Charities welcomes transport inquiry

Age Scotland and the Community Transport Association in Scotland are hopeful that a Parliamentary Inquiry into community transport services will deliver a fairer deal for older and disabled people across the country.

Community transport services, often delivered by local charities, are a vital resource in supporting people to remain active in their community and in tackling social isolation.  Service providers will typically deliver transport in circumstances where commercial bus companies feel they are unable to turn a profit, stepping in to provide door-to-door collection and drop-off schemes.

The Scottish Parliament's Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee has, therefore, announced that it will look at whether community transport services are able to better meet the needs of the people they serve and how these can best be supported in the future.

Age Scotland recently launched its Still Waiting campaign which calls on the Scottish Government to adjust the National Concessionary Travel (NTS) scheme so that the free bus pass for the over-60s is valid on community transport services, on a full-fare-recovery basis.  Greg McCracken, the charity's Policy Officer, said "This Inquiry is an excellent opportunity for Parliamentarians to hear about the vital role that community transport plays, particularly in rural areas.  We hope they will conclude that extending the existing Concessionary Travel scheme is the logical means of ensuring that providers can be supported to deliver that service into the future."

John MacDonald, CTA's Director for Scotland, said "We very much welcome this Inquiry. It will help shine a light on the valuable work which community transport groups do to help older and disabled people, in particular, access services and live independently."

Both organisations urged service providers and users to provide submissions to the Inquiry, with comments required before 19 April.