The Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence: Supporting better transport for rural communities
More than 10 million people live in rural communities across England. Yet there is currently no dedicated national policy function focused specifically on rural transport.
Across government and local authorities, the evidence base is fragmented, delivery is inconsistent, and opportunities for coordination and strategic alignment are often missed. The result is an disjointed landscape of funding, policy and outcomes that impacts economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability in rural areas.
The Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence (RMCoE), established by Transport East, has been created to address these challenges.
The RMCoE provides local and national partners with a dedicated rural mobility policy resource - bringing clarity, direction and coordination to an area that has historically lacked strategic focus.
We act as a trusted partner to:
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Government departments
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Local authorities
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Combined County Authorities
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Transport operators and industry stakeholders
Our role is to support a more integrated and joined-up approach to rural transport across the UK.
What have we delivered
Innovative Rural Mobility Solutions
We support innovation in rural travel. Examples include working with Connected Places Catapult to deliver the DfT funded Rural Transport Accelerator, and we have mapped successful mobility case studies from rural communities nationwide.
Rural Networking Partnership
The rural networking partnership was established to build on connections made during the roundtables. It brings together professionals working on transport outside cities and aims to share information about relevant initiatives and studies.
Compendium of Good Practice
Compiled in 2023, the Compendium of Good Practice provided a knowledge base required to develop our Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence.
Our Approach
The Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence enables better outcomes through four core areas of activity:
Policy Research and Development
We support the development and embedding of evidence-based rural mobility policy, helping to shape best practice and strengthen the role of rural transport within the upcoming Integrated National Transport Strategy.
By delivering practical recommendations from our research, we ensure rural places are fully considered in national policy design.
Develop an Evidence Base
We coordinate and strengthen the national rural transport evidence base, reducing duplication and improving consistency.
This is achieved through informed decision-making and continuous improvement in delivery with research studies, impact assessments and evaluation of interventions.
Capacity Building and Support
We work with local government transport strategy and delivery teams to:
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Build skills and strengthen capability to deliver rural mobility solutions
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Address capacity and resource constraints, deliver training and development programmes
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Promote inclusive and innovative approaches to transport planning
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Support access to funding and investment planning
Our aim is to ensure local authorities with rural communities are equipped to maximise future opportunities for growth and prosperity.
Convening Strategic Partnerships
We act as a convening body across:
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Government Departments
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Local Authorities
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Academia
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Industry partners
By building strategic partnerships - including with emerging rural Combined Authorities and research institutions - we support collaboration, devolution and long-term alignment of transport policy and delivery.
Why do we need a Centre of Excellence
Without coordinated leadership in rural mobility:
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Local areas face unnecessary duplication of effort
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Funding inefficiencies persist
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Opportunities to leverage investment are reduced
The Rural Mobility Centre of Excellence provides the strategic oversight, technical expertise and partnership approach needed to deliver fairer, greener and more economically resilient transport outcomes for rural communities.
