In March, the Department for Transport launched its response to their 2018 consultation on the use of section 19 and 22 permits in Great Britain. Within it they included information on two exemptions from EC1071/2009 which sets out the requirements that organisations must follow when operating vehicles carrying more than 8 passengers in return for payment. One of those exemptions was the ‘short distance exemption’ and in their initial response, the Department promised further guidance on what the exemption would mean in practice for organisations operating community transport.

In March, the Department for Transport launched its response to their 2018 consultation on the use of section 19 and 22 permits. The response included updated guidance, a new Statutory Instrument and a final impact assessment. We’ve put together a briefing for members, exploring what this means for section 19 and 22 permit operators going forward, looking at what we know and what is still unclear. You can read the briefing and a number of Frequently Asked Questions on the short distances exemption in this blog or you can download them as PDFs.

Anyone who has experience with the community transport sector will know just how much value it creates. Whether it’s social value or economic value, the work of our members means that people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access conventional public transport are still able to get involved in their community, see friends and family, attend medical appointments, access education, employment, social opportunities and much more. But how do we measure and define the enormous social value that community transport creates in a way that helps other people see what we see every day?