New Lubbesthorpe is a Sustainable Urban Extension five miles west of Leicester. When fully developed the new community will have 4,250 dwellings, three schools, 325 acres of open space, employment opportunities, local services and a range of retail.

The original plan was for a fixed route bus service linking New Lubbesthorpe with Leicester city centre, with a potential link with Fosse Park. The proposed service was to be triggered by the 301st dwelling, with a frequency to start at every 20 minutes at peak time. GO Travel Solutions were engaged by Drummond Estate to review the options and help develop a service that had a better fit with the aspirations of New Lubbesthorpe as a Sustainable Urban Extension. Out of this exercise a demand responsive transport (DRT) solution was designed and delivered with ArrivaClick. Why the change?

• History of fixed route services in UK in residential schemes not being a success.
• Evidence showing recently introduced DRT services in the UK attract car drivers. 
• Desire for innovation and legacy from the client and stakeholders.
• Arriva established presence in Leicestershire, enabling a blend of new and established public transport solutions could be more easily developed overtime.
• Multiple destinations of New Lubbesthorpe residents, which could be more effectively served by a DRT solution.
• Value for money of DRT versus other public transport options.

The change from a fixed route service to DRT required a change to the Public Transport Strategy for New Lubbesthorpe. This was undertaken by Go Travel Solutions with planning approval subsequently received by Blaby District Council. The revision of the Public Transport Study required extensive engagement with both Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council. The ArrivaClick DRT service operates in both transport authorities.

After receiving sign-off on the Public Transport Strategy, GO Travel Solutions progressed the contract agreement, to secure Arriva as the operator of the DRT. This was supported by legal expertise from Shakespeare Martineau.

Following agreement on a 5 year contract with Arriva, the new bus service was launched on 29th April 2019. The service operates every day (except key Bank Holidays) from 06:00 to 23:00 using 5 x 15 seat high specification Mercedes Sprinter minibuses. In the first 6 months: 

• There have been 27,000 customer journeys.
• 9% of journeys generated by New Lubbesthorpe – the population of New Lubbesthorpe is less than 2% of the operating area.
• Over 50% of residents have now signed up with the LocalGO scheme operated by GO Travel Solutions, providing residents with incentives to use ArrivaClick and other forms of sustainable transport.

These are the areas where GO Travel Solutions added value:

• Knowledge of the established public transport market and emerging new transport solutions.
• Passion for sustainable transport.
• Ability to work with and bring together public, private and 3rd sectors partners.
• Local knowledge on stakeholders and partners.
• Provision of unique services, such as LocalGo, to promote sustainable transport with residents.

GO Travel Solutions were initially engaged for New Lubbesthorpe as Travel Plan Co-ordinators because of their knowledge on sustainable transport and their enthusiasm to engage at all level with stakeholders, transport providers and residents.
Shortly after starting the Travel Plan Co-ordinator Role, they were tasked with developing and delivering the public transport solution for New Lubbesthorpe.