THE ERA OF TRULY PEOPLE-CENTRIC TRANSPORT

The transport sector is on the verge of unprecedented opportunity. The UK Government estimates that the coming two decades will see transport technology change faster than at any time since the Victorian period.

By exploiting these digital advancements to put people front and centre in the design, development, maintenance and operations of assets and services, the sector has a golden opportunity to change the relationship between people and transport for the better.

As Pete Dyson and Rory Sutherland put it in their 2021 book, Transport for Humans: Are We Nearly There Yet?: “As we near the practical, physical limits of speed, capacity and punctuality, the greatest hope for a brighter future lies in adapting transport to more human wants and needs.”

56%

The proportion of British people who believe smart city measures would make the roads safer for cyclists

3.28%

The proportion of UK GDP accounted for by the transport sector 2021—about £72.3bn

80%

The amount of unimpaired car crashes that could be reduced with connected vehicle technology

75%

The proportion of the world’s infrastructure that remains to be built by 2050

WHY NOW?

Driven by the abundance of tools available to today’s customers—from smart phones, tablets and watches, to connected cars, offices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices—Industry 5.0 is paving the way to a future where the data transport users provide will be central to shaping the systems they demand.

And while the data has been available for some time, the digital tools we now have mean that it can be so much more than a number. “This era of people centric transport is fuelled by the data customers provide into the system and equally the desire, need and want to receive information back as useful intelligence,” says Louise Lawrence, Head of Intelligent Transport Services at WSP.

For transport and infrastructure organisations, the incentives to back this revolution are significant.

"The focus is not just about managing cost anymore – it's about customer experience, which is new and alien to infrastructure. It's much less around managing physical infrastructure, more around managing the outcomes."

Davin Crowley-Sweet Chief Data Officer, National Highways

Compounded by increasing consumer demands, the transport sector faces mounting pressure to provide safe, immediate, reliable and accessible services. Global megatrends and the mandates set in their wake—such as Net Zero and Vision Zero safety targets—are only increasing the urgency of the imperative to act.

For UK transport and infrastructure, this marks a necessary overhaul in the organisational cultures, customer experiences, and user engagements that have long underpinned its networks.

As this revolution takes hold, how can the transport sector become more responsive and agile to the ever-changing demands of a consumer-driven market? And why does it need to?

This three-part interactive report explores how leaders from the UK’s transport and infrastructure sector are embracing digital to bring a truly people-centric approach to their transformations, and harnessing new opportunities to benefit their organisations, communities, customers and the environment.

READ ON TO DISCOVER HOW DIGITAL IS POWERING PEOPLE CENTRIC TRANSPORT

SECTION 1:

DATA POWERS A PEOPLE-FIRST APPROACH

Data has long held the key to safer, faster, reliable transport. What does this look like in a world where all users are data gatherers?

SECTION 2:

PEOPLE CENTRIC TRANSPORT

Consumer demands are evolving as rapidly as transport technology. How is this affecting the relationship between people and networks?

SECTION 3:

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Safety and sustainability are critical focus areas for society. How can today’s transport and infrastructure providers ensure their networks are Future Ready?

WSP Logo
WSP Menu

THE ERA OF TRULY PEOPLE-CENTRIC TRANSPORT

The transport sector is on the verge of unprecedented opportunity. The UK Government estimates that the coming two decades will see transport technology change faster than at any time since the Victorian period.

By exploiting these digital advancements to put people front and centre in the design, development, maintenance and operations of assets and services, the sector has a golden opportunity to change the relationship between people and transport for the better.

As Pete Dyson and Rory Sutherland put it in their 2021 book, Transport for Humans: Are We Nearly There Yet?: “As we near the practical, physical limits of speed, capacity and punctuality, the greatest hope for a brighter future lies in adapting transport to more human wants and needs.”

56%

The proportion of British people who believe smart city measures would make the roads safer for cyclists

80%

The amount of unimpaired car crashes that could be reduced with connected vehicle technology

3.28%

The proportion of UK GDP accounted for by the transport sector 2021 — about £72.3bn

75%

The proportion of the world’s infrastructure that remains to be built by 2050

WHY NOW?

Driven by the abundance of tools available to today’s customers—from smart phones, tablets and watches, to connected cars, offices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices—Industry 5.0 is paving the way to a future where the data transport users provide will be central to shaping the systems they demand.

And while the data has been available for some time, the digital tools we now have mean that it can be so much more than a number. “This era of people centric transport is fuelled by the data customers provide into the system and equally the desire, need and want to receive information back as useful intelligence,” says Louise Lawrence, Head of Intelligent Transport Services at WSP.

For transport and infrastructure organisations, the incentives to back this revolution are significant.

Compounded by increasing consumer demands, the transport sector faces mounting pressure to provide safe, immediate, reliable and accessible services. Global megatrends and the mandates set in their wake—such as Net Zero and Vision Zero safety targets—are only increasing the urgency of the imperative to act.

For UK transport and infrastructure, this marks a necessary overhaul in the organisational cultures, customer experiences, and user engagements that have long underpinned its networks.

As this revolution takes hold, how can the transport sector become more responsive and agile to the ever-changing demands of a consumer-driven market? And why does it need to?

This three-part interactive report explores how leaders from the UK’s transport and infrastructure sector are embracing digital to bring a truly people-centric approach to their transformations, and harnessing new opportunities to benefit their organisations, communities, customers and the environment.

"The focus is not just about managing cost anymore – it's about customer experience, which is new and alien to infrastructure. It's much less around managing physical infrastructure, more around managing the outcomes."

Davin Crowley-Sweet Chief Data Officer, National Highways

READ ON TO DISCOVER HOW DIGITAL IS POWERING PEOPLE CENTRIC TRANSPORT

SECTION 1:

DATA POWERS A PEOPLE-FIRST APPROACH

Data has long held the key to safer, faster, reliable transport. What does this look like in a world where all users are data gatherers?

SECTION 2:

PEOPLE CENTRIC TRANSPORT

Consumer demands are evolving as rapidly as transport technology. How is this affecting the relationship between people and networks?

SECTION 3:

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Safety and sustainability are critical focus areas for society. How can today’s transport and infrastructure providers ensure their networks are Future Ready?