About us
Our vision is a country where communities have affordable transport that improves quality of life and protects the environment.
- Find out more about our vision down the right hand side of this page.
For 40 years, working with hundreds of thousands of inspiring people, Campaign for Better Transport has fought for better public transport, walking and cycling, for the sake of communities and the environment.
An independent charity, we work by providing well-researched, practical solutions to transport problems, pressuring national and local government to adopt them, and empowering ordinary people up and down the country.
"Being part of the brilliant Save our Buses national campaign has really helped our credibility locally and saved two bus routes from being cut" - local bus campaigner Victoria Harvey
We have had many successes. In recent decades we've helped to change the Government's transport policy radically, away from building big roads and expanding airports and towards much more recognition of environmental and social impacts. Just in the last few years we have:
- Forced the Government to stop its planned RPI+3% rail fare rises
- Won a New Station Fund worth £20m to create new stations for communities not currently on the rail network
- Helped save 131 million miles of bus routes
- Got air passenger duty applied to prive business jets
- Kept pressure on the Government to stop damaging road building plans
But of course there is much still to be done. Carbon emissions from transport are still rising, many people still find it difficult to get around without a car, and rising rail fares, cuts in bus services and a deregulated planning system won't make this any better.
"As always we will be putting pressure on the Government to put sustainability at the heart of its transport policy. I hope you'll join us in doing this" - Stephen Joseph OBE, Campaign for Better Transport CEO
If you care about communities, transport and the environment, why not join the campaign? You could start by signing up to our monthly e-bulletin, taking one of our quick actions or making a donation.
Hot campaign: Roads to Nowhere
We know that new roads don’t solve people’s transport problems. Instead, road-building generates even more traffic, damages the countryside, adds to climate change and makes cities, towns and villages less pleasant places to live for everyone. Hundreds of miles of new roads, costing billions of pounds, are being planned across the country by central government, local councils and new bodies like ‘Local Enterprise Partnerships’ who – wrongly – believe that a bypass or ring road in their town is the answer to high levels of traffic.
How we are run
Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (4943428).
Chair: Mark Walker; Treasurer: David Pemberton; Trustees: Janet Birch, John Ellis, Eric Galvin, Alastair Hanton, Ceri Margerison, Ruth Chambers, Sue Fletcher and John Stewart.
Michael Palin is our president. Jenny Agutter and Steve Norris are our patrons.
"The need for effective alternatives to the car has never been more urgent. You can play your part by supporting Campaign for Better Transport" - Michael Palin
Hot campaign: Fair Fares Now
When massive train fare increases were announced, we attacked with all of the weapons in the modern campaigner's arsenal. Employing Facebook and Twitter, e-petitions and mass protests, we mobilised many thousands of angry passengers in a headline-grabbing campaign. Within months, the Government agreed to a full review of train fares.
Find out more about our work by downloading our annual review 2011-12
We envisage diverse communities where people's needs are met locally. People in communities should have a say about local transport, particularly those who are less affluent (and less likely to own their own cars).
Income shouldn't be a barrier to accessing public transport. Sustainable transport should be competitively priced so it isn't cheaper to go by car or by plane.
Our positive vision includes public transport, walking and cycling. For public transport our vision is of frequent, reliable, integrated services which are easy and pleasant to use.
We need to put people first in the way we design and manage our streets, to end the severance of communities by busy roads, to reduce air-pollution and enable healthier lifestyles.
The dominance of cars, lorries and planes threatens our environment. Better transport is needed to meet our future needs and reduce carbon, but also protect our landscape, biodiversity and cultural heritage.Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a charity (1101929) and a company limited by guarantee (4943428)