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.

Community Transport has been all over the news in Scotland in recent days thanks to the amazing story of Glenfarg Community Transport Group.

After the devastating withdrawal of an infrequent but essential Stagecoach service, the Perthshire village rolled up its sleeves and set up its own bus service with a mix of paid and volunteer drivers, connecting Glenfarg to neighbouring Kinross for GP appointments, shopping trips and onward journeys by public transport across the whole of Scotland.

CTA Director for Wales spoke to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Monday 21st August alongside Aaron Hill, Wales Director for the Confederation for Passenger Transport (CPT), regarding the proposed changes to bus funding in Wales and the potential impact on passengers. Gemma has shared a little more about CTA Cymru’s focus in how we have been working alongside the Welsh Government, Transport for Wales, and local authorities in planning for the new ‘bus transition fund’ and thinking about plans for 2024 and beyond.

Low Emission Zones are being established in Scotland in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow by Transport Scotland working with the respective local authorities in each city.

Are you ready?

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.

On 13th February 2023, we were notified by several CTA members of an article published in Route One magazine, containing a briefing from DVSA around the use of seatbelt ‘buckle guards’.

The article stated that ‘DVSA has highlighted to operators of coaches, buses and minibuses used to carry children that they must not fit seatbelt buckle guards.

Community Transport is leading the way to net zero thanks to new investment from Transport Scotland with support from Energy Saving Trust and backed by CTA’s Team Scotland.

We’re delighted that 18 Community Transport operators across Scotland will benefit from £1.6 million of new funding to purchase Electric Vehicles (EVs) after being successful in the second round of the Plugged-In Communities Grant Fund.

People are at the heart of Community Transport – the people who rely on the sector’s services and the people who work so hard to keep its wheels turning every single day.

Could carbon literacy training help you and your organisation respond to the Climate Emergency? 

Lara shares her reflections on CTA’s recent experience

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.