The Viability of Sponsored Transport Schemes

The London Assembly’s Budget and Performance Committee Report,‘The Viability of Sponsored Transport Schemes’, asks the question – under what conditions would the Mayor be prepared to increase TfL’s contribution to the Garden Bridge scheme?

The report also examines the role of commercially sponsored transport schemes, such as the Mayor's Cycle Hire Scheme, more generally.

The report makes a number of recommendations:

TfL’s formal funding agreement with the Garden Bridge Trust should ensure that, in return for its £30 million investment, free public access and other public benefits from the bridge are guaranteed in perpetuity.

For the next sponsorship deal on the Cycle Hire Scheme (CHS), TfL should weight its selection process towards the potential sponsor’s plans and ability to promote the scheme and grow its ridership.

TfL should bring the CHS fully into its regular ticketing and payment systems when the next operator contract starts in 2017 (or before, if technically and financially feasible).

TfL should set out its policy in terms of the requirements it places on external organisations receiving investment funding from TFL to act in a transparent manner and disclose information to the public.