The Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS) has been an intrinsic part of the community transport sector since its inception in 1994. As the training scheme reaches 30 years old, CTA’s transformation plan goes far beyond the regular minor amendments that have been made every 2 years. CTA has spent the past 18 months working in partnership with Hampshire County Council (the original developers of MiDAS) to transform the MiDAS offering. We are maintaining the original guiding ethos of ‘by the sector for the sector.

We welcome DfT’s new Code of Practice for Mobility as a Service, which prioritises accessibility, digital inclusion and Community Transport.

Back in May 2022, CTA published our response to the Department for Transport (DfT)’s consultation on proposals for a new Code of Practice for Mobility as a Service (also known as MaaS), which could have significant implications for the Community Transport sector.

We all know a minibus gets passengers from point A to B, but what else can it do? Well, it turns out it can change someone’s life too.

The CTA is relieved that the Department for Infrastructure(DfI) in Northern Ireland has confirmed funding for the remainder of the financial year. However, this funding will be reduced by 3.3% which will impact the number of journeys CT organisations can provide.

CTA’s Chief Executive, Dr Victoria Armstrong, writes about the invaluable impact of CT Volunteers and why more people should get involved.

With this year’s National Volunteers’ Week upon us, we are reminded to reflect on volunteers’ significant and invaluable impact on the Community Transport sector throughout the UK. 

Drushti is a 22-year-old international student from Mumbai studying at the University of Bath.  Coming to the UK without her family and navigating University life alone has been daunting and Drushti often felt out of place and isolated.

The Community Transport Association (CTA) calls on all community transport (CT) operators to prioritise robust maintenance programmes to ensure the safety and compliance of their vehicles on the road.  

This call has become paramount following the decision of the Traffic Commissioner to revoke the permits of a CT operating below the required safety standards. Based on the evidence provided by the Traffic Commissioner, CTA has now made the decision to revoke the remaining permits issued to the Operator.

There is no gainsaying that people deserve transport options that enable them to connect with their community, even if they have mobility-restricting disabilities or any other factor that may result in additional transport needs.

In October 2022 The Department for Transport (DfT) launched a call for evidence that sought views on potential opportunities to improve our driving licensing regime. They wished to explore whether there are any further opportunities that could be available to them that were partly due to the fact that we had left the European Union and had the freedom to change our legislation to improve our testing and licensing regime. 

CTA recently responded to DFT’s consultation regarding the ending of sales of non-zero emission minibuses, CTA welcomed the opportunity to provide evidence on the challenges in moving to a zero-emission fleet for the community transport sector, sharing our guidance on what an appropriate end of sales date might be, and add comment on the extent of government intervention necessary to accelerate the transition for our sector. To read the full response please follow the link here

Overview of our response