A proposed vision for these hubs has been set out by public transport operator Go-Ahead Group and consultant Arup, which suggest the idea would help create attractive alternatives to the private car and support a shift towards more low carbon journeys.

Existing travel nodes such as bus stops and railway stations could form the basis for the hubs, with active travel connections being improved through facilities such as bicycle storage and hire, new walking and cycling routes and enhanced public realm.

“Currently transport options in our towns and cities can be fragmented,” said Arup’s global planning lead Richard De Cani. “Mobility hubs could combine services to provide more integrated and convenient journey choices while reducing the carbon impact and helping us achieve our net zero ambitions.”

Future mobility hubs could also act as convenient collection points for the delivery of goods, provide electric vehicle charging points or even unlock opportunities to provide community gardens and remote working spaces, the vision says.

In future, they would be adapted as new modes and services become available with the potential to accommodate micro mobility hire, demand responsive buses, autonomous electric vehicles and drone deliveries, it adds.

Go-Ahead Group’s interim customer and commercial director Mark Anderson said: “For the UK to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, we need millions of people to switch from cars to public transport. We’ll only achieve that, as a country, if we think big, work closely with local authorities and come up with ideas to make travelling as attractive as possible.”  

The vision document says future mobility hubs could be distributed throughout urban, suburban and rural areas, and sets out a series of key design principles including the need to remain ‘flexible and adaptable’.

(Image: Go-Ahead Group / Arup)