Better Transport Conference 2024

Published: 11 July 2024

I was fortunate enough to be invited as a speaker to the first ever Better Transport conference to speak in a panel focusing on young people. I was invited to discuss young people’s perspectives of sustainable transport including barriers and issues that young people face surrounding using public transport. From my perspective, I was keen to discuss how transport can act as a barrier for young people accessing National Parks both in terms of cost and accessibility as well as my perspective of being a student commuting into London for university.

Reflecting on the Youth Panel, it was pleasing to see people in the audience who seemed genuinely engaged in learning how to capture the attention of young people and improve transport for young people. The other speakers on the panel were very inspiring and the panel proved that although more definitely needs to be done to make public transport safe, accessible and welcoming for young people there are pioneers that are slowly causing change to happen within the sector. Questions such as how to engage with young people as well as questions on initiatives such as the £2 bus fare provided important insights into the views and mindsets of us as young people. In my personal opinion, more bus routes need to be placed in rural areas and National Parks in the first place, therefore, the £2 bus fare will only come in handy when that’s happened. 

Before my panel, I had the opportunity to watch other panels being held. These were really inspiring listening to industry professionals discussing their insights on a broad range of factors from transport with industries to the impact of transport and new transport schemes in local communities. This really made me aware of how much impact public transport has on the majority of communities and many industries.

Overall, the conference showed how ultimately public transport affects many individuals’ everyday lives from recreational activities to education and work. It is imperative, particularly for young people, that public transport becomes a safer, more accessible place. In terms of focusing specifically on public transport, young people and National Parks, decreasing costs and providing more routes of public transport to National Parks could potentially bring more young people to these places.  To conclude, the conference was a fantastic, inspiring day that certainly provides hope for the future of sustainable transport.