Policy / Research

CTA has five Policy & Research priorities which focus our work as the voice of the Community Transport sector.

1.    Modernising for Growth
2.    Improving Access to Health & Social Care
3.    Investing in Community Solutions
4.    Accelerating Community-Led Climate Action
5.    Delivering a Fair Deal for Volunteers

This priority is all about ensuring that our sector is governed by a new regulatory and legislative framework which is fit for purpose and fit for the future, but also meets the needs of our diverse membership across the UK.

Community Transport has a proven track record of success since the Transport Act of 1985, as well as significant growth potential. However, modernisation of the operator licensing regime, reform of the driver licensing regime and greater use of digital technologies are long overdue to help our members to expand and improve.

Under this priority, we’re campaigning for:

  • D1 licence entitlements to be granted to B licence holders to tackle minibus driver shortages with the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS) as the recognised and mandatory standard;
  • A new requirement for all drivers across public transport, Community Transport and the wider voluntary sector to complete high-quality and recognised accessibility training to raise standards of equity, inclusion and safety;
  • Clarification of operator licensing guidance for Community Transport to improve the governance and regulation of our sector, including a review of Section 19 small vehicle permits, to meet the needs of our sector and the communities we serve; and,
  • Investment in Community Transport’s data and digital capacity and infrastructure to improve efficiency, integration and the passenger experience through Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT), Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and, potentially, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

You can find out more about our work on this priority on these pages or in our CTA Manifesto for the UK General Election 2024 here.