experience with you and help you to craft a winning bid.

Expressions of interest must be submitted to the Department for Transport by 30th January 2020. So please contact us soon to discuss how you can successfully apply for – and use – your share of the fund.

Pinch points