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Bursaries
The Transport Planning Society’s bursary scheme encourages Young Professional members of TPS to produce a piece of structured thought on a topic of current relevance to transport planning, supported by a mentor who will be a senior member of the profession. The value of each bursary is £500.
The bursaries provide a great opportunity to expand your knowledge of your chosen topic, raise your profile within the profession, promote your career development and to benefit from your mentor’s experience and advice. For those participating in the Professional Development Scheme it also counts towards satisfying relevant proficiency and experience requirements.
Participation in the competition, especially winning the “Bursary of the Year” award, has helped previous Bursarians to attract the interest of their employer, to gain promotion, to be offered new jobs, and even to be invited to chair a conference session related to their paper. It can give your career a real lift.
The 2024 Bursary Competition has now launched!
See below for more information.
Bursary of the Year awards
Previous bursarians have been enthusiastic about their experience
“It has been a very worthwhile process in terms of writing and practising presentation, and I am pleased that other transport professionals have been able to hear my views”
“It is important for the industry to facilitate engagement between its junior professionals and those at the top. The Bursary process has been excellent in this regard. Long may it continue.
“It has been a great opportunity and it was very enjoyable having the chance to dive into such an exciting area of transport research. Thank you to the whole Board for running the competition and for their time; it has been a great experience.”
Any queries or comments?
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TPS Bursary Competition 2024
The Transport Planning Society is delighted to announce the launch of its 2024 edition of the Bursary competition.
The TPS Bursary competition encourages younger members of TPS to produce a structured written paper on a topic of current relevance to transport planning.
You will be supported by a mentor appointed by the TPS Board who will be a senior member of the profession.
If your proposed title is accepted, you will be asked to write the full paper with the help of your mentor and present it at a special meeting of TPS Board members in January 2025. You will then receive £500 and be featured in a TPS news item. The best submitted paper will also receive the “Bursary of the Year” engraved award and an additional £250.
This year’s Bursary asks participants to:
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"What is the role of the private car in society and how can we best influence it?" |
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We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts on car use – in the present and future. The theme relates to the 2024 Transport Planning Day campaign on reducing car use. Even if your idea is still being formed, we are keen to hear from you - there will be opportunities to shape your proposal or research question with input from mentors or members of the TPS Board. To apply attach a proposal of no more than 500 words to the application form below, setting out how you will address this topic and your reasons as to why you think it’s important. The deadline for applying to take part in this year’s competition is Monday 22nd July 2024. To apply to take part, please fill in the application form here and follow the guidance uploaded here. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2023
The Transport Planning Society Board is delighted to announce the four finalists for the 2023 TPS Bursary Competition.
The competition asked the Bursarians to write a paper answering the question: ‘Investigate a transport intervention that has been shown to reduce environmental damage. How did it interact with poverty / social exclusion? How transferable is that solution for other places/problems?'
We received fantastic entries to the competition, testament to the important role transport has in increasing social inclusion and reducing environmental damage.
This year’s Bursary asked participants to:
TPS Bursary Competition 2022
The Transport Planning Society Board is delighted to announce the four finalists for the 2022 TPS Bursary Competition.
We received many brilliant responses on the topic of 'Buses – how do we ensure they take their rightful place as a key player in the UK’s public transport network?'
In particular entries were asked what role can the bus take in tackling the current challenges of: post-Covid recovery; cost of living crisis; climate crisis and inequality.
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| Buses – how do we ensure they take their rightful place as a key player in the UK’s public transport network? |
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Winner |
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At the AGM in March, Board Member Joanna Ward was delighted to announce Jamie Smith the overall winner of the annual Bursary Competition for 2022. |
Organiser Joanna Ward said, "We have been delighted to receive an increased number of entries this year and we can’t wait to see how finalists are tackle this important question."
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, the entries were of a particularly high standard this year.
TPS Bursary Competition 2021
The Transport Planning Society Board is delighted to announce the three finalists for the 2021 TPS Bursary Competition.
The 2021 competition on the topic of 'Scenario planning – how can Transport Planners best plan for the new normal?’, was a great success attracting a number of extremely thoughtful and intelligent responses.
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| Scenario planning – how can Transport Planners best plan for the new normal? |
Successful Bursarians |
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Winner |
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At the AGM in March, Board Member Joanna Ward was delighted to announce Liani Baglietto Castellares the overall winner of the annual Bursary Competition for 2021. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2020
The Transport Planning Society Board is delighted to announce the six finalists in the 2020 TPS Bursary Competition.
The judges spent a lovely afternoon listening to the finalists present their papers and they along with the Board of the Transport Planning Society were delighted to announce that all of the six finalists would be awarded a bursary of £500 for their work.
The 2020 competition on the topic of 'A transport system that is accessible for everyone – how do we make this happen?' attracted the highest number of applicants to date; indicating what an important topic this is.
Jo Ward Board member responsible for organising the annual competition said 'Its great to see the competition go from strength to strength and the response to the topic just proves what an important time it is to be a Transport Planner'.
TPS Bursary Competition 2019
The Transport Planning Society Board is delighted to announce that five Young Professionals were shortlisted for Bursaries in the 2019 TPS Bursary Competition.
Each conducted research on their chosen topic fitting with the overall theme of ‘Climate Crisis - what more can Transport Planners do to address the climate emergency?'.
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| Climate Crisis - what more can Transport Planners do to address the climate emergency? |
Successful Bursarians |
Each Bursarian will receive £500 on producing a satisfactory paper and presenting to the TPS Board. |
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TPS provided a mentor for each successful applicant to provide insight, guidance and assurance, and the completed papers will be disseminated by the Society more widely.
TPS Bursary Competition 2018
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| Transport Planners and other disciplines better together! |
Successful Bursarians |
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Three submissions were selected from entries for the 2018 competition to write up their papers and present to board members.
The judging panel (made up of senior TPS Board Members) deemed all the submissions worthy of the £500 prize money. |
Winner |
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They were also delighted to award Natasha Smithson as the winner of the TPS Bursary competition 2018 pictured receiving the award from Stephen Bennett and Jo Ward, TPS Director responsible for Bursaries. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2017
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| Integrated Transport and Land-Use Planning |
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Five papers for the 2017 were competition submitted from:
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The TPS Director responsible for the 2017 Bursary Competition, Tim Morton, commented :
“The Board were particularly impressed by the logic and innovative thinking of Giulio’s work, and his strongly evidence-based approach to supporting his conclusion.”
TPS Bursary Competition 2016
The 2016 competition was held in collaboration with Transport Systems Catapult.
We asked Bursarians to research and analyse the outcomes of any one application of technology in transport terms. For example, has SATNAV reduced the distance people travel? Has Uber affected modal share? Are journey planners encouraging use of public transport? Is in-vehicle technology making the roads safer? And then to consider how the same technology may be improved and applied in the future – maybe enhancing the technology, using the same technology in a wholly different way, or developing a new technology drawn from past experience.
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| Technology in Transport |
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Five Bursary awards were made :
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Winners |
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Joint prizes for “Bursary of the Year” were also awarded to Rebecca Craig and Catherine Evans for the excellence of their papers. |
Tim Morton, TPS Director responsible for the Bursary competition, commented “All five Bursary papers were well researched and very thought provoking. The TPS Board particularly liked Rebecca’s and Catherine’s papers for their originality and the quality of data collection and analysis undertaken.”
James Gleave of TSC commented : “It was good to see so many Young Professionals in TPS interested in understanding the impacts of technology. It was also highly encouraging to see ideas that could potentially have a high impact on transport.”
TPS Bursary Competition 2015
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| For 2015, we asked applicants to consider how demand management could be achieved without full road user charging which has failed to gain public acceptance despite the potential benefits. In this context, how do we influence and manage transport demand for the good of all? Can smarter pricing approaches covering all modes provide a way forward? Or can travel behaviour be changed in other ways, at a local or strategic level, using either carrot or stick? Will new means of accessing travel options through mobile devices offer new options for transport planners? How can land use planning help reduce the demand for travel? And how do we evaluate the full and wider benefits of active travel to better justify their inclusion in transport planning? |
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Three winners were announced at the AGM on 3 March 2016.
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Winner |
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Melina Christina was awarded the prize for Bursary of the Year at the TPS meeting on 3 March 2016. Melina explained the potential benefits of peak spreading on London Underground. Through a literature review and a survey of central London employees, she identified the opportunities and constraints involved, and the incentives needed to achieve it, such as financial savings for travelling off-peak and realtime information about crowding. Case studies from overseas supported her conclusions. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2014
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| For the 2014 Awards we asked applicants to tell us what an incoming government should do to improve planning for transport. With a General Election in 2015 and elections to the Scottish Government and Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies in 2016, it’s a good time to consider what any future government’s priorities should be. In the last few years, many experts have questioned the current system of transport appraisal and theaccuracy of national road traffic forecasts. Other recent developments with a potential impact on transport planning include an increasing role for the private sector in local decision making on transport and the return of theresponsibility for public health to local authorities. Transport planning also needs to help meet the challenges of climate change and poor air quality, and to secure transport system resilience to extreme weather events. |
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Bursaries for 2014 were awarded to:
Their papers are available for download by clicking on the above links. |
Winner |
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Stuart Northall was awarded the prize for Bursary of the Year at the TPS meeting on 23 April 2015. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2013
In 2013, four bursarians produced papers for presentation to the Board early in 2014. The process involves the support of a mentor and bursarians gain useful experience in researching a topic and creating a paper that appeals to others plus £500 each. This year’s theme was ‘How can transport best support economic growth?’. The aim was to focus on issues surrounding new transport infrastructure and if it is likely to guarantee economic growth.
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| How can transport best support economic growth? |
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The papers produced in response were:
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The Award for the Best Bursary of 2013 was given to Dave Arquati who produced a well-researched paper and an excellent presentation. |
Mentors John Rider, Howard Potter, Alina Tuerk and Tim Morton guided the production of the papers and the final papers were submitted at the end of 2013. Bursarians then presented their papers to Board members in London and the Board’s response was based both on the written papers and the presentations.
TPS Bursary Competition 2012
The Society focused the call for bursary applications on our theme for 2012: ‘A harder edge for soft measures: what can we do to encourage and accommodate all transport users?'
People who walk and cycle are often considered to be 'vulnerable'. However smarter choices are not just about safety - it's also about policy and the legislative context. We are inviting contributions to the soft measures debate on this theme with an emphasis on promoting smarter choices initiatives successfully. There has been a lot of debate about soft measures in terms of their potential impacts and value for money, especially when compared with infrastructure schemes. How can we address issues of ‘vulnerability’? How can many more people overcome their perceptions and move towards smart choices for regular journeys? Should initiatives include a mixture of infrastructure and empowerment? Is the terminology correct? How can a shift from car use be achieved and what measures are likely to be most effective?
Applicants were asked to frame a specific title and subject for their bursary paper, of their own choice, relevant to the theme and to transport planning in the UK.
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| A harder edge for soft measures: what can we do to encourage and accommodate all transport users?' |
Successful Bursarians |
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The finalists are listed below, their papers are available by clicking on the links:
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Winner |
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Rebecca Fishburn won the 2012 bursary. Rebecca is pictured here receiving the award from Keith Buchan. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2011
The Bursary Awards for 2011 were all centered on the theme of: 'How will localism affect the planning, co-ordination and delivery of land use and transport'.
Our five successful bursarians come from Somerset, Norwich, London, Nottingham and Birmingham. Their Bursary Papers can be read by using the links below.
The Bursary Award evening was held on 10th May 2012 in London, where two of the successful bursarians presented their papers and sparked a lively discussion into localism.
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| How will localism affect the planning, co-ordination and delivery of land use and transport |
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Winner |
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The 2011 'Bursary of the Year' prize was awarded during the evening to Stephen Walford for his paper ‘Bananas with Pickles: Does the localism menu risk creating the recipe for strategic malaise?’ Congratulations Stephen! - Keith Buchan, the Chair of TPS, seen here with Stephen, the Bursarian of the Year, and Alina who presented at the TPS Bursary Evening on 10th May 2012. |
TPS Bursary Competition 2010
The Bursary Awards for 2010 were all centred on the theme of: 'Getting sustainable transport planning right into an age of public sector austerity'.
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| Getting sustainable transport planning right into an age of public sector austerity |
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Our six successful bursarians come from Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Newcastle. Their Bursary Papers can be found in our online library. |
Winners |
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- Victoria Hills, then Chair of TPS, seen here presenting the awards to Graham and Mark at the TPS AGM on 23rd February 2011. |
For the first time, the TPS awarded a prize for 'Bursary of the Year'. The standard of the papers was so high that it was decided to award a joint 'Bursary of the Year' to Graham Grant and Mark Powell. Congratulations to you both!
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