Regional transport bodies, or sub-national transport bodies as they are officially known, are relatively new bodies set up to coordinate regional transport policy and spending under the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016.  They can bid for a variety of powers, including bus franchising, but in general, much transport infrastructure will continue to be delivered at the local level. They do though help prioritise central Government spending in their area.

The best known transport body is Transport for London (TfL), the executive arm of the London Assembly, which was established under different legislation and uniquely covers the Greater London area. Its metropolitan equivalents, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) (the executive arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority) and Transport for the West Midlands (TfWM) (the executive arm of the West Midlands Combined Authority, centred around Birmingham) are members of Transport for the North and Midlands Connect respectively.

Only Transport for the North has received statutory status, the others are operating in shadow form and are likely to remain like this for the foreseeable future.

• • Transport for the North - received statutory status in 2018

• • Midlands Connect

• • Transport for the South East

• • England's Economic Heartland

• • Transport East

• • Peninsula Transport

• • Western Gateway

Given the difficulty for an organisation covering a small geographical area to engage with a regional body, we're keen to help people work together to form a network (informally or formally) to give the issues important to them a voice at this strategic level.  Otherwise, there's a danger the regional transport body will focus on big road and rail projects to the exclusion of much else.

If you are working in a region and would like to hook up with others or would like some help setting something up, please get in touch.

Click on the Regional Transport Bodies' logos below or use the menu to the left for more information on each area.