Problem statement
Late-night transport provision is poorly aligned with live music schedules. Audiences may leave shows early, skip support acts or decide not to attend because the last practical bus or train departs before or close to venue curfews. Venues and promoters currently lack a shared evidence layer connecting event timings, ticket behaviour, audience origins, transport availability and actual departure patterns. Transport operators and public authorities therefore receive fragmented anecdotal requests rather than quantified evidence showing where service gaps suppress attendance and night-time economic activity.
Underserved audience
Primary underserved users: - Grassroots and mid-sized music venues - Independent promoters and festival operators - Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and district councils - Bus and rail operators - Night-time economy partnerships - Universities and music-sector researchers - Audience development and tourism teams - Fans dependent on public transport
Evidence summary
The consultation reported that limited late-night transport discourages attendance and causes early departures. Participants described earlier show finishes as a workaround and called for more night buses and trains aligned with venue closing times. Liverpool City Region's bus franchising programme will provide increased local control over routes, fares, frequencies and standards. The region has also previously operated additional late-night buses and trains for Eurovision, providing a local proof of operational capability.
Demand signal
Demand is indicated by: - Repeated transport concerns across several consultation roundtables - Venues changing finish times so audiences can catch public transport - Calls for direct coordination between venues, transport operators and authorities - Existing public investment in bus franchising and network reform - The need to evidence whether transport and parking constraints reduce attendance - Potential demand from other UK night-time economy and cultural districts
Competition signal
Competition includes general journey planners, transport planning consultancies, ticketing analytics products and local authority mobility dashboards. These products rarely combine event stage times, venue curfews, ticket sales, audience postcode data, no-show rates and transport schedules. Defensibility would depend on venue integrations, consented aggregated data, local network relationships and a repeatable event-to-mobility modelling methodology.
Suggested solution
A shared intelligence platform that maps live event schedules against public transport provision, identifies last-mile and late-night gaps, estimates attendance at risk and produces evidence for timetable planning, venue communications and transport investment.
Monetisation angle
Indicative pricing: - Single venue: £100–£350 per month - Venue network licence: £8,000–£25,000 per year - Combined authority licence: £30,000–£100,000 per year - Event mobility study: £10,000–£40,000 - Public API and embedded journey widgets: £5,000–£25,000 per year - Bespoke transport scenario modelling: £5,000–£20,000 per project
- lcrmusicboard.co.ukLiverpool City Region Music Board — Keeping Music Venues Thriving Consultation Report
- liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.ukLiverpool City Region Combined Authority — Transport and Bus Franchising
- liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.ukLiverpool City Region Combined Authority — Eurovision Late-Night Transport
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Liverpool Regional Mobility Intelligence Platform
Score 85/100
Community Transport Service Gap Mapping Platform
Score 80/100
Transport Economic Impact Intelligence Platform
Score 78/100
Liverpool Regional Mobility Intelligence Platform
Score 85/100
Community Transport Service Gap Mapping Platform
Score 80/100
Transport Economic Impact Intelligence Platform
Score 78/100