Bradford 2025: UK City of Culture
Bradford 2025, a major cultural programme and the UK’s City of Culture initiative, is successfully leveraging smart travel planning tools to enhance visitor experience and encourage sustainable transport choices. As of mid-May 2025, over 10,000 travel plan queries have been processed, reflecting robust engagement and an appetite for digital journey support tools.
Deployment and Technology
A multi-layered digital deployment integrates web and mobile access, offering users automated, personalised low-carbon travel plans. The technology supports bespoke routing to key venues and integrates real-time information, making journey planning seamless and intuitive. Travel plans are automatically emailed to every ticket booker, ensuring consistent user access.
Sustainable Travel and Modal Shift
Travel planning data revealed balanced transport mode preferences—each with roughly 40% share between public transport and driving. For RISE specifically, public transport usage was higher at 43.5%, aligning with planners’ goals to nudge audiences toward greener travel modes. Cycling journey uptake was also identified as a successful element of the programme.
Impact and Engagement
- Engagement Rates: 23% of all ticket holders and 62% of booking groups engaged with the travel planning tools
- Ticketing & Reach: 43,709 tickets sold across 16,174 orders
- Event-Specific Highlights: The RISE opening events saw over 4,000 travel plans generated, covering 20% of attendees
Key Successes
- Broad and effective digital deployment
- High engagement with automated personalised travel plans
- Improved access to cycling and multi-modal journey options
- Strong public sentiment and positive digital feedback
- Cross-stakeholder data collaboration and insight sharing
Opportunities for Growth
Looking ahead to rest of the year, Bradford 2025 aims to:
- Optimise transport for key events in the programme
- Enhance volunteer and staff travel engagement
- Improve communication through earlier and repeated travel plan emails
- Increase sustainable transport uptake through targeted messaging and incentives
- Collaborate further with local authorities and transport partners
Bradford 2025 is proving how data-driven, personalised travel planning can transform the visitor experience while promoting sustainable and inclusive mobility. The programme’s ongoing success illustrates a replicable model for future large-scale events.
Photography by Karol Wyszynski.
