Leeds Civic Trust is hosting a Competition of Ideas encouraging citizens to put forward their ideas about how the bus services in Leeds can be improved to become excellent.

The Trust wants people to think beyond the usual constraints that shape Leeds’ bus service today – tight budgets, often expensive and confusing fares, congestion and delays, a lack of integration between services - and suggest how better public transport can improve the quality of their daily life.

The most imaginative and innovative ideas will win a share of the £2,000 cash prize.

Proposals can be specific to a neighbourhood or city-wide, short-term fixes or longer-term aspirations. Enouraging 'blue sky thinking', the organisers say proposals for improving the bus services could include anything from bus stop facilities, the quality of bus stations and interchanges, branding and livery, bus accessibility and technologies or even the vehicles themselves, e.g., electric or biogas. 

All ideas are welcome and anyone can enter, whether you’re an experienced transport planner, a student who takes the bus to school, a resident who just wants to use the buses more in a post-covid world, or a commuter who’s working patterns has now changed. Entries can also be submitted by individuals, groups or on behalf of organisations.

Entries can be in any format and theme you choose. For example, it could be a written description of what an excellent bus service may look like to you, a series of images showing ‘before and after’ shots of how you think interiors should be improved, or some annotated maps showing how existing routes can be better planned.

The deadline for entries is 6 of September 2021 at 17.00. Proposals must be submitted online at www.ExcellentBusesLeeds.org.uk/competition-of-ideas

Further information is available in the guidelines below.

Leeds Civic Trust is also running a 10-minute survey and has an interactive map. See www.ExcellentBusesLeeds.org.uk for details.

Photo by Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash