Transport is a crucial enabler of social wellbeing and economic growth. To achieve its full enabling potential, transport needs to be integrated, reliable, affordable, high-quality, and efficient.
Transport for Wales (TfW) has been on a transformation journey to move beyond being a railway operator to becoming an integrated, multi-modal transport provider that plays a key role in encouraging people to make sustainable transport decisions. The Welsh Government and TfW are actively working together to develop the cultural transition required to deliver this change.
In line with this vision, the Welsh Government commissioned the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) to explore how the Welsh Government and TfW could increase stakeholder voice in transport decision-making (including employees, community, and other relevant stakeholders). This led us to investigate how multisector collaboration and partnerships can be mobilised to meet the integrated, sustainable transport needs of Wales.
The guiding research questions we explored are:
- What role might community (including community transport and shared transport schemes) play in the realisation of an integrated transport system?
- Are there examples of organisational models that enable communities and employees to have a more meaningful seat at the table?
- What policies can Welsh Government consider to enable employee and community involvement and voice in transport decision-making?
In April 2024, we hosted a full-day roundtable to place the Welsh Government and TfW into discussion with practice-based and academic expertise. The roundtable drew on current evidence and best practice to inform future thinking and actions by TfW and the Welsh Government as they develop their transport policy and delivery plans over the next year.
The roundtable findings showed that multisector collaboration has a key role to play in the realisation of an integrated transport system. Participants called for transport to be connected, grounded, centred, and even rooted in community. Multisector collaborations and partnerships can be a mechanism for generating action that is co-productive, co-creative, and collaborative.
Three key value propositions that emerged were:
1. Support the national public transport network to respond to need;
2. Better reach those who are currently excluded or underserved at the more local level; and
3. Support the cultural and behavioural change necessary for modal shift to happen since collaborators are often closer to the real needs and motivations of the people they serve and support and are best placed to advise on and co-deliver strategies.
The day produced actionable next steps for the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales to move towards embedding multisector collaboration in Welsh transport. Three areas for action emerged:
- Co-producing an enabling vision to guide the sector towards a common purpose;
- Identifying and piloting enabling practices that share accountability and participation in transport decisions;
- Investing in and developing the enabling architecture to bring together the vision and practices.
Our Executive Summary further defines each of these areas, maps seven priorities across them, and provides some recommended actions. We have also published a series of case studies highlighting best practice from Wales and internationally of multisector involvement in transport.
Multisector collaborations and partnerships can be a mechanism for generating action that is co-productive, co-creative, and collaborative.