The Women in Bus and Coach (WiBC) initiative marks a significant stride towards gender equality in the UK's transport sector. In an industry historically skewed towards male dominance, WiBC emerges as a powerful advocate for change, championing a future where diversity and inclusivity are not mere ideals but tangible realities.

Having re-joined the CTA in May of this year, it has been inspirational to work closely with operators across the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) footprint. The project has been running since 2021, with Age Connects Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent Car Scheme, Community Volunteers Wales (Risca), Cornerstone Opportunities, Crickhowell Volunteer Bureau, Cymru Creations (Tredegar Community Transport), Disability Can Do, Llanwrtyd Wells Community Transport, The Parish Trust, Torfaen Community Transport being supported and receiving funding to deliver this wonderful project.

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.

Volunteers have always been at the heart of the community transport sector. In organisations all across the UK they’ve shown time and again what an enormous difference they make, giving up their time to support their communities. During the past year, we’ve seen volunteers work tirelessly to make a difference in incredibly difficult circumstances, some out on the road, delivering food, medicine and essential journeys, and others from home, self-isolating but still calling passengers to keep their spirits up.

With more and more organisations operating as social enterprises, we hear from Charlie Wigglesworth, Deputy CEO at Social Enterprise UK, who talks about what it means to be a social enterprise and how it fits in with the work of community transport. This article was originally published in the Spring 2019 issue of Together, CTA’s quarterly membership journal.

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.

In November 2017, the Transport Select Committee launched an inquiry into Mobility as a Service (MaaS): digital platforms that enable users to plan, book and pay for travel through a single transaction and through a single app. The Committee’s inquiry aimed to better understand the current evidence base on MaaS and to assess how to overcome barriers to implementation and concerns about digital and social exclusion, as well as the role of government in supporting its development.