Focus of work
Public transport in large UK cities performs poorly by European standards, with lower
shares of the population able to access their local city centre by public transport. This lack of connectivity hinders access to jobs and makes it harder to encourage modal shift to reduce transport emissions.
Focusing on the six established mayoral strategic authorities with the highest level
of transport devolution, this project from Centre for Cities used network data and live travel times to demonstrate the potential of integrating existing transport infrastructure.
Overall, it found that an integrated system would give 1.2 million people across the six cities better public transport access to their nearest big city centre, boosting national economic output by up to £17.4 billion per year through expanding the labour market and boosting productivity in these places.
Impact
The aim of this research was to provide mayors, local transport authorities, policymakers and local public transport campaigners with a clear case for integrating and investing in public transport, as well as measures to support modal shift.
The report and online tool were presented at an online event chaired by Ruth Cadbury, MP on 4 October 2025, with press coverage following in the Manchester Evening News, Chronicle Live, Politico and more.
Comments from mayors on the report include:
This analysis from Centre for Cities shows that, with more powers, we can go further and keep delivering cleaner, more accessible, joined-up services that serve our residents and businesses, and spread the benefits of economic growth. — Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham
We welcome Centre for Cities’ research on how better transport connections can help build fairer, more productive cities. Right now, only around 1 in 4 people in South Yorkshire can reach Sheffield city centre within an easy 30 minute journey by public transport. But with better integration, including joined-up ticketing and more frequent and faster buses, nearly half a million people could take this journey easily – 50 per cent more than today. — Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard