National Express Group has called for dedicated coach lanes, greater spending on feeder services to complete transport networks and the introduction of single Travelcard ticketing in urban areas.

The ideas form part of the group's vision, published in its new corporate responsibility report, on how public transport should be developed up until 2020 to meet future environmental, lifestyle and capacity challenges. It argues that unless greater emphasis is placed on encouraging a major shift to public transport it will not be environmentally sustainable or practically possible for people to continue making longer and more frequent journeys. As a result NEG believes "fundamental changes need to be made to the current infrastructure".

The most radical suggestions relate to coach travel, where NEG suggests that dedicated rush-hour coachways should be set up on trunk roads to provide superior services for commuters. On motorways it suggests new facilities should be developed, enabling motorists to leave cars in bays at service stations and take express coaches which would use high occupancy vehicle lanes. A further possibility sketched out in the report is for new style out-of-town coach stations, with electric hire cars available for onward connections.

The group also envisages public transport operators taking on a new role of "central mobility providers" in the government's new eco-towns. This would involve providing a complete internet journey planning and ticket sales facility and, if personal carbon trading is introduced, helping people to manage their carbon allowances.

In terms of green technology, NEG expects hybrid diesel electric vehicles to be standard by 2020 and believes sustainable biofuels from sources such as algae may be in use. It also hopes to be using hydrogen cells to power buses, coaches and trains by then.