Analytics: Access Routes Chart

It’s always been possible to see how people are travelling. Now it’s possible to see exactly where they’re heading once they arrive.

The dashboard now shows which specific access routes audiences are planning to use, which car park, which entrance, which drop-off zone.

For venues and events managing multiple access points, this is genuinely useful. Where to put signage, where to allocate staff, where the pinch points might be.

Less guesswork, better decisions.

Understanding Dashboard Data

The dashboard shows modal split percentages and carbon figures. But what do those numbers actually mean in practice?

Tom Yiangou, Client Development Manager, has written a guide on making dashboard data as valuable as possible, covering how to set realistic modal shift targets, compare events against national travel averages, measure which communications increase engagement, and turn data into carbon reduction evidence for sustainability reports.

Growing the Team and Looking Ahead

We’re pleased to welcome Hannah George to the ‘Ģ����ý.’ team as Client Development Manager, joining Emma Gibbons and Tom Yiangou in Client Development. Hannah brings a background in sustainability strategy for live events and music venues.

The YST team now spans the UK, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, USA and Australia, and this quarter has been a busy one, with the team out on the road attending and speaking at industry events, visiting clients and experiencing events first-hand. As we move into the second half of the year, schedules are looking full for all the right reasons, with a packed calendar of client events, deployments and industry moments ahead.

Different cities, different time zones, same ambition.

EnRoute: Turning the Journey Into Part of the Cultural Experience

‘Ģ����ý.’ has launched EnRoute, a first-of-its-kind, content-driven travel innovation developed in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome and delivered with Innovate UK through the DCMS Create Growth Programme.

EnRoute was created to bring travel, culture and sustainability closer together. Audience journeys account for the largest share of emissions at live events, yet they’re rarely treated as part of the experience itself. EnRoute rethinks this by linking personalised, low-carbon travel planning with creative digital content, making the journey an active part of how audiences engage.

UTMB Configuration

‘Ģ����ý.’ has developed a suite of new features to support Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB)’s hugely popular registration lottery, nudging participants towards low-carbon travel. The UTMB GO Travel Assistant incentivises trips that meet UTMB’s low-carbon business rules by offering a boost in the ballot and uses YST’s carbon calculations to help define each participant’s carbon offset.

With this configuration, YST is establishing the platform as the travel planning system for major ballot-based events, giving organisers a practical way to influence the carbon footprint of their audiences.

Making the Most of the Travel Assistant

Throughout the year, clear and well-timed communication has made a real difference in how audiences engage with travel information across tours, festivals, venues and destinations. Sharing the travel assistant early, whether on a website, in pre-event emails or via social channels, helps audiences plan their journey and know what to expect. The Client Development team is always happy to support, from advising on timing and messaging to sharing examples of what has worked well for others.

Looking Ahead

As we move into autumn, our focus remains on helping destinations, venues, and events deliver smoother, more connected visitor experiences. We’re continuing to refine how organisations plan, manage, and understand the journeys that shape each visit – making travel simpler, more accessible, and aligned with sustainability goals.

Existing clients can look forward to their next data insights update, sharing the latest analytics from recent deployments.

For those discovering ‘Ģ����ý.’ for the first time, it’s a great moment to explore how personalised travel planning can enhance operations and the visitor experience.
Book a demo or log in to your dashboard to learn more.

Multi-Lingual Travel Assistants

To allow our increasingly international audience to use the travel assistant, we have translated the user interface into three languages – French, Spanish and Italian.

UTMB is a world-renowned ultra-marathon that loops around Mount Blanc. The UTMB Go travel assistant includes a multi-lingual panel in the header that allows race participants to select their language of choice (EN, ES, FR, IT). Instead of spending time translating directions, participants can focus on their race plan!

If your audience would benefit from a multi-lingual travel assistant, book a demo to discuss options.

Generate Travel Plans

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance our service and platform, we have recently refreshed the ‘Generate Travel Plan’ functionality in the dashboard.

Using the intuitive template on the ‘Generate Travel Plan’ dashboard page clients can more easily generate and send personalised travel plans to visitors.

We encourage clients to use the YST dashboard as regularly as they can, in order to get the most out of the data generated by travel assistant deployment.

Already a YST client? Look out for your Data Analytics Email!

Thank you for choosing ‘Ģ����ý.’ to support your commitment to delivering brilliant, sustainable visitor experiences.

As part of our ongoing support, we have started sending regular account updates, highlighting the latest insights and analytics from your deployment.

Reach out to your Client Development Manager if you want to be one of the first accounts to receive insights data created using data extracted from the Dashboard Analytics Suite.

Strengthened Dashboard Security: Multi-Factor Authentication

To enhance data protection for all users, we’ve introduced multi-factor authentication (MFA) across our dashboard. Now, when you log in to review travel data or make updates to your deployment, you’ll be prompted to authenticate via email the first time.

This is a key milestone in our ongoing security efforts—ensuring your data is protected while making the platform more robust for all stakeholders.

UI Enhancement: CO₂e Emissions in Focus

Understanding your journey’s carbon footprint has never been clearer. We’ve redesigned the travel assistant interface to feature CO₂e (carbon footprint equivalent) values prominently—now displayed in colour just beneath the time and calorie data.

This visual shift supports better decision-making by highlighting the environmental impact of travel options and nudging users toward lower-carbon modes of transport.

Small UI changes. Big impact for the planet.

Featured Blog: The Tour de France and Hidden Carbon Costs

Is the world’s most iconic cycling race really as green as it seems?

In our latest blog, we explore the paradox of “low-carbon” sports by diving into the Tour de France—revealing how major events can carry hidden environmental costs. We also discuss how ‘Ģ����ý.’ is uniquely positioned to help address these challenges

The Client Development Team Continues to Expand

Is The Client Development Team is growing! We’re thrilled to welcome Alex Townshend—who’s no stranger to many of our clients.

After rotating through Commercial and Product teams as part of her Graduate Scheme, Alex now brings her insight and experience to Client Development.

We’re delighted to see her journey come full circle and are excited for what lies ahead.

Improving Rural Transport in Warwickshire

As part of our commitment to inclusive and connected travel, we’ve been working on the Rural Transport Accelerator Project—an initiative funded by the Connected Places Catapult. This project focuses on enhancing rural connectivityin partnership with the NHS Trust in Warwickshire.

By identifying the barriers that rural populations face in accessing healthcare and essential services, the project explores innovative ways to bridge transport gaps through smarter, user-focused journey planning. From integrating more accessible multi-modal options to tailoring the travel assistant’s functionality for underserved areas, we’re learning how technology can close the mobility divide.

Helping rural communities travel smarter—and live better.

Meet Your New Client Development Team

To kick things off, we’re thrilled to introduce our new Client Development Team, formed to give you more dedicated, responsive, and expert support. The team will be your go-to for everything related to your travel assistant deployment.

Whether it’s feature requests, troubleshooting, or collaboration on new ideas, they’ve got you covered. Together, they’re here to help you make the most of our platform – ensuring your travel solutions deliver measurable impact, every step of the way.

Emma Gibbons, an accomplished Project Manager with a strong background in the arts and education, is leading the team.

Tom Yiangou, who brings expertise in sustainable transport engagement, having worked with several UK local authorities.

New Feature Spotlight: Uber + Public Transport Integration

We’ve partnered with Uber to introduce a smart, seamless new feature: direct booking from within travel plans. This enhancement is particularly valuable in areas with limited public transport availability or for journeys requiring first-mile/last-mile solutions.

The system intelligently suggests multi-modal travel options, combining rideshare services with public transport like buses, rail, or park & ride. This not only improves accessibility but also helps guide users toward more sustainable transport choices.

Success Story: London Marathon Events

One of the highlights of 2024 was our work with London Marathon Events (LME). At the Vitality 10,000, our platform played a key role in helping reduce the environmental impact of participant travel.

Building on this momentum, we’re proud to announce that LME will be expanding their use of our travel assistant across all their 2025 events. This marks a significant step forward in sustainable mass participation event management.

Mobility? As Part of What Service?

Understanding the future of transport means looking beyond roads and vehicles—it’s about integrated, people-first services that improve local experiences and reduce environmental impact.

At Ģ����ý., we’re helping public sector partners embed mobility into their broader service delivery strategies—whether it’s for tourism, events, education, or public health—so that every journey becomes a smart, sustainable one.

Watch our latest overview video to see how we’re shaping the future of low-carbon travel across the UK.

New Feature: Last Train Back?

Planning a trip just got easier. Our brand-new return journey feature allows users to seamlessly toggle between outward and return travel within a single session. No more guesswork or re-entering details—visitors can now plan the full round trip with just a few clicks. It’s a time-saver and a gentle nudge toward greener choices that reduce unnecessary road traffic. Launching November 2024

New Feature: Carbon Removal Options

We’re excited to roll out a Carbon Removal feature for travel assistant deployments. This gives event-goers the option to offset residual travel emissions by purchasing carbon removal credits, helping them take climate-positive action. Whether you’re running a festival, cultural event, or venue, this feature supports your sustainability goals—and contributes to the broader push for net-zero.

Make your events more climate-conscious—ask us how to activate this feature.

VisitLakeDistrict.com: Smarter Planning in the Lakes

We’re proud to highlight our partnership with Cumbria Tourism and the European Space Agency in launching a next-generation travel planner for VisitLakeDistrict.com. Powered by satellite data and our eco-algorithm, the planner delivers personalised, low-impact travel routes that help visitors explore the Lake District more sustainably.

Local businesses can easily embed the tool into their websites and even generate bespoke travel plans to share directly with their customers—enhancing both visitor experience and regional sustainability goals.

The Only Planet We’ve Got

Looking to better understand how ‘Ģ����ý.’  helps organisations enhance visitor experiences and deliver more sustainable, impactful events? Our latest overview video explains how we support the future of low-carbon event management—from intelligent journey planning to integrated carbon reduction features. It’s a great way to see how the platform brings together technology and sustainability to make every journey count.

“This industry-founded charity was created to share insights on how to reduce travel emissions, and build resources. The move to onboard:earth represents a new energy to tackle the climate crisis, and shift towards working with more partners that focus on regeneration of ecosystems, and represents a commitment to acting urgently,  as we expand the team and resources we offer.”

Chris Johnson, CEO of onboard:earth

“Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood for the trees, when it comes to making a difference to a global-scale issue, and it’s even harder to know where to start. What we’ve carved out with onboard:earth is a straightforward way for events and attendees to come together and have an impact bigger than the sum of their parts.

To date, the charity has already funded the protection of an area of rainforest 32-times the size of Kendal Calling Festival and funded the planting of 65,000 trees, and we are only just getting started!

We invite festivals and partners to jump onboard as we continue this journey together and support our ecosystems to flourish for generations to come.”

Ben Robinson, Festival Founder of Kendal Calling, Company Director of From the Fields and onboard:earth

WhatsApp Notifications Now Available

In response to user demand, we’re thrilled to announce that all travel assistant deployments now support WhatsApp notifications. This enhancement offers users the flexibility to receive live journey updates via WhatsApp, in addition to SMS.

Why this matters:

• Better support for international travellers

• A more personal, user-friendly communication channel

• Seamless integration into your users’ daily habits

Introducing Custom Branding Options

Your brand, your way.

We’ve rolled out comprehensive white-labelling capabilities for the travel assistant, giving you full control over how the platform looks and feels to your users. You can now fully customise:

• Domain name

• Header and footer design

• Fonts

• Access colours

Whether you’re hosting an event, leading a campaign, or offering travel support, these options create a seamless branded experience that builds trust and boosts engagement.

This feature is perfect for organisations looking to maintain brand consistency, drive visitor loyalty, and provide professional interface across all touchpoints.

Interested in white labelling your travel assistant?

Refreshed and Expanded How-To Pages

We’ve updated our Service Desk with new and improved how-to guides, designed to help you get the most from your deployment.

Recent additions include:

• Sending personalised travel plans via your email marketing platform

• Increasing visitor engagement with your travel assistant using marketing best practices

Let us know what guides would help you next—we’re always expanding the library based on your needs.

Bee Network App Integration for TfGM

As part of our deployment for Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), our travel assistant API has been integrated with the TfGM’s Bee Network mobile app. Bee Network updates include real-time bus times and fares, park and ride options, TfGM dock-to-dock cycle journey planning, and using cycling as a first and last mile option on journeys that include public transport. Read more at the case study below and if you travel in Manchester.

Q&A with Our CEO

@ Host Cities & Federations Summit 2024
Courtesy of Major Events International & Associated Press

We recently had the opportunity to share our vision at the MEI Hosts & Federations Summit 2024, a key gathering for global event organisers.

In this insightful Q&A, our CEO discusses:

• Why we chose to attend this year’s summit

• How ‘Ģ����ý.’ supports the goals of major event organisers

• The role our platform plays in creating a lasting sustainability legacy

Creating carbon-removed events

YST is proud to collaborate with events of all shapes and sizes, including London Marathon Events, the world’s leading organiser of mass participation sporting events. LME is internationally recognised for its efforts to inspire activity and deliver excellence, encouraging participation in sport across all demographics and abilities:

“We recognise that the activities of London Marathon Events Limited can have both a negative and a beneficial impact on the environment, associated with impacts such as resource utilisation, materials choice, waste generation and disposal, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and nature preservation, and releases to land, water and air. Through a rigorous assessment and measurement of what those impacts are, we are taking action to eliminate or minimise negative ones and amplify positive ones.”

Kate Chapman, Head of Sustainability, LME

Where does the money go?

A diverse carbon removals portfolio managed by , comprising:

Enhanced Rock Weathering

Accelerating natural process where rainwater and carbon dioxide reacts with silicate rocks to form a stable form of carbon in solution. This solution then travels via the rivers to the ocean where it remains stable for millennia. Enhanced weathering accelerates this process by using rock ground into dust, which is then spread on agricultural land.

Direct Air Capture

Removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, typically using chemical processes that bind CO₂ from the air. The captured CO₂ can then be stored underground or used in various industrial applications.

Afforestation

Planting trees to either restore or develop new regions of forested land, increasing the drawdown of CO2 through natural respiration. These projects may also have significant environmental co-benefits such as air quality and biodiversity improvement.

Soil carbon sequestration

Enhancing agricultural soils’ ability to draw down carbon in both organic and inorganic forms. Soils are the second-largest carbon storage system on the planet, holding approximately 2,500 billion tonnes of carbon.

Biochar

Turning biomass, such as agricultural waste, into a stable form of carbon-rich charcoal through a process called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis heats the biomass in the absence of oxygen, which prevents it from fully combusting and instead turns it into biochar. This stores carbon for hundreds to thousands of years, while also forming a material which helps improve soil health.

These technologies require substantial investment to scale and provide viable solutions for achieving net zero. However, carbon removal is no substitute for reducing emissions. Both reductions and removals must be pursued simultaneously. The climate emergency demands action on all fronts.

Editors Notes