Issued by: Department for Transport

Winning projects use the latest innovations to help meet the unique transport needs of people who live in rural areas.

• eight projects awarded £150,000 each to better connect rural communities

• winning projects include digital tools that support patients and staff to travel to NHS hospitals

• funding will enhance travel for rural residents, while delivering greener transport technologies

People living in rural areas could benefit from smoother and more frequent transport, thanks to government funding announced today (6 November 2025).

Small businesses have won a share of £1.2 million as part of the Rural Transport Accelerator Fund (https://cp.catapult.org.uk/news/1-2m-to-boost-rural-transport-in-the-uk), which supports the development of innovative concepts that will improve rural transport, in partnership with local authorities. The scheme aims to boost the wellbeing of communities, support rural jobs and kickstart local economies.

Winners include a digital tool to predict rural transport demand and deliver on-demand services, as well as a journey mapping tool to support health providers in delivering hospital transport for patients.

The 8 projects, which have won £150,000 each, are spread across the UK’s rural areas and will be trialled from Norfolk to Herefordshire and Suffolk to south east Scotland.

Future of Roads Minister, Lilian Greenwood, said:

"People who live in rural areas have unique needs when it comes to transport and we’re always looking for ways to improve connections across the country.

"Through our funding, these projects will shake up the way rural transport is delivered, using the latest innovations to help residents see their friends and family, do their weekly food shop or attend hospital appointments."

The winning projects include:

• You.Smart.Thing – development of a digital tool to offer shared, demand responsive or community transport options for those without car access, trialled in Warwickshire

• UrbanTide – mapping rural hospital patient journeys to identify barriers to accessing health services in rural areas and support health providers in enhancing rural transport services, trialled near Fife

• Alchera Technologies – use of data insights to create a behavioural travel model to help local authorities with rural mobility decision making, trialled in Norfolk County Council

• Civil Water Management – installation of new drainage systems using recycled car tyres to aid safer cycling along flood-prone sections of cycle routes, trialled in Milton Keynes County Council

This year’s scheme called for solutions to a number of challenges that rural areas face:

• the importance of rural roads for everyday journeys

• driving towards a sustainable future

• enabling innovation in rural mobility

• advancements in agricultural transportation

• open challenge – building communities and enabling adoption of technology in rural areas

The grant is delivered in collaboration with the Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership

Connected Places Catapult’s Chief Executive Officer, Erika Lewis, said:

I am delighted to welcome 8 exciting companies onto the Rural Transport Accelerator.

Their innovations and technologies promise to make a real impact for people living in rural areas, and I look forward to following their progress through the programme over the coming months.

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