The Freewheeling Podcast

How do we take the public with us?
Actually, is that the right question? Surely, we should be asking what the public want? And what the public doesn’t yet know it wants.
Our traditional models of consultation and engagement increasingly don’t work. They result in fearful officers bombarded with feedback from a hyper-engaged minority, while the typical resident is unaware that engagement is even taking place.
Is there a better way?
Yes! Jasmine Palardy works with local authorities to engage residents on highways schemes in a totally different way.
Why shouldn’t a local authority highways consultation involve a chicken dinner?

This year, Denmark will replace all its public transport ticketing systems with a new fully pay-as-you-go digital app.
Customers will get a transformationally better service; operators get a cost saving. What’s not to like?
This is all being delivered by the “Rejsekort & Rejseplan”, a dedicated organisation devoted to transport ticketing and information.
It is run by Tina Christensen, who tells me all about the culture change necessary to deliver this digital transformation.
It’s an inspirational story for any country further behind on digital ticketing (which is almost all of them).

This edition looks back at the themes that emerged from the 2025 episodes of The Freewheeling Podcast.
We look back at inspirational city leaders who have transformed places for the benefit of their residents (and faced death threats for doing so), we revisit the entrepreneurs building great transport products to improve journeys and we discuss the big ideas that came out of last year’s conversations.
I hope you enjoy this retrospective - there’s also a preview of the next season at the end.
Thank you so much for listening in 2025 - and, above all, Merry Christmas!

Jane Cole is MD of the best bus company in Britain, at least according to the judges of the UK Bus Awards. In fact, that’s not all: she also leads the best tram company in Britain, according to the judges who awarded them Tram Operator of the Year.
Today’s podcast is all about change, but it’s not primarily the sexy kind of technological change that we often think of when we think about change.
It’s about culture, community and people - but it’s the stuff that makes the difference between success and failure in the transport sector.
Jane describes the changes she’s made happen in Blackpool Transport and how empowerment, community focus and investment have transformed the transport service in one of the most deprived towns in Europe.

Caroline Seton is the co-founder of the London bike share firm Forest.
They’re in unambiguous second place to Lime, the great global bicycle behemoth - but, famously, being second makes a firm try harder.
In today’s episode, we talk about the challenges of being a shared mobility firm in a municipal environment, the realities of whether cities actually want sustainable transport and the changes she would make to transport policy.
Above all - more bike parking and less car parking please!