With BSIP funding by the DfT confirmed for the next few years and a significant number of Local Transport Authorities unlikely to be pursuing franchising within that period, Enhanced Partnerships remain the primary lever for transforming bus services in many parts of England.

But not all EPs are the same. Urban Enhanced Partnerships operate in a distinct environment - one shaped by strong commercial provision from multiple operators, complex multi-modal travel demands, and heightened expectations around frequency, reliability, congestion, air quality, integrated ticketing, and passenger safety.

This inaugural workshop brings together Local Transport Authorities with an urban EP focus to establish a new peer working group, with the ambition to show that a well-designed EP can deliver most, if not all, of the outcomes typically associated with franchising.

What the group aims to do

The Urban Enhanced Partnership Group has been proposed by a coalition of bus professionals and LTA practitioners who believe that collective action can unlock meaningful progress. The group's purpose is to:

• Share emerging delivery models and break down common barriers to implementation

• Develop stronger, better-resourced urban EPs - including progress on ticketing integration, network co-ordination, and common branding

• Provide a collective voice to DfT and CPT on blockages to delivery

• Explore how more devolved local powers could strengthen urban EP outcomes

• Feed collectively into debates around Local Government Reorganisation, Mayoral and Statutory Authority developments, and any associated calls for bus governance reviews

• Meet approximately once a year or as needed

Who should attend?

This event is specifically only aimed at EP Managers or EP Leads from Local Transport Authorities with a specific urban EP focus, particularly those actively developing or refreshing EPs under BSIP and the Bus Services Act 2025 framework.

Places are strictly limited. To apply to attend, please complete the form below. We will then contact you following registration to confirm your place and provide more details.