Rephonic
Artwork for The Freewheeling Podcast

The Freewheeling Podcast

Thomas Ableman
Public Transport
Transport
Public Transport Integration
Transport Policy
Transport For London
Innovation
Community Engagement
Autonomous Vehicles
Sustainability
High Speed 2
Urban Planning
Blackpool Transport
Transport Economics
Public Transportation
Switzerland
Leadership
Transport Planning
Competition Law
Mobility
Virgin West Coast

The Freewheeling Podcast is all about moving forwards faster.

Each week, I’ll bring you fresh voices, new ideas and unconventional thinking.

With a bias towards transport and mobility, we also span entrepreneurship and politics.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes99Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ManagementBusinessMarketing

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Freewheeling Podcast

Latest Episodes

Jonathan Bray was Director of the Urban Transport Group and has spent the last year visiting suburbs all round Europe. He’s just published his findings, and it makes for a fascinating discussion.

He’s clear that there is no ‘one size fits all’ appro... more

How can we stop people playing their TikToks out loud?

You can’t say we don’t address the big policy questions on this podcast!

Nevertheless, it’s an issue that really gets to people.

So I’m joined by behavioural science expert Christian Hunt, fou... more

During the pandemic, Anna Filby was a young transport professional struggling to connect with other young transport professionals.

So she created the Young Mobility Network.

Roll forward six years, it’s been such a success that it’s now her full-ti... more

John Sills is an expert in Customer Experience. He’s written a book and runs The Foundation, a leading Customer Experience consultancy.

He’s worked in transport just enough to understand our world, but not enough not to be able to look in as an outs... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Anna Filby
Founder of the Young Mobility Network
Young Mobility Network
Episode: The Young Mobility Network with Anna Filby and Alessandro Zenati
Alessandro Zenati
Regional hub volunteer for the Young Mobility Network (UK)
Young Mobility Network
Episode: The Young Mobility Network with Anna Filby and Alessandro Zenati
John Sills
CX expert, MD of The Foundation
The Foundation
Episode: Customer Experience with John Sills
Linda Moir
Former Head of Customer Experience, Virgin Atlantic; involved in London 2012 Olympics customer experience
Episode: GBR Customer Experience with Linda Moir and Others
Mark Barry
UK transport expert who led the South Wales Metro effort
Mark Barry Consulting / involved with Transport for Wales projects
Episode: Making a Metro Happen with Mark Barry
Katie-Lee English
Economic consultant with experience at the treasury
Episode: Change with Anne Marie Purcell
Claire Mann
Chief Operating Officer, Transport for London (TfL)
TfL
Episode: Leadership with Claire Mann
Naomi Green
Managing Director of England's Economic Heartland
England's Economic Heartland
Episode: The Oxford-Cambridge Corridor with Naomi Green
Thomas Ableman
Transport change maker and consultant; former commercial director at Shilton Railways
Independent/Consultant
Episode: Innovation and Agility with Thomas Ableman

Host

Thomas Ableman
Host of The Freewheeling Podcast; transport change maker and consultant with practical mobility experience.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 44 ratings
  • THE best transport podcast

    Freewheeling is now well established, has found its flow and is cemented as the best transport podcast out there. Thomas’s intelligence, breadth of experience and curiosity make him a perfect host for a wide variety of interesting guests. His lack of ego (something all too present in other hosts) means he doesn’t interrupt and lets his guests tell their stories and share what they know. The podcasts are always thought provoking, normally challenge conventional thinking and above all make you rea... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Simon P…
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • People inrerviewing for a job

    Love it. But sometimes it sounds like people interviewing for a job rather than a real conversation. Thanks

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    oddknackj
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • Thought-provoking and insightful

    A really interesting podcast. Well worth your attention.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    moose44444444
    United Kingdom2 years ago
  • Always thought provoking

    This podcast and Thomas’s accompanying freewheeling blog should be essential listening for anyone involved in influencing car drivers to try something else. It covers a wide range of mobility issues, generally all inter-connected and (with one or two common exceptions) gives fresh insight to the discussion. That’s what this blog does best - public transport is a fairly inward looking place and here we get some provocative debate on some of that embedded thinking, whether it be from perspective o... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Leeds Bus User
    United Kingdom5 years ago
  • Engaging and thoughtful - entertaining listening whether you're in the sector or not

    Great commentary and searching questions spanning the sector, pitched perfectly by experts who know the subject inside out.

    Love the presenter's style. He obviously cares deeply about what he's talking about! Always great to hear that.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    dad1278
    United Kingdom5 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality guests and timely topics that appeal to policy and industry audiences.
Polished conversations with practical takeaways for listeners in transport and urban mobility.
Thoughtful, provocative discussions that challenge conventional wisdom in transport.
Engaging host who lets guests tell their stories without interruptions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Young Mobility Network with Anna Filby and Alessandro Zenati
Q: What is the Young Mobility Network? Tell me, and why did you create it?
Anna explains that YMN is a network for young professionals in the mobility space, started during the COVID era to help people grow their networks and later formalized into a company with UK and European hubs.
Customer Experience with John Sills
Q: No, it's very helpful. And you started to frame one of the questions that I've got for you, which I really struggle with, which is whether public transport is actually bad at customer experience or not.
The industry isn't uniformly good or bad; there are stars and struggles. The key is to understand that customers choose based on perceived value and to empower staff to fix issues on the spot, while staying customer-led rather than process-led.
Mini Switzerland with Thomas Ableman (From Yimbypod)
Q: What about technology like autonomous vehicles—could that replace or supplement Mini Switzerland?
Autonomous vehicles could help by connecting low-density areas to rail hubs, but they don't remove the need for scheduled services and fixed connectivity; demand-responsive models can fail at scale, so planning must prioritize reliable, scheduled links.
Mini Switzerland with Thomas Ableman (From Yimbypod)
Q: How is Switzerland getting this right, and how could we adapt it for Britain and the Hope Valley?
Switzerland builds the system around an integrated timetable, app, and ticketing, with a legal framework that promotes cooperation; Britain would need a demonstrator with a five-year horizon, political will, and governance adaptations to enable a similar level of collaboration and integration.
Mini Switzerland with Thomas Ableman (From Yimbypod)
Q: So Thomas, can you start by simply giving us the idea in a nutshell?
The idea is to model rural public transport on Switzerland's hourly, highly integrated system, where trains and buses are scheduled to meet at exact times, creating seamless connections and a pathway to higher usage and productivity through better connectivity.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Freewheeling Podcast

What is The Freewheeling Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, transport-forward show that spotlights practical, real-world insights into moving people and goods faster. Episodes frequently feature leaders and researchers discussing how to accelerate mobility projects, improve public transport, and implement innovative services, with a bias toward policy, governance, and technology that enables faster delivery. Notable threads include agile decision-making in government, data-driven transport optimization, station and infrastructure design, and cross-sector collaboration to bring new mobility ideas to life. The program often blends policy critique with on-the-ground case studies, making it helpful for listeners who want fresh perspectives on complex transportation challenges and practical... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Freewheeling Podcast?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Freewheeling Podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Freewheeling Podcast and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Freewheeling Podcast get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Freewheeling Podcast, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Freewheeling Podcast?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Freewheeling Podcast, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Freewheeling Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Freewheeling Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Freewheeling Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Freewheeling Podcast:

1. More or Less
2. Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government
3. Political Fix
4. Politics Weekly UK
5. How To Win An Election

How many episodes of The Freewheeling Podcast are there?

The Freewheeling Podcast launched 5 years ago and published 99 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Freewheeling Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Freewheeling Podcast?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Freewheeling Podcast from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Freewheeling Podcast?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Freewheeling Podcast. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Freewheeling Podcast?

Recent guests on The Freewheeling Podcast include:

1. Anna Filby
2. Alessandro Zenati
3. John Sills
4. Linda Moir
5. Mark Barry
6. Katie-Lee English
7. Claire Mann
8. Naomi Green

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days