Section 3 - A summary of the staff and volunteers that support CT operations

Community Transport wouldn’t exist without the dedicated teams of volunteers and paid staff who perform a range of roles, from supporting the back office to assisting passengers and, of course, driving.  

 

graph showing volunteer roles

Two thirds of CTOs had paid staff in 2022/23. There were two volunteers for every one paid role and almost 16,000 volunteers amongst CTA members overall. Organisations with smaller incomes were more reliant on volunteers.

 

graph showing the types of driving licences held

Finding qualified drivers, particularly volunteers is crucial for CTOs and the research revealed several worrying trends.  

Two thirds of volunteer drivers with a D1 entitlement held this category of license through ‘grandfather rights’ by virtue of qualifying prior to 1997. This shows the reliance that the sector has on an older group of volunteers, and the importance of reforming driver licensing to enable a new generation of D1 drivers.  

CTA is committed to continued lobbying for this change.  

 

graph showing availability of volunteers

Survey results also revealed a combination of reduced volunteer recruitment and increased demand for services. This led many respondents to worry about their capacity to meet demand and reinforces the need to encourage measures that will being more volunteers into the sector. 

 

Get the full picture on staff and volunteers in CT, read the full report here

 

See the next section in the Mapping England report below