About Route Wise Consulting
Route Wise Consulting is a UK-based specialist transport consultancy working with local authorities and regulated transport providers.
We support organisations operating in complex, high-pressure public service environments, where statutory duties, safeguarding, financial constraint, and operational reality intersect daily.
Our work focuses on SEND and specialist passenger transport, governance and assurance, network planning, and data-led performance insight. We help clients make better decisions, improve service quality, and regain control in areas where demand, cost, and accountability are under increasing strain.
We are practitioners first. Our advice is grounded in how services actually operate, not how they look on paper.
Our Approach
We combine hands-on operational experience with analytical rigour.
That means:
Understanding the real constraints teams are working under
Making proportionate, evidence-based recommendations
Designing solutions that can be implemented and sustained in practice
We don’t believe in generic frameworks or consultancy theatre.
We work alongside teams, clarify problems, and help translate complexity into practical action.
Our role is often to bring structure where it’s missing, visibility where it’s lacking, and confidence where decision-making has become difficult.
Why Route Wise Consulting
Route Wise Consulting was established to fill a gap we repeatedly encountered from inside the system.
Transport services, particularly SEND and specialist transport, have evolved faster than the governance, processes, and data used to manage them. Responsibility is often fragmented across policy, finance, commissioning, and operations, leaving teams exposed to risk without the tools or capacity to address it.
We founded Route Wise Consulting to provide calm, credible, specialist support in exactly those spaces; helping organisations stabilise services, strengthen assurance, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
The People Behind Route Wise Consulting
Route Wise Consulting is led by senior transport professionals with experience spanning local government, regulated transport, and service transformation.
We bring different strengths, but a shared approach: practical, honest, and focused on outcomes.
Ben Holt
Ben specialises in SEND and home-to-school transport, with a strong background in safeguarding, operational delivery, and service improvement. He brings a people-focused, delivery-oriented approach, with particular strength in stabilising services, improving processes, and supporting teams working under sustained demand and constraint.
Tim O’Sullivan
Tim brings deep experience across SEND and home-to-school transport, alongside wider expertise in transport operations, planning, governance, and performance management. He has worked extensively with specialist passenger transport services, supporting decision-makers through periods of pressure, change, and scrutiny.
Alongside this, Tim has a strong background in local bus and rail networks, data analytics, and network planning. He is known for his analytical approach, systems thinking, and ability to translate complex operational and financial data into clear, actionable insight.
Together, we combine governance, operational delivery, data, and network expertise; pairing strategic perspective with frontline understanding, and staying closely connected to the realities our clients face.
How We Work With Clients
We typically work with:
Local authorities
Transport and commissioning teams
Senior leaders needing short-term specialist support
Our engagements range from rapid diagnostics and reviews, through to interim and embedded support during periods of change.
We are collaborative, proportionate, and clear. We will tell you what we see, explain why it matters, and help you decide what to do next.
If a challenge needs a long-term partner, we can be that.
If it needs short, focused intervention, we’re comfortable stepping in, and stepping back out.
If you’d like to discuss a specific challenge or requirement, we’re always happy to have an initial conversation.