Our 2045 Roadmap For Community Transport in Wales

At the Community Transport Association our vision is that by 2045, community transport is recognised, embedded and valued as part of an integrated transport network for Wales. Community transport puts the community at the heart of all it does, taking a ground-up approach to developing demand-responsive, accessible transport solutions that work for everyone. Services offer so much more than just a journey, empowering people by opening up opportunities for those who would otherwise be excluded.

The sector’s community-led approach means operators can offer outstanding value for money with bespoke, localised services delivered on a minimal budget. With a network of more than 100 community led organisations delivering millions of journeys across Wales every year, community transport offers a vital, affordable and accessible connection for so many.

Llwybr Newydd – a new Wales transport strategy

The publication of ‘Llwybr Newydd—a new Wales transport strategy’ is an exciting moment for everyone involved in transport in Wales, and in particular for the Community Transport sector. Through this transport strategy, the Welsh Government are making a public commitment to working in partnership with every element of the transport sector to develop a truly integrated, accessible and sustainable transport network for Wales. 

Llwybr Newydd set out “a vision for transport in Wales that shows how we can rebuild connections between people in the short term, while reshaping our transport networks to respond to the challenges of climate change”. The CTA welcome this very open and collaborative new approach, and look forward to working with Members of the Senedd and the Welsh Government to shape and develop a Wales Transport Strategy that truly serves everyone in Wales.

As we navigate a new reality in the wake of Covid 19, it has never been so important to safeguard and develop transport solutions that truly work for the communities we serve. At CTA we are looking forward to the opportunities created by the Wales Transport Strategy, to work in partnership across sectors to innovate and co-produce connected, inclusive services across the country.

Our roadmap for Community Transport

We asked our members to help us to shape our vision of the world we would like to see come out of the implementation of the Wales Transport Strategy. Using the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act as a framework, we asked what a truly successful community transport sector would look like in 2045.  

Download our 2045 Roadmap Here

Overall, we want to see a better, more integrated local passenger transport network in Wales that can meet the needs of all passengers and be the first and best choice for making a journey. This will have positive benefits for people, our communities and our environment. Our roadmap to 2045 gives the detail behind this vision, and we look forward to working with partners across the private, public and third sectors to make it a reality.

Following months of positive dialogue and constructive co-production with Welsh Government on the early development of the Wales Transport Strategy, the CTA is looking to ensure that there is a clear focus on the importance of community transport as we go through this next phase of consultation and into implementation. 

With community transport having its own ‘mini plan’ within Llwybr Newydd, we believe the time has come for a new community transport strategy, with a commitment to capital investment, consistent local authority support and a co-production approach which will allow for shared learning and improved, and connected services across Wales. Collaborative approaches driven by this strategy, to improve, to innovate, to work in partnership and to really demonstrate the added value accessible transport brings to our communities, will lead to more resilient services and options for passengers which actually join up, leading to better access for everyone.

Accessible, inclusive and integrated transport systems are transformative. We are looking forward to connecting and collaborating across sectors, through the Wales Transport Strategy and a new, dedicated strategy for community transport, to create sustainable opportunities for everyone in Wales who face barriers to accessing mainstream transport services. By making our transport systems accessible to those most in need, we can make them accessible for everyone, both now and for future generations.

Have your say 

On Friday 04 December the Welsh Government are holding a meeting to consult with CTA members and their beneficiaries about the new Wales Transport Strategy and to ask for feedback and comments on it as part of their consultation. If you’d like to get involved, you can contact Gemma Lelliott, our CTA Wales Director on gemma@ctauk.org.