TAS to study Community Transport for SEWTA
13 March 2007
TAS has been commissioned to conduct a study into community transport (CT) and demand responsive transport (DRT) in South East Wales as part of the development of the South East Wales Transport Alliance's Regional Transport Plan. This study will determine the future role of CT and DRT in the area as well as examining the impact of policies to date by the Welsh Assembly as well as local authorities in the area.
Critical issues for SEWTA include:
- The scale of need for CT and DRT services
- The range of services required
- Integration of CT and DRT services with other transport modes
- Efficiency and effectiveness from operating on the basis of regional standards
In addition to examining current services, the study will incorporate consultation with community transport and taxi operators, local authorities and other stakeholders. The results of our analysis and consultation will be used to develop a set of improvement options, which will be tested to determine which offer the best combination of benefit and sustainability. The proposed improvements will then be incorporated into the Regional Transport Plan which, subject to political approval, will be submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government.
As part of our consultation we are holding a conference on Wednesday 21st March at the Priory Centre in Abergavenny. This will give anyone with an interest in CT and DRT development in the SEWTA area, the opportunity to help shape the regional policy. Full information on the conference, which is free to attend, is available from:
Jen Taylor of RATC at 0161 368 6603
e-mail: jen@ratransport.co.uk
http://www.ratransport.co.uk/news6.html [Incorporates an on-line booking facility]
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For further information about the study, contact Ed Reid at edward.reid@tas-part.co.uk or telephone 01772 204988
Notes to editors
- TAS was founded in 1989 and has grown to be the UK's leading specialist public transport consultancy, with a current turnover in excess of £1.5m a year and over 25 full-time staff. Our client base includes the major UK transport groups, Department for Transport, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly, Northern Ireland Government, Passenger Transport Executives and local authorities throughout the country. In 2002, TAS developed a national community transport strategy for the Welsh Assembly Government.
- SEWTA is the regional transport consortium for South East Wales comprising the following local authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan. SEWTA is responsible for establishing regional transport plans and strategies as well as applying for funding to carry out the programmes identified.
- CT and DRT development in Wales is at a critical turning point. It is widely acknowledged that there is a huge shortfall in CT provision compared to potential demand. In 2002, when the CT in the Welsh Transport Network study reported, it was estimated that some 61,000 people across Wales are reliant on door-to-door services of some kind, but that formal provision was only made for less than 10% of that figure. CT development has been stimulated by support both from local authorities and from WAG, but a clear and consistent form and extent of provision is some way off. DRT services have been developing on a pilot basis in recent years, but there are few examples, even including examples from elsewhere in the UK, where they have achieved sustainability and been properly integrated into the network.