Yesterday the consultancy Transport for Quality of Life published an excellent new two-page report suggesting a variety of funding sources to fund walking, cycling and public transport.

The report suggests the government should increase levels of public transport, including doubling bus, tram and train service levels, and cites specific methods to raise money to pay for them. The increased service levels could come into place alongside “reduced or free bus fares” which would cost around £3 billion per year.

Methods of raising money include reallocating road building funds, increasing Air Passenger Duty for passengers on private jets, ‘land value capture’ from windfall profits from housing development, and an eco levy on driving cars/vans in urban areas.

The report states:

“As improvements to public transport and reductions in fares are politically very popular, new taxes could be introduced as part of a package of measures that simultaneously improve people’s travel choices and opportunities, achieve climate and air quality goals and raise the revenue to
pay for them. Political will is all that is needed.”

Download the report here.

4th October 2024.