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FLIPPER FINAL CONFERENCE FTS as a Way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion

FLIPPER FINAL CONFERENCE FTS as a Way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion Almada, Portugal 21 st October 2011. Session Nr. 3 fts organization management and operations. Title: "Which role for the voluntary sector in FTS organization and management?". Presented by:

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FLIPPER FINAL CONFERENCE FTS as a Way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion

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  1. FLIPPER FINAL CONFERENCE FTS as a Way to Enhance Sustainability and Social Inclusion Almada, Portugal 21st October 2011 Session Nr. 3 fts organization management and operations Title: "Which role for the voluntary sector in FTS organization and management?" Presented by: Steve Wright, University of Aberdeen, Scotland Jackie Meally, Ring-a-Link, Kilkenny, Ireland

  2. How can we reduce the cost of providing FTS while retaining reliability and high levels of service? ………especially relevant during times of severe public sector budget cuts? • Community Transport may offer some good practice solutions to enhancing sustainability and social inclusion. • Most European countries have very little or no CT sector • Can lessons be learned from well established CT? • We present to you the status and experiences of the CT sector in UK and Ireland.

  3. What is community transport? • Community transport is: ”safe, accessible, cost-effective, flexible transport run by the community for the community” • engages local communities • is provided by charities and voluntary organisations (which are often very small and local) • uses volunteers who give freely of their time to help others; volunteers answer the phones, schedule services, drive vehicles, manage and oversee services • CT organisations also employ people where necessary, providing training and jobs in places where these are sometimes scarce • CT organisations range from small volunteer driver car schemes, to large social enterprises which compete with the private sector to win contracts from councils/municipalities and health sector/hospitals.

  4. Types of FTS provided • In urban areas most users of CT have restricted mobility and inability to access normal public transport provision. • In rural areas where there is little alternative public transport, CT users will include many younger able-bodied people who are using CT simply because there is no suitable alternative bus service. group transport: provide transport for voluntary groups such as sports clubs, lunch clubs for elderly etc.. (47%) community car schemes: volunteers use their own cars to give lifts to people who struggle to use mainstream public transport (45%) door-to-door services: minibus picks up passengers from home and takes them to the supermarket, hospital, care home etc (33%) community bus scheduled + flexible services: local bus services, available to the general public, run on a not-for-profit basis (12%)

  5. UK facts and figures • More than 2000 Community Transport organisations in UK • > 500,000 individual people use CT services • > 50,000 voluntary groups use community transport • > 40m passenger trips per year ~ 1% of all local bus journeys - but more significant share in rural areas • at least 60,000 community transport volunteers…… • 50% of the organisations are run entirely by volunteers • ……..but still more than 10,000 employees in the sector

  6. UK funding for CT (pre 2005) • In 2005 passenger fares made up only 20% of CT sector income in contrast with 72% for the bus industry as a whole. • The CT sector’s passengers tend to have the least ability to pay the full costs of their transport. • High dependency on funding obtained from a series of one-off or temporary sources (grants and charitable donations) but the short-term nature of this funding makes it difficult to invest in developing services => uncertainty • Many CT providers did receive LA funding, but few had formal contractual agreements to provide specific services for them. Arrangements tended to be more informal. • It was common for LA or health board to pay volunteers’ expenses rather than fund the service as a whole or contribute to any ongoing costs such as administration. • Difficulties arose when money was needed for vehicle maintenance / replacement and office infrastructure.

  7. UK funding for CT So where conventional subsidised rural services are being withdrawn due to funding cuts, CT providers can often step in and provide a replacement contracted service at lower cost…….. • ………but there was a problem relating to public sector perceptions of voluntary sector providers • attitude that community transport is ‘unprofessional’: • LA funders need to be convinced that community transport providers are reliable before they will enter into any contractual agreement. • added “rules and regulations” associated with tendered services make it difficult to rely on volunteers

  8. UK changes in CT sector 2005-2010 Government • invested in capacity-building initiatives designed to enable voluntary organisations to deliver public services; and • Made improvements in the commissioning process to ensure that they had the opportunity to bid for LA/municipal contracts. • Altered legislation to entitle CT to same opportunities and entitlements as commercial operators CT sector became more ‘professional’ • The Community Transport Association (CTA) - a national association for CT operators – placed more emphasis on providing training and monitoring quality of services. • Administer MiDAS (minibus driver awareness scheme) training and PATS Passenger Assistant Training Scheme • Developed a Quality Mark Scheme (UK-wide) to raise the overall quality of services provided • Used Government investment to employ more paid drivers and purchased more new vehicles

  9. UK changes in CT sector funding: 2005-2010 • Funding from grants and charitable fundraising has declined in recent years • => down from 61% in 2005 to 28% in 2010 Now a focus on replacing grant aid with funding processes that provide long-term financial stability for CT organisations through contracted services with local authorities and health boards => up from 19% in 2005 to 42% in 2010 The need for community transport is only likely to increase as other public services come under financial pressure. But important to realise this cant happen overnight – many years of infrastructure investment in CT sector has helped build the capacity and capability necessary for CT providers to bid for tendered services.

  10. CT and Social Inclusion • CT organisations are established to address the particular needs of the local community, to build strong, cohesive and trusting relationships with certain sections of the community including: • Older people. • Young people. • People facing inequalities. • People with disabilities. • People with long-term health problems. • They are more ‘in touch’ with their local community and so often deliver services more in line with community needs. • They have a unique role to play in forging socially inclusive local communities, where direct public service delivery is lacking. Meeting public service contract requirements may offer financial sustainability for CT groups…… but they must take care not to weaken the socially inclusive nature of their services and jeopardise their independence and trust with the community in doing so!

  11. Rural Transport in Ireland Rural Transport Programme Funded under the National Development Plan 2007-2013 The aim of the Rural Transport Programme (RTP) is: “to provide a quality nationwide community based public transport system in rural Ireland which responds to local needs”.

  12. Importance of Rural Transport Transport is a key enabler and fundamental prerequisite for rural living. Transport is often recognized as a necessity in rural areas and has a positive impact on the social living conditions of rural dwellers. It facilitates the delivery of other public services and plays an integral role in sustaining viable rural communities. (EU Survey of Income and Living Conditions (EU SILC) 2009 published by the Central Statistics Office)

  13. CSO Report 2009 52% of households in rural Ireland had difficulties in accessing public transport compared with 11% in urban areas. (Central Statistics Office (CSO) survey report 2009, Ireland)

  14. 36 Rural Transport CompaniesAll “Not for Profit”

  15. YEAR FUNDING TO RTP € 2010 11,000,000 2009 11,000,000 2008 9,800,000 2007 9,000,000 2006 5,000,000 2005 4,500,000 2004 3,000,000 2003 3,000,000 Funding

  16. Passenger Journeys

  17. Gender Profile

  18. Age Profile

  19. 76% of Passenger Journeys were ‘door-to-door’ Journey Type • 1.5% of Journeys were Wheelchair Users & 12.5% Required Assistance

  20. Ring a Link Background Company name Carlow, Kilkenny & South TipperaryRural Transport Ltd. Founded in August 2001 Voluntary “Not for Profit” Company with Charitable status Office / TDC based in Kilkenny

  21. Area of Operations • Area 5,500 Km2 • 100 miles east to west approx • Population 205,474 • Average 37 / Km2 • Rural areas 8 – 9 / Km2 • Covering Counties Carlow, Kilkenny and South Tipperary

  22. Company Organisation Carlow TWG Tipperary TWG Kilkenny TWG Board of Directors Manager TDC Drivers Contractors

  23. Number of Volunteers by Type in the RTP and Number of Hours Spent by Each Volunteer Type Number of Volunteers Proportion of Volunteers Number of Hours Spent Proportion of Time per Volunteer Type Board Members 493 41% 10,443 30% Sub - Group Committee 348 29% 5,254 15% Community Car Drivers 39 3% 9,300 27% Passenger Assistants 90 8% 5,165 15% Other 226 19% 4,692 13% Total 1,196 100% 34,854 100% Volunteer Contribution

  24. Funding • Rural Transport Programme (Dept of Transport) • Community Services Programme • (Dept Rural Comm & Gael Affairs) • Free Travel Scheme (Dept of Social and Family Affairs) • Kilkenny County Council • Carlow County Council • Tipperary South County Council • Fares

  25. Passenger Statistics Graph

  26. Flipper Launch in Glengoole 28.9.2010

  27. Male Passenger RTP, Louth Linx “I am 84. Before this service I used to have to walk four miles to get the public bus and four miles back with my groceries, this service picks me up at my door and brings me home it’s a great service.”RTP Passenger, Longford “The Rural Transport bus is a Little Community on Wheels”

  28. The single most important discovery through qualitative research has been that the journeys are not just a means to an end for passengers but very often an end in themselves. (Intel, Digital Health Group (2007), Connections: Mobility and Quality of Life for Older People in Rural Ireland.)

  29. The EndThank you for your time. • Dr Steve Wright, • Research Fellow, • Centre for Transport Research • University of Aberdeen • s.d.wright@abdn.ac.uk • www.abdn.ac.uk/ctr Jackie Meally Manager Ring a Link 1890 42 41 41 ringalink@eircom.net

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