Are you in the conversation?
40% of travelers now use AI tools to plan their trips. That’s not a future trend—that’s happening today.
Here’s what that means for transport operators:
When someone asks ChatGPT “What’s the best way to get from Manchester to Liverpool?” or “Which bus company has the most reliable service between Birmingham and Walsall?”—your brand needs to be in that answer.
AI overviews have reduced click-through rates for top-ranking content by 34.5% in just one year.
Traditional SEO alone won’t cut it anymore.
The shift is dramatic:
- AI referrals to top websites surged 357% year-over-year
- LLM traffic is predicted to overtake Google search by end of 2027
- 71% of Americans already use AI search to research purchases
For transport operators, this changes everything. Your route information, service quality, accessibility features, and booking systems need to be structured so AI engines can find, understand, and cite them accurately.
What operators should be doing NOW:
- Ensure AI crawlers can access and understand your route data
- Structure content around the questions passengers actually ask AI
- Build authority signals beyond your website (Reddit, travel forums, review sites—community building is the new link building)
- Monitor how your brand appears in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Mode
- Track AI citation frequency, not just SERP rankings
After seven years as a CIO in transport, I’ve seen how slowly this industry adopts new technology. But this time, waiting isn’t an option. Your competitors who move first will own the AI-powered customer journey.
This is why we recently partnered with Cite Lift – to help transport operators navigate GEO/AEO without the complexity or the consultant-speak.
We’re offering a complimentary assessment to our first 20 enquiries. We will analyse your digital presence and show you where the gaps are – and how to fix them.
The search revolution is happening now. Don’t get left behind.
Question for the transport sector: Have you checked what ChatGPT says about your services? The answer might surprise you.