Tag: Department for Transport

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 3 April 2023.

Government commitment to develop new green technologies in Scotland will improve connectivity, create jobs and encourage people to walk and cycle.

Plans to boost Scottish connectivity and economic growth through transport were at the heart of Transport Minister Richard Holden’s visit to Scotland today (3 April 2023). In meetings with local businesses and community leaders, he outlined the government’s commitment to developing new green technologies.

Minister Holden was in Glasgow to see new hydrogen-powered and self-driving trucks – backed by £16 million government funding – which could be seen on UK roads in the near future. These vehicles would make roads safer, increase productivity and help protect the environment.

This investment is supporting the UK’s ambition of achieving net zero by 2050 and ensuring the UK maximises the opportunities offered by new technologies while supporting high-skilled jobs.

Minister Holden also had a tour of new transport links in Ravenscraig and the surrounding areas, which has received £127 million investment jointly funded by the UK government, Scottish Government and North Lanarkshire Council.

This investment will improve connectivity to local towns and cities, create thousands of jobs and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

Transport Minister Richard Holden said:

Innovation like this in Scotland will help the UK become a world-leading next-generation transport hub by protecting the environment and meeting our global ambitions.

Boosting transport connections across the UK will grow the economy and ensure that everyone no matter where they live has access to well-paid, high-quality jobs.

The regeneration of the Ravenscraig site is estimated to generate 4,600 construction jobs in follow-on development and generate £626 million for the local economy.

This funding is part of the Glasgow Region City Deal, which saw over £1 billion committed for major infrastructure projects in Glasgow and the surrounding areas comprising funding from the UK and Scottish governments.

UK government Minister for Scotland John Lamont said:

UK government investment is helping power Scotland into the fast lane of sustainable transport innovation and delivering improved connectivity – levelling up the UK and bringing communities closer together.

From hydrogen-powered and self-driving trucks being developed in Glasgow, the regeneration of Ravenscraig’s road, rail, cycling and walking infrastructure, a new ferry to save Fair Isle, to a green transport hub in Dundee, we are working to improve people’s journeys, boost economic growth and protect the environment.

But there’s more to be done and we are committed to continue working closely with the Scottish Government and local partners to deliver the benefits travellers want and businesses need.

Minister Holden met local businesses and communities to explore how investment in road schemes, railway lines and domestic flights between Scotland and the rest of the UK could boost connectivity and stimulate economic growth.

Research found 60% of people thought that improving transport links across the UK would make a positive difference to their own nation. Minister Holden will also be visiting Northern Ireland and Wales in the coming days.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 1 April 2023.

Government invests £75 million to provide discounted bus travel for another 3 months across 5,000+ routes from over 140 bus companies.

Millions across England are encouraged to ‘Hop Around for £2’ this spring as the £2 bus fare cap is extended to 30 June.

Thanks to £75 million of extra government investment, the fare cap means passengers can save on single bus tickets, helping them travel more affordably to education, work and medical appointments.

Extended from today (1 April 2023), the offer will apply to more than 5,000 routes in England from over 140 operators, as the government continues to help households through this difficult economic period, while levelling up transport and growing the economy.

With the average single local bus ticket costing £2.80, passengers can save almost a third of the ticket price and over 75% on some of the longest trips.

The scheme, which began in January this year, has already seen an uptick in passenger numbers. This extension will continue to encourage greater bus use and is expected to take up to 4 million cars off the road, supporting ambitions for greener journeys by minimising pollution and tackling congestion across the country.

A key part of the government’s Help for Households campaign, the fare cap is helping to deliver real savings for people most affected by the rising cost of living.

Some of the biggest savings on the longest routes up and down the country thanks to the fare cap include:

• £12.50 from Lancaster to Kendall, a saving of 86% from £14.50
• £9.20 from Plymouth to Exeter, a saving of 82% from £11.20
• £6.00 from Newcastle to Middlesbrough, a saving of 75% from £8.00
• £6.50 from Hull to York, a saving of 76% from £8.50
• £13.00 from Leeds to Scarborough, a saving of 87% from £15.00

Roads Minister Richard Holden said:

Bus travel should be accessible and affordable for everyone. We know that people are struggling with rising costs, which is why we’re extending the £2 bus fare cap and continuing to put money back into passengers’ pockets.

This will help to ensure people can get around easily, no matter where they live – connecting them with work, education, doctors’ appointments as well as friends and families – in turn strengthening communities and growing local economies.

This measure builds on more than £2 billion already invested to protect buses in England since the pandemic and a further £1 billion for Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP) to improve services and keep fares down as part of the National Bus Strategy, published in 2021.

Bus fare caps are also available across major cities and local authorities, such as Greater Manchester and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, thanks to the £1 billion in BSIP funding.

Graham Vidler, Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said:

The continuation of the £2 fare cap is a welcome boost for passengers during a cost-of-living crisis, reminding people buses are a stress-free, affordable and environmental option for work, education, appointments, leisure or to see loved ones.

Alongside low fares, passengers need the government to continue to invest in bus services to help maintain connectivity across England, no matter where you live.

Today’s announcement will help deliver on our vision of a net zero transport network, with the cap estimated to take 4 million car journeys off the road and building on the nearly £300 million already invested by government for up to 1,400 zero emission buses in England from the Zero Emission Buses Regional Areas (ZEBRA).

David Bradford, Managing Director of National Express West Midlands, said:

It’s fantastic to see that the government recognises the important role bus services have on local communities, not only to help people travel more affordably or access work, but also reduces congestion and emissions on our roads.

The £2 fare scheme has been warmly received by our customers with over 3 million passengers taking advantage of cheaper bus fares since January, and we hope that news of this extension will encourage even more people to ditch their cars and switch to buses to get around.

The government will continue to work closely with bus operators and local authorities to help passengers continue to access reliable and affordable bus services after June.

Andrew Stokes, VisitEngland Director, said:

With spring upon us and as we head towards the Easter break the decision to extend the fare cap is welcome news, supporting people to get out and take day trips and mini-breaks across England, by keeping the cost of transport down.

Enabling people to get out and explore England affordably this spring also gives families the chance to make great memories together, and provides tourism and hospitality businesses with a welcome boost as the season gets underway.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 31 March 2023.

Government funding to enable up to 19 return flights between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted every week for another year.

A vital air route between City of Derry Airport and London Stansted has been secured until March 2024 thanks to support from the UK Department for Transport and the Department for the Economy.

The UK government has funded the air route since 2017, bolstering connections between Northern Ireland and England whilst supporting thousands of jobs and providing a significant boost to Northern Ireland’s economy.

The Aviation Minister Baroness Vere has today (31 March 2023) announced the Department for Transport will continue subsidising the route alongside the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, with both departments providing £1.1 million in 2023/24 to maintain the connection.

Today’s announcement will secure the future of the route for another year until 31 March 2024 and enable up to 19 return flights every week.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere said:

Thousands of people and businesses depend on this crucial travel link, which is why we remain committed to securing the route.

Our funding will maintain this vital connection between Derry/Londonderry and London, with 19 services operating every week for at least another year, supporting jobs, and providing a boost to Northern Ireland’s economy.

Funding has been secured using a Public Service Obligation (PSO), which allows government to protect vital air connectivity into London, with Loganair once again being selected to operate the route.

The funding of £1.1 million from the NI Department for the Economy is a ringfenced allocation from the Northern Ireland Office specifically for this City of Derry Airport PSO and which cannot be used in any other DfE policy area.

The UK government recognises the importance of maintaining a thriving and competitive aviation sector in the UK to deliver union connectivity, while supporting our levelling up agenda.

Regional airports serve our local communities, by supporting thousands of jobs in the regions and acting as a gateway to international opportunities, alongside maintaining social and family ties and strengthening the bonds across the UK.

Welcoming the announcement, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District, Councillor Sandra Duffy, said:

This is extremely positive news and I am pleased to see this further commitment to promoting regional connectivity which will be widely welcomed, particularly by the local business community.

Regular, reliable services to London are critical to the North West economy in terms of both business and leisure, and a key component of our strategic plans to make this region more appealing and accessible for international investors.

From 1 April 2023, a new domestic band will apply to flights between airports in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, cutting Air Passenger Duty by 50% to bolster UK connectivity and ensure passengers have access to more affordable flights.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 31 March 2023.

The collaboration will support Active Travel England and councils to offer schemes that benefit residents.

The Alan Turing Institute has been commissioned to create new software and data science techniques to support local authority delivery of walking, wheeling and cycling schemes, Active Travel England announced today (31 March 2023).

The collaboration, which will run for 2 years at a total cost of £200,000, will support Active Travel England and councils to deliver schemes that are strongly evidence-based and will deliver the most benefits for residents. This will enable the development of new functionality in the Active Travel Infrastructure Platform (ATIP), which helps councils to map out proposed schemes and see the impact they could have locally.

These new tools will be paired with existing data sources such as OpenStreetMap, to create innovative solutions that will help build the evidence needed to meet national government’s objectives on active travel, including for 50% of short trips in urban areas to be made by walking, wheeling and cycling by 2030. The investment will demonstrate how new software engineering and data science techniques can support evidence-based planning and support Active Travel England’s mission.

To launch this new collaboration, Active Travel Minister Jesse Norman recently attended an event at the Alan Turing Institute. He was able to test the technology that Active Travel England’s head of data Dr Robin Lovelace and Alan Turing Institute developer Dustin Carlino have been working on.

Active Travel Minister, Jesse Norman, said:

I hugely welcome this new partnership, which will enable local councils to draw on the latest technology and maximise the environmental, economic and health benefits of active travel.

Active Travel England’s CEO, Danny Williams, said:

This exciting new collaboration will help to accelerate progress towards our vision of making walking, wheeling and cycling the natural choice for short trips nationwide.

The Active Travel Infrastructure Platform is going to save councils’ time, improve local decision-making and enable evidence-based decisions to be made that will have maximum impact.

The Alan Turing Institute’s Chief Scientist, Professor Mark Girolami, added:

We are excited to be partnering with Active Travel England to develop new data science tools and software that will support the shared mission to make active travel more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

Open-source software developed through this collaboration will enable the UK to set the agenda internationally.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 31 March 2023.

Regulations to inspect utility company street works and assess quality of their road repairs.

People up and down the country will benefit from smoother journeys, reduced congestion, and faster broadband rollout as the government clamps down on utility companies for leaving potholes behind after carrying out street works.

From 1 April 2023, new regulations will come into force for a performance-based inspection regime to ensure utility companies resurface roads to the best possible standard after street works, potentially preventing thousands of potholes from developing in the future.

The move comes as the government is investing over £5.5 billion by 2025 in highways maintenance and could help motorists save money on expensive repairs by protecting their vehicles from damage to tyres or suspension. It will also ensure cyclists and motorbike riders can drive more safely and with greater peace of mind.

Currently, about 30% of utility companies’ street works are inspected, regardless of how well those street works are carried out. Under the new “street works regime”, utility companies will be assessed on the quality of their road repairs after carrying out street works, with the best companies inspected less and the worse-performing companies inspected more, based on their performance.

As a result, companies that leave behind roads in poor condition could see 100% of their street works inspected. With highway authorities now charging £50 per defect inspection and a further £120 for follow-up inspections, poor performing companies will now be incentivised to perform better to avoid incurring high financial charges.

While the average failure rate for street works by utility companies is currently 9%, some of the worst performers are failing inspections by as much as 63%.

Other reforms in the inspection framework will help telecoms operators roll-out broadband nationwide and ease congestion by mandating better live updates on roadworks to help drivers plan ahead.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

We’re investing more than £5.5 billion over this parliament to maintain roads up and down the country, and today’s measures are yet another example of how this government is on the side of motorists and other road users, leaving no stone unturned in the fight against the plague of potholes.

The new street works regime is a victory for all road users, with motorists and cyclists able to enjoy smoother, safer, and less congested journeys as we continue to level up transport across the country and grow the economy.

The move will focus on telecom companies in particular, which is the worst performing sector – responsible for nearly 13% of poor street work repairs. The measures will ensure these companies are checked more regularly until they can bring about noticeable improvements and leave roads in the condition that all road users deserve.

The street works regime comes as the government is investing more than £5.5 billion between 2020 and 2025 into highways maintenance, including the Potholes Fund announced at Budget 2020 and the extra £200 million announced at Budget 2023.

This funding settlement allows local authorities to plan effectively for managing their roads and is enough to fill millions of potholes, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said:

Potholes not only cause expensive damage to vehicles but are potentially lethal to those on two wheels. Utility companies have a responsibility to ensure roads are properly repaired after carrying out essential maintenance, but unfortunately far too many roads are left in a substandard condition.

Introducing new regulations to encourage repairs to be done to a higher standard first time around will benefit all road users.

The measures will also help drivers plan ahead and ease congestion as utility companies and local authorities will now be required to provide the Department for Transport’s street manager service with more up to date and accurate data on live works, including at weekends.

Companies will be asked to provide information about when works start and stop at weekends and all local authorities must share start/stop information about their works. This will update sat navs and other apps so motorists are aware of where street works are and can avoid those areas – preventing traffic from building up.

As one third of all street works are carried out by telecoms operators, the plans will also help speed up broadband rollout across the country by removing restrictions on works for new customer connections.  The changes will mean works can be done more quickly, but to the right standards in terms of reinstatements.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 March 2023.

Areas set out for the aviation industry to focus on to avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.

The government has today (30 March 2023) set out 10 areas for the aviation industry to focus on to ensure airport ground operations get back to full capacity and avoid a repeat of the travel disruption seen last summer.

It concludes its review of the ground handling market, which the government committed to as part of its wider 22-point plan for tackling aviation disruption last June.

The report finds that staffing shortages were a major factor in last summer’s disruption, with ground handlers struggling to recruit enough staff in time for the peak travel season after coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifted and facing issues with onboarding processes.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:

The misery passengers faced last year when their flights were severely delayed or cancelled at the last minute was simply unacceptable.

We’ve made it clear that improvements can and must be made, so the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are working closely with the industry to build a resilient ground handler market for years to come.

Since then, the aviation industry has made significant progress to improve its resilience. To ensure this progress continues, the government has also proposed:

• further exploration of how to improve how ground handlers’ performance is measured and monitored
• better engagement between ground handlers and the government, including through the new Aviation Services UK trade association
• continued support from the government and industry’s flagship Generation Aviation programme for recruitment, retention, upskilling and outreach
• establishing a series of working groups involving airports, airlines and ground handlers to address areas including airport ID processes and performance standards

Ground handlers undertake several activities including baggage handling, check in, catering and refuelling. But last year as the industry began its recovery, companies were unable to meet demand.

Shortages of staff at airports, including drops in ground handler performance, had a domino effect on the rest of airport operations, causing delays and last-minute cancellations for passengers around the country.

While the aviation industry operates in the private sector, and is responsible for managing demand and resourcing, passengers should have confidence the government is doing everything it can to help ahead of this summer season. With Baroness Vere meeting industry representatives to discuss Easter preparedness last week, it’s important that both the private sector and the government move in lockstep.

By focusing on these areas, the aviation industry, the government and CAA can build a sector that provides a world-leading service for passengers long into the future.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 March 2023.

Measures announced to increase use of electric vehicles, as well as the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK.

A robust package of measures to turbocharge the UK’s progress towards decarbonising transport, has today (30 March 2023) been unveiled by the government.

The measures will support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), as well as the production of sustainable aviation fuel in the UK – continuing the country’s transition towards net zero.

The government has today launched the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund alongside an additional £15 million for the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). Taken together, the funding will support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the country, increasing EV infrastructure in every area and ensuring the UK’s charging network can support the increasing number of EV drivers and those considering the switch.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

Transport is one of the most important sectors for achieving net zero by 2050 and so we must accelerate our efforts to decarbonise how people get from A to B while growing our economy and supporting thousands of green jobs.

From expanding our charging network to boosting the production of cleaner aviation fuel, today’s announcement is a great stride forwards, offering people more choice on how to stay connected while delivering the carbon reductions needed to achieve net zero.

The government has also unveiled its proposals for a world-leading zero emission vehicle mandate which, from next year, will set minimum annual targets for the percentage of new car and van sales that must be zero emission. The proposed mandate makes the UK’s path to zero emission vehicles the fastest in Europe.

The plans support the government’s commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and from 2035 all new cars and vans must be fully zero emission at the exhaust. Between 2030 and 2034, all new vehicles must be either fully zero emission or be able to drive a significant distance with zero emissions.

The final proposals are being jointly consulted upon by the UK government, alongside Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and are the single largest carbon saving measure identified in the government’s Net Zero Strategy.

The measures build on the progress already made in the transition to electric vehicles, with almost 17% of new cars sold last year being zero emission – supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs in the sector and helping the country to reach its net zero targets.

The new measures will support the wide range of manufacturers in the sector by giving them flexibility through a credits-based trading system, enabling them to bank credits in years when they exceed annual targets for use in future years or trade them with other manufacturers that have fallen short. If manufacturers do not meet their yearly targets, they could face possible fines of up to £18,000 for every vehicle they miss their target by.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said:

As today’s announcements show, the government is doing more than ever to help the UK move away from petrol and diesel and towards electric vehicles.

That means investing in charging infrastructure and giving a clear direction to manufacturers, so they can roll out new electric vehicles faster and more efficiently. Overall, the UK is leading the way in decarbonising transport, a sector that is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases.

Today’s announcement provides long-term certainty to industry, increasing the number of zero emission cars available for people to buy and setting a clear direction for operators to accelerate the installation of chargepoints. With a greater proportion of zero emission vehicles on the UK’s roads, more drivers will benefit from lower overall running costs against their petrol and diesel counterparts. This will support a cheaper second-hand EV market while improving air quality across the country for everyone.

At current rates, aviation would become one of the largest emitting sectors by 2050, which is why it’s imperative the government takes action. The government is therefore today opening the second application round of the £165 million Advanced Fuels Fund, which will help deliver on the commitment for the UK to have at least 5 commercial scale UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plants in construction by 2025.

The production and use of SAF in the UK is central to the Jet Zero Strategy. SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 70% while boosting investment, jobs and fuel security.

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:

Today’s renewed support for sustainable aviation fuel is another step towards making Jet Zero a reality.

Developing a UK SAF industry will not only put the country at the heart of green aviation worldwide, but also boost investment, jobs and fuel security in the UK.

Additionally, a second consultation on the SAF mandate has been launched, which sets out how the mandate will deliver carbon savings, provide incentives to SAF producers and signal to investors the vital role SAF will play in the future of UK aviation. Furthermore, we are building on the global reputation of our academic institutions by confirming that the University of Sheffield will deliver the UK Clearing House to support the testing and certification of new SAF.

Gerry Keaney, BVRLA Chief Executive said:

The ZEV mandate is a critical tool in the UK meeting its ambitious net zero targets. The clarity given today will give fleets and motorists the confidence to continue their decarbonisation journey and accelerate the transition to zero emission transport. Electric vehicles are more popular and accessible than ever.

This mandate brings long-term certainty to the new and used EV markets and will help firms across the automotive supply chain plan for the phase out of petrol and diesel vehicle sales. We look forward to working with the government as it implements this mandate and monitors the impact on the new vehicle market.

Tanya Sinclair, Senior Director, Public Policy, Europe at ChargePoint, said:

At ChargePoint, we welcome this announcement and the certainty it brings to all leading charging industry players. An ambitious ZEV mandate in the UK will guarantee numbers of EVs on the road from 2024 and, therefore, provides a clear signal to infrastructure investors to scale up chargepoint rollout.

Having the right charging infrastructure in place to meet future EV demand will support the growth of the charging sector and thousands of highly skilled jobs across the UK. We look forward to continuing to work with the government on a robust ZEV mandate, introduced as quickly as possible following the consultation period.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 March 2023.

Audible announcements and visual displays will identify the route and direction of buses, upcoming stops and the beginning of any diversions.

Disabled passengers across Great Britain will be able to travel more confidently thanks to new laws that will boost accessibility for everyone.

Today (30 March 2023), the Department for Transport is introducing rules that will require almost every local bus or coach service to provide audible announcements and visual displays identifying the route and direction, each upcoming stop, and the beginning of any diversions.

The government is supporting industry to upgrade their vehicles, with £4.65 million in funding for the smallest bus and coach companies, and the changes will be implemented gradually, with almost all vehicles required to comply by October 2026.

At present, there is patchy provision across the country, with only 30% of buses outside London providing this information, which can be a major barrier for disabled people wanting to travel by bus or coach.

Clear audible and visible information will also benefit non-disabled people, helping those who are travelling on an unfamiliar bus route, and giving passengers confidence that they will not be left stranded at the wrong stop late at night.

Roads and Accessibility Minister Richard Holden said:

Everyone deserves to take the bus with confidence, and this is a massive boost for passenger independence.

Simple and effective audible and visible information should be a baked-in feature of a modern bus service to help people reach their destination, wherever they travel in Great Britain.

To ensure the information provides real-life benefits, the Department for Transport has worked closely with disabled passengers, user groups and the bus and coach sector, whilst giving operators the flexibility to choose solutions suitable for their services.

The AV aids will include ensuring audio is available through induction loop systems, and all new vehicles introduced after October 2024 must also include visible information which can be seen by a wheelchair user when travelling in a rearward facing wheelchair space.

Guide Dogs’ Chief Executive, Tom Wright CBE, said:

For so many people, buses are key to opening opportunities to get out independently: to go out to work, get to appointments, and to see friends. But for many people with sight loss, bus travel can prove difficult or near impossible.

At Guide Dogs, we are delighted that the government has taken this significant step in making bus travel more accessible to people with a visual impairment. Our research shows that over half of people with sight loss have missed their stop due to a lack of AV, and many people avoid bus travel altogether because buses remain inaccessible.

Today’s announcement, and the financial support behind it, will open up opportunities for people with sight loss to live independently.

This announcement forms part of the government’s commitment to improve disabled people’s experience on our transport system and build stronger communities, including through our Inclusive Transport Strategy, which aims to create accessibly equality on the network by 2030. It further builds on government’s ambition to encourage people back onto buses after the pandemic, following £2 billion in funding to support the bus sector since 2020.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 28 March 2023.

Setting out plans to improve how people find, use and get value from transport data to support greater innovation in the sector and deliver better services.

Passengers are set to benefit from improved access to digital apps and sites to help plan, pay and access the transport system thanks to the government’s new Transport Data Strategy.

The Transport Data Strategy sets out plans for the greater use of data in transport and aims to improve how people find, use and get value from transport data to support greater innovation in the sector and deliver better services.

Better use of transport data use can improve interconnectivity between different types of transport, support the development of journey-planning apps and improve their accuracy, ultimately helping to make it easier for people to use and plan journeys.

Data can also help unlock additional benefits, such as new products and services for customers, while supporting employment opportunities in the transport sector.

Transport Technology Minister Jesse Norman said:

Better use of transport data will help to improve journeys for travellers, tackle climate change and grow the economy.

The Transport Data Strategy sets out the government’s vision in this area, creating the right framework for the market to innovate and transport users to benefit.

The Transport Data Strategy focuses on 5 key ambitions, including:

• improving data sharing to benefit transport users
• promoting data standards
• improving data skills in the workforce
• ensuring appropriate governance and communication with the sector
• providing leadership and support for the sector

As part of the strategy, the government is launching the ‘Find Transport Data’ pilot, a data catalogue to make it easier for innovators, researchers and others to find transport data, and ultimately deliver efficiencies and help improve services for customers.

The strategy builds on the good progress the government has already made in facilitating the opening up of third-party data through initiatives, such as:

• Bus Open Data Service (BODS)
• Street Manager
• the development of the Rail Data Marketplace
• the modernisation of National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN)

In addition, the strategy also considers data ethics to help guide the sector to ensure data is used appropriately and responsibly.

Head of Transport Innovation at Transport for West Midlands Chris Lane said:

TfWM welcomes the Transport Data Strategies goal of greater quality and use of transport data. We want to see Journeys for Everyone becoming so convenient, seamless, and trusted, that users will often give up driving their personal vehicles, not because they have to, but because the alternative is better for them and the environment.

A critical factor in achieving this is the customer receiving appropriate, accurate and timely information and having trust in the provider as they make their travel decisions.

Chief Executive of Traveline UK Julie Williams said:

We’re delighted to see the publication of the Transport Data Strategy, which will encourage the sharing of high-quality open transport data towards giving passengers a more informed choice about how they travel, and which will provide a framework within which innovative apps and services are free to develop and grow.

Along with the strategy we will publish a number of data sets and tools to help kickstart better data use in the sector. This includes:

• Local Authority Transport Data Guidance: a web-based tool to help councils use and share their transport data
• NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Node) Discovery: this explores how the existing NaPTAN data set could be improved, such as the inclusion of accessibility data – NaPTAN is a dataset that details all the bus stops and rail stations in the country
• results from urban observatories sensors work: publishing work from an HMT Economic Data Innovation Fund project with the urban observatories in Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle on cataloguing, opening and visualising the transport-related data from their sensor networks
• publication of process evaluation report: this report details the evaluation of some of DfT’s data projects and assistance provided to other public bodies in designing and implementing their data projects

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 27 March 2023.

Night flight policy still under review as new consultation on noise objectives launches.

The government is continuing its review of night flight policy with a new consultation on the noise objectives for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The review will ensure that aircraft operations at those airports are managed, so that the negative impacts of night flying on local residents do not outweigh the positive benefits they bring to the wider economy.

Aircraft are becoming quieter as technology advances and we expect this trend to continue. However, the government recognises that noise from aircraft taking off and landing at night is often regarded by communities as the most disturbing form of airport operations.

Aviation minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:

There’s no doubt night flights have an effect on local residents underneath busy flightpaths, but as aircraft become quieter, we have an opportunity to strike a balance to make sure we can support the aviation industry without having a debilitating impact on people’s lives.

This consultation will help us to shape policy and create a flightpath towards a more sustainable approach to night-time aviation noise.

Night flights are an important part of operations at airports around the world and provide significant economic benefit to the UK, helping keep the flow of people, goods and services moving in and out of the country and supporting thousands of jobs as a result.

The 6-week consultation on night-time noise abatement objectives will allow the government to seek views and evidence from the industry and communities.

The objectives informed by the consultation will set the groundwork for future measures on how to manage aviation noise at night at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports from October 2025.

Also published today (27 March 2023) is the government’s revised overarching aviation noise policy statement, reaffirming the foundation for noise policy for the entirety of the aviation sector, no matter the time of the flight, whether it’s day or night. Through this statement, we aim to balance the health and wellbeing of communities with the clear economic and consumer benefits of aviation.

In addition, the guidance used to allow dispensation for operators to fly night flights will be looked at in the wake of last summer’s disruption across the sector. The summer of 2022, was particularly challenging from an international air traffic control perspective and resulted in an increase in late-running flights and a corresponding higher number of night flight dispensations. Such a rise was in stark contrast to the summers of 2020 and 2021, when the numbers of dispensations were very low.

Given the number of night flight dispensations allowed during the early part of last summer, it’s vital to take this additional evidence into account before publishing any revision to our night flight dispensation guidance. Updating the dispensation guidance will form part of the main night flight regime consultation, which we aim to publish in late 2023.