Integrated ticketing has become a huge topic across UK transport. Passengers want travel to feel simple. As more decisions are taken at a regional level, the balance between local priorities and a consistent national experience shaped a lively conversation at Transport Ticketing Global 2026, where Cubic’s Vice President and Head of Product, Rob Cullingworth, set out a clear and practical view of what good integration should look like.
Rob focused on how design choices made now will shape the everyday experience of millions of travellers. He outlined how regions can set their own policies without creating a patchwork of experiences and why the right platform can support both local ambitions and national aims. His message was straightforward: Devolution and centralised approaches can work together to deliver true national integrated ticketing. It could be the foundation that makes devolution truly work for passengers.
Devolution should not mean fragmentation
Rob opened by noting that while devolution is a move in the right direction, it does not solve all the issues of fragmentation in passenger experience. Regions will always have their own priorities, but passengers expect the basics to stay consistent, desiring a simple, predictable experience, regardless of where they start or finish their journey. Rob emphasised that this is entirely achievable with the right system design.
The islands and bridges approach
A theme that resonated with the room was the idea of “islands and bridges”. Regions can operate as islands, setting their own fare policies, fare rules and local products. The bridges between them are created by a national platform, or “digital spine” that joins everything together, providing common capabilities and experiences that can be utilised in every region. This gives regions control and allows them to focus on and innovate on the things that matter most locally, without creating duplication across multiple regions.
The system should carry the complexity
Rob was clear that passengers should not need to understand how the system works. The goal is simplicity. People should be able to plan, travel, and pay without having to think about the details. The system should automatically manage entitlements, best fares, and all the other background tasks. Similarly, agencies and operators should trust the system to reconcile, apportion and settle revenues automatically, according to established rules. When the system handles complexity, travel becomes easier and more accessible for everyone.
The value of integrated ticketing
Rob set out the wider benefits that follow when integration is done well. It supports multimodal travel, enables better data use, and helps reduce barriers to meaningful mode shift. It lowers administrative costs for operators and transport authorities. It generates higher-quality planning data, which helps improve service delivery and investment decisions. For passengers, it creates a smoother and more reliable experience.
One platform, many priorities
A unified central platform can support local flexibility, not the opposite, providing it has the right focus, design, and intentions. Regions can still make decisions that reflect their own political, financial or social objectives. At the same time, passengers enjoy a consistent experience across the country, for example, in the application of eligible concessions. Rob explained that this shared foundation gives both the central government and regions the confidence to innovate without creating confusion for users.
Questions on an important topic
The room was fully engaged, with three audience questions covering implementation challenges, policy alignment, and technical readiness. The level of interest showed how important this topic has become for operators, authorities and industry partners. The conversation made clear that while challenges exist, the appetite for progress is strong.
Rob closed with a simple summary that captured the purpose of integrated ticketing:
“We need to reduce the complexity of travelling for passengers. It should not be the burden of a passenger to navigate the complexity of the system. It should feel simple, consistent, and seamless. Devolution and centralised approaches can work together to deliver true national integrated ticketing”.
On 2nd April, the Government released Better Connected, the vision for domestic transport in England. You can read the full strategy here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-connected-a-strategy-for-integrated-transport