The workshop “Growing patronage: Challenges and what has been found to work” included presentations of 10 papers from all continents, addressing issues including service design, transferability, planning, strategy and decision making. Discussion focused on four topics: conflict or compromise between commercial and social objectives when designing services; the effects of growing demand for car use; which are the most effective instruments to increase patronage recognising that cultural and social differences can also be important contextual biases; and whether the sector is striving for real performance or merely towards contractual compliance, and what has to be done to counteract this trend.