It’s well established that data is key to making sound decisions to enhance and improve transport networks. Without it, Local Authorities are effectively gambling on whether an intervention or improvement is a good use of taxpayer funds. No travel mode has been more in focus than buses, fueled by large DfT funding tranches available through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and the Levelling Up Fund (LUF). This looks likely to continue under the current Labour governments Better Bus Bill.
Access to accurate, consistent data delivered in a timely manner can be challenging for consultants who are generally tasked with helping Local Authorities (LA) decide where best to target these investments. The smart consultants and the authorities they work with understand that by creating maximum value and the ability to evidence it, they are in a far stronger position to win future funding applications.
The main challenges Alchera hear from the market fit within some key themes:
Does the data already exist?
Data is often siloed, to the extent that even internal teams within councils aren’t aware what data other teams have available. No single source of truth within these organisations makes it hard for consultants to identify available data.
The data is there but it is not fit for purpose
Data available from Local Authorities often lacks the completeness to support complex decisions required when properly assessing transport schemes. Data maturity is increasing in many Local and Transport Authorities, however that doesn’t mean they have the right data to support these workflows. Software deployed in these customers often focuses on operational performance, such as timetable adherence, rather than what’s really happening on the underlying infrastructure.
We can always use BODS…
BODS has come a long way since its inception and it’s a great data source. It’s available nationally so ticks a lot of boxes, but is unwieldy, complex and sometimes patchy making it a challenge to work with for even the most experienced data analysts. The process of making the raw data useful is time consuming, and there is limited availability of the specialist skills required to properly analyse it, even within the largest consultancies.
Purchasing data tends to be expensive
Generally speaking, data needs to be purchased for relatively large areas given the way it’s packaged by data aggregators. When assessing a corridor, or a single hotspot in the network, this can prove cost prohibitive. This leads to bids that are deemed uncompetitive, or assumptions being made using general traffic flow data, such as from traffic counting sensors which aren’t necessarily representative of bus performance.
Highly granular is always better
To fully understand why network performance is low in certain areas, you need to understand more than just stop-to-stop data. Analysis of the entire corridor is important, as is understanding how each individual road segment is performing. Often, this helps to identify issues which don’t require expensive interventions, such as illegally parked vehicles blocking the free-flow of buses.
Lack of consistent data and applied methodologies to assess it
Where the consultant has the scale to complete their own in-house data analysis, it’s usually carried out to fulfil a single remit, such as to advise and recommend on junction improvements. Challenges are faced when asked to complete further analysis, a typical example being to evaluate the success of an intervention. Can the exact same data be sourced, in the same format? Were all the methodologies used documented? If the answer is no, then it’s hard to be confident that the results will be directly comparable.
How can we quickly do optioneering?
One of the biggest challenges faced is where to start. Particularly for network-wide assessments where big questions have to be answered, such as which junctions and corridors to focus targeted interventions for BSIP plans. How can you quickly assess an entire public transport network and identify the areas that should be the main focus? Anecdotal evidence is often available but is dangerous without the data providing context. Bus drivers might frequently complain about getting stuck at a particular junction, but do the number of routes running through it, or the patronage numbers on those routes support the area becoming prioritised?
What can be done differently?
Alchera Bus has been built to answer these challenges, providing a scalable option capable of surfacing intelligence to cover from a single junction or corridor, to an entire region; without the need for an expensive annual software licence or procurement of datasets.
Alchera Bus focuses on providing the analysis that gives you immediate focus on the areas of the network most worthy of attention; providing the evidence required to report, recommend and evaluate bus related schemes in a repeatable way, which leaves internal resources free to concentrate on high value tasks.
By doing the hard work up-front, Alchera Bus makes BODS usable as a primary data source, which also guarantees national coverage. This is supplemented with bus operator data where available.
Consistent data science methodologies are used, so any results used for planning an intervention are comparable with those used to monitor and evaluate. Not just that, they are tailored to serve the use cases they were designed for.
Frequently, the nature of a consultant's work is project based, within a framework or a one off tender. The resultant data requirements are piecemeal and it’s tough to find automated ways of gaining access to data and turning it into something usable, particularly when most software is only available as an annual licence.
With laser focused results to cover the specific geography being worked on, available quickly with no drain on any internal data science capabilities, what’s not to like?
Why not speak to us to understand how Alchera is working with the smartest consultancies and giving them a competitive edge.
