On Friday 06 December, the judgement on the Judicial Review taken by the Bus and Coach Association against the Department for Transport was given. The judgement dismisses the Bus and Coach Association’s case, rejecting their claim that the Department for Transport had acted unlawfully in its actions relating to the regulation of community transport. Judges also refused to grant a legal declaration as to what exclusively non-commercial purposes means and how it should be applied in relation to section 19 and 22 permits.

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.