Mr John Austin CGeog (Rtd)

Biography

I am a Transport Geographer and an expert in Travel Information, Maps, Interchange, Mobility Hubs and Connectivity (in both urban and rural areas). Prior to joining Southend-on-Sea City Council for a two-year posting in 2023 as its Public Transport Manager, I was an international public transport consultant. For over 25 years I worked with high-quality organisations to support people, products, projects and plans for sustainable mobility: not just in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, but also in urban Indonesia, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. These continental assignments supplemented my experience in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore obtained through a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship in 2000. My initial position was as a Bus Senior Management Trainee in North-East England. I instigated and planned the Moorsrider summer Sunday bus service across the North Yorkshire Moors National Park in 1980, which transformed into Moorsbus in 1981 and is still going strong 45 years later.