Participatory public transit procurement

The rural local government of the Outer Hebrides islands in Scotland procured a public bus service by putting citizens in charge of every step of the process, from developing the specs to selecting the winner and managing the service contract. This is important as cities are grappling with how to involve communities in urban tech design and procurement and we are often led to believe that only powerful large cities have the capacity to undertake such processes.

Over the next decade we could have more citizens co-designing procurement and open them to new urban tech opportunities, but also get involved in contract management and partnerships demanding more control and flexibility in administering services.