The UK government has announced that small businesses have won a share of £1.2m as part of the Rural Transport Accelerator Fund, which supports the development of innovative concepts that will improve rural transport, in partnership with local authorities.
The scheme aims to boost the wellbeing of communities, support rural jobs and kickstart local economies.
Winners include a digital tool to predict rural transport demand and deliver on-demand services, as well as a journey mapping tool to support health providers in delivering hospital transport for patients.
The eight projects, which have won £150,000 each, are spread across rural areas and will be trialled from Norfolk to Herefordshire and Suffolk to south east Scotland.
The winning projects include:
- You.Smart.Thing – Development of a digital tool to offer shared, demand responsive or community transport options for those without car access, trialled in Warwickshire
- UrbanTide – Mapping rural hospital patient journeys to identify barriers to accessing health services in rural areas and support health providers in enhancing rural transport services, trialled near Fife
- Alchera Technologies – Use of data insights to create a behavioural travel model to help local authorities with rural mobility decision making, trialled in Norfolk County Council
- Civil Water Management – Installation of new drainage systems using recycled car tyres to aid safer cycling along flood-prone sections of cycle routes, trialled in Milton Keynes County Council
Connected Places Catapult’s chief executive officer, Erika Lewis, said: “I am delighted to welcome 8 exciting companies onto the Rural Transport Accelerator.
“Their innovations and technologies promise to make a real impact for people living in rural areas, and I look forward to following their progress through the programme over the coming months.
Achievements and innovations in sustainable transport planning will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector – and to book your table!
