What the enhanced partnership review is and what it means for Community Transport

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published its review of Enhanced Partnerships (EP’s), sharing a detailed look at how they are working across England and where improvements are needed. CTA contributed directly to this process by responding to the survey and attending one of the national roundtable events. Our insights, alongside those shared by operators, local authorities and partners helped shape the finding and next steps set out in the review.

Enhanced Partnerships were created to bring councils and bus operators together to plan and improve services. The review confirms that when EPs are well established, collaborative and focused on what passengers need, they can deliver meaningful improvements. These include better accessibility, clearer passenger information, improved ticketing and stronger relationships between authorities and operators.

The review identifies four features shared by successful EPs. They are passenger-focused, collaborative, accountable and ambitious. This reflects what we see on the ground. When community transport is part of the conversation, networks are better able to serve people who face the biggest barriers to travel.

CTA’s contribution to the review highlighted that engagement with community transport (CT) remains uneven. In some areas, CT operators are fully integrated into EP structures and have been able to influence investment, support decision making and protect essential services. In others, CT is still overlooked or invited into conversations too late to shape the outcome. For small CT operators, participation without a clear role can become a burden rather than a benefit. The review echoes this challenge and notes that many EPs want clearer guidance and practical support on how to engage community transport effectively.

CTA expects that the findings of the review will be reflected in the forthcoming Enhanced Partnerships Manual, which is due to be released by DfT shortly. This manual will sit alongside the Franchising Manual released in January that areas will use to guide their early franchising work, and together these resources will help local authorities choose the most suitable model for their area.

This new manual will offer practical advice, examples of good practice and templates to support EP officers. CTA hopes to see clear guidance on how EPs should engage with community transport, given the need identified by local authorities and operators throughout the review. Stronger guidance would help EPs understand the role of CT services, learn from areas that already do this well and embed more inclusive approaches into their planning. Whatever the outcome CTA will be working with relevant partners to respond to this need and to help ensure local areas have the tools and confidence to involve CT organisations meaningfully.

What is relevant to Community Transport

For local authorities and CT operators, the review is a clear signal that expectations are rising. EPs need to be more consistent, more inclusive and more transparent. They need to involve organisations including community transport early, recognise their role as essential providers and understand how their services support wider outcomes. For CT operators, staying engaged, sharing evidence and helping shape local plans will be key to ensuring that networks continue to reflect the needs of the people we serve.

CTA will continue to work with DfT, local transport authorities and sector partners once the new EP Manual is finalised. We will also support members as they navigate these changes and work with their local EPs. With stronger structures and clearer expectations, there is real potential for EPs to deliver better outcomes for passengers. Community transport can and should be part of that.