Bosses hope work on the first of these new bus stops could begin within a year to 18 months, with Plymouth City Council indicating on its website it wants to install up to 50 of the hubs.

Go-Ahead-owned Oxford Bus Company has proposed around 30 sites for mobility hubs in Oxfordshire – including some at existing park & ride locations.

Mark Andrews, commercial director of Go-Ahead Group, said: “We want to make public transport as accessible and convenient as possible so that taking the bus becomes a really attractive alternative to using a car.

“The shift to public transport is absolutely vital if we’re going to achieve net zero in the UK by 2050.

“So we’re trying to be ambitious to get people thinking in a new way about the bus.”

Target of reaching net zero

Getting more people using buses is a central part of the Government’s efforts to reach net zero by 2050.

According to a report published in December by the independent Climate Change Committee, chaired by Lord Deben, nine per cent of present car mileage would need to be moved onto public transport, cycling or walking by 2035 to meet emissions targets. This would need to rise to 17 per cent by 2050.

Go-Ahead designed the “mobility hub” plans with engineering and urban planning group Arup in a bid to find ways to link buses more effectively with other modes of transport.

The cost of the plans remain unclear, with the investment required set to vary depending on the size of the hub and its location.