What would happen without Community Transport?

Imagine being unable to attend a hospital appointment, visit a loved one, or even go shopping, simply because there’s no transport available. For thousands of people, Community Transport is not just a service, it’s a lifeline.

It’s the difference between isolation and connection.  

Over the past few years, the Community Transport Association (CTA) has been deepening its understanding of this vital sector through updated data and research including our Mapping reports for Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland, with Welsh results forthcoming.

These reports show that Community Transport is truly more than a minibus. It’s not just about vehicles, but about operators who adapt to meet the needs of their communities, offering accessible, flexible transport that fits both the passenger and the place.

During our research in England, we found that while data on Community Transport operators is growing, insight into passengers remains limited. Operators often have close relationships with their passengers and many gather regular feedback, but this information tends to stay local rather than contributing to a wider understanding of passenger experiences and needs.

To address this gap, CTA has carried out several research projects focused on Community Transport passengers, in England, travelling to health and social care in Scotland, along with a Department for Infrastructure survey in Northern Ireland. The results paint a consistent and powerful picture of just how essential Community Transport is.

In England, 46% of those passengers said they wouldn’t travel at all without Community Transport. In Northern Ireland, 45% shared the same view highlighting the critical role these services play in keeping people mobile.  

In Scotland, 39% of passengers travelling to health or social care said they wouldn’t have made the journey without Community Transport. This is comparable to the 33% of passengers in England attending health appointments who said the same.

These results show the importance of Community Transport for getting people to health and social care, social events, shopping, seeing family and friends and for many other purposes. However, the comments on the surveys highlight that whilst passengers value access to activities, they also see the service as more than minibus or volunteer car, and value passenger assistance, social contact and a personalised approach to transport.

Comments also highlighted that when Community Transport passengers could travel by another means, this often involves considerable inconvenience or greater financial cost. For example, 33% of England passengers said they would use taxis if Community Transport wasn’t available, with some noting the difference in fares and others saying that they would miss the security and support provided by the drivers and assistants on Community Transport. Others noted that they would be reliant on friends or family to provide transport, thus limiting their independence.  

Our passenger research helps identify some of the benefits of a Community Transport service and what would be lost if the services did not exist. If your organisation would like help to conduct your own passenger survey, please contact the team on policy@ctauk.org and we would be happy to advise you. 

View our Passenger Survey infographic here