Data is core to an effective Enhanced Partnership as it drives performance monitoring, operator and authority accountability, and is the evidence base for network decisions. But knowing that data matters and knowing how to use it effectively are two different things. Many authorities have the intent without the infrastructure, and this takes the form of unclear data expectations, inconsistent and manual operator reporting, and no reliable baseline to measure or model progress on.
This post sets out the practical steps to close that gap by identifying what good data practices look like within an Enhanced Partnership, and how you can use it to make the case for your bus network.
Why Enhanced Partnerships thrive on data-driven collaboration
When an Enhanced Partnership is set-up, the focus is often on getting an agreement in place, from securing operator sign-up, to satisfying DfT requirements, and establishing the governance structures that make the partnership legally functional. Specific and measurable performance targets based on trustworthy data tend to be an afterthought, an approach that is shortsighted as transparency and clear expectations drive the partnership’s success by facilitating collaboration with all stakeholders.
Performance tracking, where it exists at all, often takes the form of spreadsheets compiled by different teams or data shared informally, with no single picture of how services are actually performing. This means there's a meaningful gap between what most Enhanced Partnerships commit to on paper and what’s actually happening on the road. The authorities that move to close that gap with enriched, reliable data that both sides can trust will be far better placed to demonstrate impact, hold operators to account, and make a credible case for continued investment in their bus network.
Setting effective Enhanced Partnership performance targets
The difference between an Enhanced Partnership that drives improvement and one that falls short often comes down to how its performance goals are set and tracked. Targets need to be specific and measurable, based on trusted data, so they can be agreed on by both the authority and the operator, and to ensure they’re effective in making the case for future funding to improve the network.
Enhanced Partnerships should set defined KPIs based on specific thresholds. Lost mileage, for example, has clear definitions: what counts as a cancellation, what counts as a curtailment, what the operator is required to report, in what format, and within what timeframe.
Mechanisms to address and resolve performance issues should be tied directly to trustworthy data. Well-designed Enhanced Partnerships specify what happens when performance falls below a threshold for a sustained period. This removes ambiguity for all parties and empowers both authorities and operators to proactively intervene when performance falls short.
The data you need to make an impact
Lost mileage verification is often where authorities start, and rightly so. Knowing what was scheduled versus what actually ran is the foundation of any credible performance conversation with an operator. But it's worth understanding lost mileage as one component of a broader data capability, rather than the whole picture of what’s happening on the road.
Giving an authority a data-based, holistic view of network performance enables them to effectively manage and improve bus services. Lost mileage indicates whether services ran. Bus speeds tell you whether they ran well, and where deterioration is happening, whether that's a specific corridor, a time of day, or a seasonal pattern. Reliability trends, tracked over time at route level and operator level, reveal whether problems are one-off or structural. Simulating proposed schedules allows you to identify potential issues and ensure feasibility before services go-live. Taken together, these performance insights shift an authority from reactive to proactive: instead of chasing operators for explanations after the fact, you're identifying issues as they emerge and intervening before they compound.
This matters for Enhanced Partnerships specifically because the operating model depends on trust between the authority and operator. Enriched data supports this working relationship by enabling authorities and operators to have more productive conversations as they're working from a single, shared evidence base of what's happening within the network.
Meeting data obligations
As of April 2026, all English LTAs are also required to report against the Local Transport Outcomes Framework (LTOF) that features 16 national priority indicators, covering punctuality, reliability, journey times, patronage, and more, with five requiring local data sources that national datasets can't supply. Building the data infrastructure needed to strengthen your Enhanced Partnership and meet LTOF obligations is largely the same exercise. The authorities getting ahead of this now are treating compliance as a byproduct of effective network performance management, not a separate reporting burden.
A practical starting point
The gap between where most Enhanced Partnerships are and where they could be is not impossible to close. The key is to start with the necessary data to get an accurate evidence base to work from.
Begin by auditing your current Enhanced Partnership clauses against the benchmarks above. Where are the definitions vague? Where are reporting obligations absent or unverifiable? Where does escalation depend on discretion rather than data? That audit will usually surface two or three priority areas where tightening the framework would make the biggest practical difference.
From there, identify your data gaps. What do you currently measure, and what are you relying on operator self-reporting for? Lost mileage is often the most immediate priority as it's the most visible performance obligation in most Enhanced Partnerships and the one where independent verification has the clearest contractual relevance.
Build the evidence base incrementally, focused on your next Enhanced Partnership review point. Authorities that arrive at review with verified performance data are negotiating from a fundamentally different position than those who aren't.
Want to see how CitySwift supports Enhanced Partnership data obligations in practice? Register for our upcoming webinar on how AI-powered lost mileage verification is the new data enrichment standard.
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