Honest comparison
How TransportPlanAI compares
Three honest comparisons for a typical small-to-medium residential Transport Assessment. Numbers are indicative ranges; your mileage varies by site complexity, LPA requirements, and how much modelling the scheme needs.
| Approach | Time per TA | Cost per TA | Control + IP | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIY - you write it yourself | 30–60h | £2,400–£4,800 of your time (at £80/hr) | Total - every word is yours | Other work doesn't get done. Data-gathering eats the first two days. |
| Junior planner in-house | 40–80h (theirs) | £1,600–£4,800 (at £40–60/hr) | High - you direct + review | QA load shifts to you. Onboarding curve on each new dataset. |
| Outsourced consultancy | 2–4 elapsed weeks | £3,500–£8,000+ fixed fee | Limited - back-and-forth on tone, structure, recs | External brand on the cover. Slowest iteration cycle. |
| TransportPlanAI + youMost efficient | 10–30h (yours; data + draft auto) | £199/mo subscription · included site data pulls · 4 credits per TA | Total - you ship it under your name | Modelling, site visit, trip-rate selection, stakeholder work - still yours. |
Where TransportPlanAI fits
You're a sole-trader transport planner or a small consultancy. You have professional indemnity and you sign off your own reports. The bottleneck on growth isn't insight - it's the hours each TA costs you in data pulls and standard-section writing.
TransportPlanAI replaces the repetitive third of the job. You stay the practitioner. Your name still goes on the report. The IP stays with you.
Where it doesn't fit
- Modelling-heavy schemes. If 60%+ of the job is junction modelling (Junctions 10, LinSig, Vissim), the time saved on the report sections doesn't move the needle.
- Bespoke LPA formats. A few LPAs require unusual report layouts. Output is Word-template-driven, but if your template fights the standard section structure, expect manual rework.
- First-week onboarding. First 2–3 TAs save less while you build trust with the AI output and calibrate where you edit heavily vs accept. After that the savings compound.
- Large consultancies with bespoke pipelines.If you've already invested in internal data tooling and a template system, you may save less. We're built for the planner who's still pulling Stats19 manually.
See it on a real site
Book a demo and we will draft a TA for one of your own sites. Or start a 30-day trial with 8 site data pulls, no card needed. If the time saved isn't real, walk away.
Ranges sourced from typical UK market hourly rates (£40–60/hr junior, £80–150/hr senior) and a typical 30–60-hour small-to-medium residential TA. Consultancy fees reflect published fixed-fee bands from comparable UK firms. Your scheme may sit higher or lower depending on site complexity and LPA expectations.