Passenger safety is of paramount importance to us and our members. We work together every single day to deliver safe, legal and comfortable Community Transport journeys.

Volunteers’ Week 2025 is here – a time to celebrate the thousands of dedicated individuals who give their time, energy and compassion to help others through community transport.

At the Community Transport Association (CTA), we know that volunteers are the heart of our sector. Without them, many community transport services simply wouldn’t exist. From door-to-door journeys to helping passengers get to vital appointments, volunteers keep our communities moving – especially those who are isolated, vulnerable or have limited access to public transport.

In our increasingly digital world, the work of charitable organisations often relies on the safe storage and handling of sensitive information. As more and more charities transition to digital platforms for fundraising and outreach, the importance of robust cyber security measures and Charity Cyber Insurance cannot be overstated.

A lack of integration with other transport modes has been a long-standing issue for our sector. Community Transport is too often sidelined in strategic transport planning and treated in isolation when local bus, rail, tram or ferry services are being designed.

In 2021, as part of our Mapping Scotland project, we asked our CTA members in Scotland whether they felt ‘integrated with other transport networks’. Only 21% said ‘yes’.

When it comes to transporting passengers, MiDAS is the gold standard for ensuring that drivers and passenger assistants can deliver safe, legal and comfortable journeys. Under the MiDAS umbrella, there are a number of schemes, ensuring that there is a nationally recognised standard for those with driving, care or supervision responsibilities.

Start thinking about succession planning as soon as possible: that was the key message from operators at our February Community Building Session. 

It can be challenging enough to manage the day-to-day responsibilities of busy services, yet our three speakers all emphasised the need to take a step back and consider potential departures from the staff team and board, and the impact that these could have on the organisation.