MCA Awards 2004
Silver Award: Change Management Category
PA Consulting Group; client - Transport for London
If only public transport could be as predictable as PA Consulting Group’s success rate in winning awards. In this year’s competition, the firm has scooped the silver award in the change management category for helping Transport for London deliver a safer and more reliable bus network.
Steps taken by PA contributed to a reduction in crime and fear of crime on buses thanks to the presence of almost 1,000 uniformed officers working as a dedicated transport policing command unit; and to improvements in the frequency and reliability of buses on London’s streets. The number of people travelling by bus in London has increased by 13% in the last two years, suggesting increased confidence in the system and its safety.
When Ken Livingstone was elected mayor of London, two of his key election promises were to reduce congestion and to improve the public transport system. Transport for London (TfL) was formed in 2000 to be responsible for London’s transport system and the delivery of the mayor’s transport strategy.
That strategy seeks to persuade people to switch away from cars and towards public transport, in particular buses. But research indicated that a key barrier to increased bus usage was fear of crime and violence. In 2002, there were more than 9,000 incidents, sometimes involving illegal weapons, drug dealing and aggression towards staff and fellow-passengers. Would-be passengers were also deterred by the length and unreliability of bus journey times.
TfL already had initiatives under way to deliver the mayor’s transport strategy, but wanted faster progress so it asked PA to help it shape and deliver a programme.
Speed was of the essence in this high-profile initiative which had to be implemented in time for the introduction of the London congestion charging scheme in February 2003. PA needed to create a team that would work seamlessly with TfL and the Metropolitan Police Service to develop an innovative, sustainable solution within a tight deadline.
PA applied its expertise in systems dynamics modelling to understand the factors influencing crime and fear of crime (drawing on global expertise and New York’s experience in tackling urban crime), as well as the factors affecting bus flow. It examined linkages between these related factors, assessed the potential levers that could be deployed to alter behaviour and then identified the optimal portfolio of initiatives to increase bus usage through improved bus flow, reduced crime and fear of crime.
PA helped to establish the Metropolitan Police Service Transport Operational Command Unit, responsible for policing agreed bus corridors on the London bus network, and enforcing the law on taxis and private hire vehicles.
It also helped design and launch the Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate (TPED) which was given overall responsibility for all transport policing and enforcement activities in TfL.
The establishment of TPED has for the first time brought together all of the TfL initiatives with an interest in safety and security on London’s roads. This integration has greatly improved coordination and information sharing, resulting in more effective intelligence-driven operations, which have proved pivotal to identifying and targeting incidents in London.
