Review of Public Transport in Wales

A Submission by the Community Transport Association (Wales)

 

Introduction

The Community Transport Association (UK) is a non-profit organisation of community, voluntary and other specialist transport operators and their supporters. It exists to support and promote community and voluntary transport schemes and projects, it also encourages the delivery of best practice and value. The CTA is a provider of expert training for operators, drivers and escorts and its MiDAS driver assessment and training scheme is a nationally recognised standard in the field of minibus driving.CTA’s advice and information service provides guidance on a range of subjects including employment, the law, vehicles, equipment, training and finance. The Association’s members include individuals, community transport operators, voluntary organisations, local authorities and other statutory bodies. CTA’s work in Wales is made possible by funding provided by the National Assembly for Wales. Since the establishment of its office base together with the post of Rural Transport Officer in January 1999, the number of groups registered as members of the Community Transport Association in Wales has increased by 100%.

Commentary

CTA (Wales) welcomes and supports the development of a sustainable integrated transport system in Wales, particularly one designed to tackle social disadvantage and promote equality of opportunity. This cannot be achieved without the support and active participation of a healthy and vibrant community/voluntary transport sector.

What is Community Transport ?

Community Transport is for thousands of people the only means whereby they can access services or just simply get about. Generally speaking ease of transport is for the majority of us something we take for granted on a daily basis. For many it does not exist at all. It is a fact that almost one in every three households in Wales do not have access to a private motor car.For those not familiar with the sector, Community / Voluntary Transport may be relevant to the provision of services in the field of education, health, transport, employment, social welfare and all aspects of recreational and social activities.Regrettably, Community / Voluntary Transport is viewed by some people (including politicians) as a service dedicated solely to helping the elderly and disabled. This is not the case. Community Transport (C.T.) can provide services tailored to suit a range of differing individual and community needs, for all age groups. It is aimed in particular at those, who for whatever reason are unable to use conventional transport services.There are in excess of 100 Community Transport schemes operating in Wales at the present time. The majority of these are smaller operators providing door to door services, such as attending surgeries, hospitals, day centres, shopping and the like. There are nevertheless a number of large Community Transport projects in Wales which are the envy of others in the United Kingdom. For example in South Wales a partnership between a C.T provider and various Government Departments is enabling people to obtain regular work and training under the New Deal scheme. In North Wales a partnership between a C.T group, a Local Authority and commercial operators, has resulted in the opening of a sophisticated all Wales Passenger Transport Information Service, the first of its kind in the U.K.The general picture of C.T in Wales is a healthy one. Some excellent work is already being done in this field, but there is a constant demand for additional services. In the period 1^st June 1999 to 31^st May 2000, CTA’s Wales Office received a total of 112 requests directed at the establishment or expansion of a Community Transport project or scheme. (Appendix A)Virtually all these requests were generated by groups managed by volunteers. People living and working in communities, identifying or responding to a need and anxiously seeking solutions. The majority of these had little in-depth understanding of Community Transport provision. All required a substantial measure of guidance and handholding to support them through the preparatory stages. The level of interest generated by Community Transport issues in Wales is such that the Community Transport Association is finding it increasingly difficult to adequately meet the demands now being made upon it. In addition to the development of schemes and projects there is an expanding demand for information and advice from local authorities, community councils, voluntary organisations and statutory service providers particularly in areas of health and education. The Community Transport Association urges the Assembly to extend its valuable support of Community Transport in Wales in a number of ways; enabling the sector to expand the delivery of its wide ranging, specialist and unique transport services.

Funding

The Assembly’s current funding of Community Transport projects in Wales is made available through the Welsh Rural Transport Grant (WRTG). This is a total of £250,000 which may be accessed by Local Authorities and Commercial Transport Operators in addition to C.T. groups. It is not as is sometimes claimed the sole preserve of Community Transport groups. As the title implies, it is designed to assist rural communities as opposed to more urban locations. In terms of definition alone, many communities in Wales have experienced difficulty merely in determining whether or not they are eligible to apply for the grant. The WRTG replaced the earlier Rural Transport Innovation Grant. It is generally accepted that this earlier grant was often inappropriate to meet Community Transport needs and was described by many as being virtually impossible to access. Previous experiences in relation to the administration of this particular grant scheme have in some cases been a barrier to making application for WRTG.The Community Transport Association (CTA) Wales is of the view that there should be a grant / funding structure in Wales directed solely at Community Transport issues. In addition any such grant / funding should be made available throughout the country and should not be the sole preserve of rural or urban groups.In order to respond to the ever increasing demands being made upon it in Wales, the CTA would wish to secure additional financial support from the Assembly, to increase the number of officers engaged in its work on the ground and the establishment of an administrative worker. ( An application to expand CTA activity in Wales has already been made to the Assembly). At the present time, save for a part time advice line worker in Manchester, all of CTA’s responsibilities in Wales are being addressed by its sole representative, based in Caernarfon.

Delivery of Grant.

Several C.T groups and voluntary organizations have remarked that the current standards of promoting and administering the current grant are less than satisfactory. Complaints range from experiences of delays in acknowledging and processing applications, to the quality of the application form itself, and the lack of publicity and exchange of information between the Assembly and potential applicants. The CTA recognises that the Assembly’s officers have numerous other responsibilities in addition to the administration of the WRTG. Nevertheless, the Assembly has a responsibility to ensure that adequate provision is made for the efficient promotion, processing and delivery of any grant scheme.The Assembly should give consideration to devolving the responsibility and mechanics of grant delivery in respect of Community Transport to the Voluntary Sector. Several existing schemes, aimed at developing Environmental and Voluntary projects in Wales, although funded by the Assembly, are already being administered successfully by the Voluntary Sector.

The Way Forward.

The statistical table presented at Appendix A shows the demand for Community / Voluntary Transport development in Wales. It also gives some indication as to the areas of greatest and likewise least activity and interest in this field. There is an urgent need therefore, not only to support those areas showing high levels of activity, but also to make a concerted effort in those areas which appear less active. CTA recognises that one of the main areas of difficulty is the apparent lack of knowledge within some Local Authorities, Community Councils and Voluntary Groups as to what Community / Voluntary Transport actually is and what it can offer and deliver. There is therefore a need to promote the work of the sector including that of CTA itself, to ensure that every organisation in Wales, concerned with the provision of transport, is able to access and receive specialist and up to-date information with regard to C.T. development and provision.The introduction of dedicated Community Transport Development/Field Workers throughout Wales would undoubtedly result in enormous benefits. For example, the appointment of Community Transport Partnership Officers, on similar lines to those appointed in England, would be of enormous assistance in addressing and resolving C.T issues in Wales. The Assembly should give serious consideration to developing / supporting the creation of such posts with the assistance of the CTA and Local Authorities. Those areas in Wales which have already appointed dedicated Community Transport Development and Field workers are now often recognised, not surprisingly, as the ones with greatest levels of C.T interest and development. This is reflected not only in the number of schemes being promoted, but also in the manner transport issues are addressed and researched.In many cases localised transport solutions are appropriately designed, agreed and implemented to meet local need. Due to the expertise of those involved, both in Local Authorities, Commercial Operators and the Voluntary Sector, the mechanics of delivery are often already in place and the results speak for themselves. Reference - Mid Wales Integrated Transport Stategy. (Published June 1999)

Concessionary Fares / Bus Passes.

The CTA welcomes the Assembly’s proposal to introduce concessionary fares for pensioners in Wales. The Voluntary Sector operates a number of services used by older people, in particular frail elderly and sometimes disabled people who cannot access conventional public transport. For a good many people, Community Transport is the only transport option. The current legal situation is that participation in the concessionary fares scheme is at the discretion of the local authority.The CTA calls for all services to benefit from the new proposals as of right. This will facilitate integration between CT and other public transport services. It will provide a stream of income for the CT operators to develop their capacity.

Fuel Duty Rebate.

Recent events have shown the depth of feeling towards fuel costs in general and in particular the corresponding taxes. For some years the CTA has been campaigning for Community Transport to be included in the fuel duty rebate scheme which will assist capacity building and service sustainability.

General Legislation.

It is acknowledged that the Assembly does not have the ability to change current legislation, however, it does have influence. Many Community Transport operators believe that the current Permit 19 and Section 22 regulations concerning the employment of paid / volunteer drivers are inappropriate to meet the demands placed on modern Community Transport services. Many operators wish to have the option of employing paid drivers on their services, as opposed to relying on volunteers, this is particularly so in the case of the larger operators.

 Conclusion.

CTA (Wales) firmly believes that the creation of a long term, sustainable transport system in Wales, will include the introduction of the aforementioned suggestions. Such a transport system, particularly one designed to tackle social disadvantage and promote equality of opportunity, will require the undivided attention, support and commitment of everyone involved in transport provision. The CTA has long since been dedicated to achieving this goal and looks forward to supporting and working alongside the Assembly in pursuit of its objectives. Statistical breakdown of requests received for the development of Community Transport schemes in Wales for the period 01.06.99 - 31.05.00

 

Anglesey 3Blaenau Gwent 0Bridgend 2Caerphilly 4Cardiff 14Carmarthen 3Ceredigion 10Conwy 5Denbighshire 4Flintshire 7Gwynedd 15Merthyr Tydfil 2Monmouthshire 0Neath Port Talbot 3Newport 1Pembrokeshire 11Powys 5Rhondda Cynon Taff 6Swansea 5Torfaen 2Vale of Glamorgan 1Wrexham 9 Total 112