Environment Audit CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by the Government

... “Transport was mentioned .......as having a significant impact on people’s lives. Ten out of 12 groups felt the public transport available in their local area was inadequate. Major barriers to use were infrequency and lack of flexibility, and the cost, which was seen as high. People’s ability to access and participate in many other aspects of life, such as employment, education, health services and shopping, was largely contingent upon their access to transport. In most conversations on these issues, the lack of access to adequate transport was raised as a contributing factor to experiencing other types of disadvantage. For example, lack of access to a car meant some participants were unable to access suitable employment opportunities.”

4. Accessibility also depends on where those services and activities are located. There are relatively few areas of the country with totally inadequate transport links, but some areas are clearly better served than others. Those in rural and small urban areas are 2–3 times more likely to report that their local bus service is fairly or very infrequent than those living in other urban areas.2 Rural areas with low population densities may not support a public transport network. Only 50% of households in villages and hamlets have an hourly or better bus service within 13 minutes’ walk (compared with 96% of households in urban areas).3 In other areas, it may be the distance (and hence cost) to services and facilities, rather than a lack of transport, that defines the level of accessibility. The cost of running a car for people located in villages and hamlets is approximately 20% higher than urban areas and rural towns4 and residents in villages and hamlets spend 20–30% more on transport than those in urban areas.5

5. The Government recognises that accessibility can also have a disproportionate impact on particular groups. For example, those on low incomes, whether in rural or urban communities, may be poorly served by public transport. Around a fifth (22%) of disabled people across the country report having difficulties related to their impairment or disability in accessing transport.6 The Department for Transport (DfT) will be publishing a disability action plan at the end of September 2012.

6. Many older people also rely heavily on public or community transport to access facilities or services such as healthcare. Approximately 350,000 (35%) of pensioner households in rural areas have no access to a car or van.7 Driving licence holding is lower for older people, and fewer older women hold driving licences than older men, meaning that older people (particularly older women) are disproportionately dependent upon public or community transport. In 2010, 78% of men aged 70+ held a full car driving licence compared to 90% of those aged 50–59, and 41% of women aged 70+ held a full car driving licence compared to 77% of those aged 50–59.8 The majority (78%) of eligible pensioners hold a concessionary travel pass and, on average, those aged 60 and over make more trips by local bus than those aged 30–59.9 An increasing older population means that reliance upon public or community transport will also increase. This has implications for public service provision. This is exacerbated by the higher proportion of older people living in rural areas.10

7. These problems are particularly acute in rural areas (see definition at Annex 1)—19.1%, or nearly a fifth of the population, live in rural areas and transport is therefore critical to the social and economic viability of rural areas. Evidence suggests that the decline in rural services disproportionately affects women living in rural areas.

The Office of Fair Trading recently published a report11 Prices and Choice in Remote Communities (March 2012) which stated:

“It can be costly to access options that are further afield and some consumers may be uncomfortable using, or do not have access to, the internet. People without cars, driving licences or with limited access to public transport will also find their range of options constrained. Even for those who own a car, high fuel prices are a very pressing concern.....”

“.....publicly subsidised buses play an important part in giving consumers more choice about where and from whom to buy goods and services from the private sector or even which public services to use, which in turn drives competition in private markets and choice in public markets.”

8. The Government recognises that transport has a key role to play in improving accessibility and, as such, has a key role to play in helping deliver the Government’s wider agenda—economic growth, social inclusion, environmental protection and carbon reduction. This is reflected in the fact that the Department for Transport is providing £600 million through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) to support the delivery of 96 sustainable transport packages across the country, aimed at promoting local economic growth and reducing carbon emissions.

9. The evidence presented here focuses on land transport and, in particular, public transport—it does not cover air and maritime services though it is acknowledged that these have a particularly important role to play in some communities. Nor does the evidence focus on the private car, although again it is acknowledged that the car has an important role to play, especially for those who live in areas where public transport is not available, or who cannot physically access public transport.

How are the Government’s current transport policies affecting the accessibility of public services (ie whether people get to key services at reasonable cost, in reasonable time and with reasonable ease)?

Buses

10. Outside London, 63% of all public transport trips are made on a local bus; there were 2.3 billion bus journeys in 201011. Many people rely on their local bus to get to school, to work, to the doctor, to visit their friends and family, or to go shopping. Given their importance in providing employers and businesses access to labour markets, buses are important for a well-functioning and growing economy.

11. Through a combination of bus company investment, local council infrastructure improvements and Government regulation and funding, buses are more accessible with more high-tech information and ticketing facilities for passengers than ever before.

12. Some 85% of households in England (excluding London residents) live within a six minute walk of a bus stop, and the more people that can be encouraged out of their cars and onto buses, the greater the positive impact on congestion, air quality and noise pollution in our towns and cities.

A Green Light for Better Buses

13. In March 2012, the Government announced a series of reforms to improve the system of local bus subsidy and regulation in England. These are set out in the paper “A Green Light for Better Buses”. The Government’s vision is for a “better bus” with more of the attributes that we know passengers want: more punctual, inter-connected services, an even greener and more fully wheelchair and buggy-accessible fleet, and the widespread availability of smart ticketing. The proposals have been carefully formulated to attract more people onto buses, to ensure better value for the taxpayer and to give local transport authorities more influence over their local bus networks.

Programme of Action

14. The DfT recognises that all bus markets are local, and so is taking different approaches to commercial and supported bus services. The Department’s aims are to:

Reform the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) to ensure better value for money and to cut the link with fuel usage.

Make the bus more attractive through partnership between local transport authorities and operators and the correct subsidy incentives—thereby increasing passenger numbers and providing more, better quality services.

Increase competition by implementing the Competition Commission’s recommendations (including on multi-operator ticketing).

Encourage innovation in procurement and service delivery at the local authority level to get more for less.

15. These proposals aim to build on existing DfT investment in bus travel made through major scheme funding, the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, Better Bus Area Fund and Community Transport Funding.

Concessionary Travel

16. The right to free bus travel for both older and disabled people is enshrined in Primary Legislation. The Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed the Government’s commitment to protect key benefits for older people, such as free bus travel, in the 2010 Spending Review.

17. Around £1 billion a year is now being spent on concessionary travel. There was a change in 2010 to the age of eligibility for the national entitlement, which should help with the longer term financial sustainability of the statutory concession.

18. Local Authorities spent the following on concessionary travel, the majority of which is for reimbursing bus operators for the statutory concession, but spend also includes authorities’ own discretionary enhancements such as free travel in the morning peak as well as scheme administration costs:

200809: £0.990 billion.

200910: £1.000 billion.

201011: £1.072 billion.

201112: not yet published.

19. Local authorities have the freedom to offer additions to the statutory minimum local bus travel concession, as well as alternatives such as taxi tokens/cards. [See case studies 1 and 2—Annex 3]

Bus Service Operators Grant

20. BSOG is currently paid by DfT to bus operators in order to support local services. In 201213, BSOG payments are expected to total around £360 million. At present, BSOG is paid quarterly, based on an estimate of how much fuel operators will use during their claim year.

21. In “A Green Light for Better Buses”, the Government set out policy proposals for reforming bus subsidy. These reforms include:

devolution of BSOG to local authorities where the funding relates to services they support—ie tendered services—to allow decisions to be taken locally on how it should be spent;

devolution to Transport for London (TfL) of BSOG paid to London bus operators who operate services on contract to TfL;

possible changes to the incentive payments which bus companies may qualify for; and

tightening the existing rules defining which bus services can claim BSOG, so that the funding is put to the best possible use.

Better Bus Area/Green Bus Funding

22. In March 2012, DfT announced the winning bidders for the £70 million Better Bus Area and £31 million Green Bus Fund competitions. Together, this package will encourage people onto the bus, cutting congestion, improving air quality, promoting a low carbon transport infrastructure and encouraging growth.

23. Projects under these two funds will help drive forward bus travel in England, helping to buy, amongst other things:

the development of hop-on hop-off multi-operator tickets that put spontaneity back into the hands of the passenger;

real time information (including audio visual systems) for bus passengers and for bus operators to cut down waiting time and prevent buses bunching up;

smarter traffic lights that recognise buses and give them priority with barely an impact on other traffic; and

lead local transport authorities across England will benefit from the £70 million Better Bus Area Fund.

24. The Government has also supported retrofitment of pollution abatement equipment to buses in London, to reduce pollution. Defra has provided funding to local authorities, such as Oxford and Norwich, to support bus-based low emission zone initiatives.

Competition Commission

25. DfT has made clear throughout the two years of the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the UK Bus market that what matters is encouraging more passengers onto buses, and getting best value for the considerable amounts of money the taxpayer puts into local bus markets. The Competition Commission has a particular and well defined remit that is more narrowly focused on ensuring competition takes place.

26. Nonetheless, the remedies it has suggested will provide real benefits to passengers by encouraging new players into local bus markets, and helping bus passengers understand the public transport options open to them. So, for example, there will be better quality buses and information through partnership working between local transport authorities, and more tickets that can be used on any bus operator on a given route.

Physical Accessibility on Buses

27. The Department for Transport is committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport services and opportunities to travel as other members of society. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful for a bus operator to discriminate against a disabled person simply because they are disabled, treat disabled people less favourably or fail to make a reasonable adjustment to the way they provide their services.

28. The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) require facilities such as low floor boarding devices, visual contrast on step edges, handholds and handrails, priority seats and provision for passengers in wheelchairs. All buses carrying more than 22 passengers used on local or scheduled services will be required to be fully PSVAR compliant by 2015, 2016 or 2017 (depending on the bus type). The transition will take place over time and transport operators will inevitably use a mixed fleet of accessible and non-accessible vehicles.

29. Latest statistics (March 2011) show that 60% of buses in Great Britain (almost 100% in London) meet these accessibility requirements, and 85% are low floor. The Government will continue to monitor progress towards full compliance with PSVAR. The DfT will liaise with bus companies to ensure investment in accessible buses remains on track.

Taxis

30. The Government has asked the Law Commission to undertake a comprehensive review of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) legislation. They are consulting from May to September 2012. The final report and a draft Bill is due in December 2013. The Commission’s consultation document asks for views about how to make most appropriate provision for people with disabilities. The Government will be responding to the consultation in due course.

31. The Government has commenced a number of the taxi sections in the Equality Act 2010, principally those which simply transferred existing obligations from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, so, for example, taxi drivers cannot refuse to take a guide dog. The Government is still considering its commencement strategy for section 165 of the Equality Act (placing duties on taxi drivers to assist passengers in wheelchairs).

Community Transport

32. The Local Transport Act 2008 increased the flexibility of arrangements for providing community transport services, and expanded the provision around taxi-buses, both of which can help to fill the gaps where commercial transport services are not viable. In 200910, over 15 million passenger trips were provided by at least 1,700 community groups. The community transport sector has been building capacity and is able to offer services that address local needs and increase patronage.

33. In recognition of the important role community transport can play in delivering local services, the Government provided a total of £20 million across two rounds of Community Transport Fund between 201011 and 201112. This funding has been distributed to 76 local transport authorities (Councils and Passenger Transport Executives) to support the establishment and development of more community transport links to employment and services, particularly in rural areas. This additional funding complements the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, to which all English local authorities have been able to submit bids for a share of £600 million over four years, aimed at encouraging sustainable transport solutions. [See case study 3—Annex 3]

Trains

34. The Government remains committed to the legal deadline of 1 January 2020 by which time all rail vehicles must be accessible. 41% of all passenger rail vehicles currently in use in Great Britain (over 6800 rail vehicles) have been built or fully refurbished to modern access standards, including 47% of the heavy rail fleet.

Improving access at rail stations

35. The Railways for All Strategy published in March 2006 sets out what the rail industry is doing to improve the accessibility of the rail network. The Strategy takes a “whole journey” approach, from the provision of information and purchase of tickets to the accessibility of station buildings and vehicles. The Department for Transport is providing funding through the ring fenced £370 million Access for All programme for an obstacle free, accessible route to and between platforms serving passenger trains at 154 priority rail stations by 2015. An additional £100 million of funding has recently been announced to extend the funding until 2019.

36. The 154 stations have been prioritised in terms of footfall, then weighted by the incidence of disability in the local area, based on the 2001 Census. This targets spending at the most heavily used stations where it can benefit the largest number of disabled people. A proportion of stations has also been selected to ensure a fair geographical spread.

37. Since 2006 an annual Small Schemes fund of up to £7 million has also been available that enables local authorities, train operating companies and other interested groups to bid for funds to make locally focussed access improvements to stations. More than 1,000 stations (including some in rural areas) have so far been offered grants on a match funded basis totalling approximately £25 million towards more than £70 million of station access improvements.

38. From 1 April 2011, a new Mid-Tier Access for All programme was launched for projects requiring between £250,000 and £1 million of Government support. By March 2014, more than 150 stations will benefit from a range of access improvements such as new lifts and ramps, etc.

39. Each train operator is required to produce a Disabled Persons’ Protection Policy, available at stations and on their websites, that sets out the facilities and services available to disabled passengers.

The Pedestrian Environment

40. There is little point in improving the on-board accessibility of particular transport modes if the passenger cannot get to them in the first place. The Department for Transport will be publishing a Door-to-Door strategy later this year to align with its planned Transport Strategy. The aim is to set out the short, medium and long term vision for taking forward the door-to-door initiative. It is intended that the strategy has buy-in across government, with industry and with external stakeholders so that it will provide a lasting vision with stakeholders committed to seeing improvements in this area.

41. The pedestrian environment is important as part of the door to door experience. The Department for Transport has published a number of guidance documents that emphasise the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in the design of streets and other such public places.

42. In November 2002, the Department published Inclusive Mobility—a guide to best practice on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure. This guidance concentrates on accessibility issues for disabled and older people. The Department’s Manual for Streets published in 2007 stresses the need to design inclusively, and this ethos is embedded in all relevant guidance produced subsequently in the form of Local Transport Notes. For example, the latest Local Transport Note, LTN 1/11 Shared Space, focuses heavily on the needs of older people, disabled people, and blind or partially sighted people in particular. It also draws attention to duties under the Equality Act 2010.

Availability of Information

43. The absence of travel information can be a barrier to travel. The London 2012 Spectator Journey Planner was delivered in August 2011 with the capability of identifying routes that are level access and/or with staff assistance from a core network of 600 transport locations (National Rail, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway stations and accessible coach stops) to every London 2012 venue. As part of the legacy, the Government’s aim is to embed the journey planning functionality into existing journey planning software, and develop a new network of accessible locations and services that can be reliably operated and advertised in normal operating conditions.

44. The Department for Transport is building in principles of accessibility into future developments such as the reform of ticketing.

45. DfT published Transport Solutions for Older People on 13 February 2012, which signposts local authorities to existing resources, information and practices, including innovative examples of tailored transport solutions around the country: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/transport-solutions-for-older-people/

Training

46. Physical accessibility is not the only potential barrier passengers face. Staff attitudes can also play a large part in passengers’ ability and willingness to travel. The Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) (Amendment) Regulations 2002 place an obligation on drivers of regulated buses to assist disabled persons when asked, and this may include announcing the required stop or safely deploying lifts, ramps or “kneeling” systems in order to assist wheelchair users boarding or alighting a bus.

47. Since September 2008, all professional bus and coach drivers have been required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and carry out 35 hours of periodic training every five years as a requirement of the EU Directive 2003/59. Approximately 75% of drivers have completed some form of disability awareness training through the Driver CPC, and this figure continues to rise each year.

48. The DfT is also encouraging the development of travel training schemes which will help to give disabled people and others the skills and confidence to travel independently and safely. The Department is also looking at how to encourage more travel training schemes across the country. In May 2011, it published “Travel Training Good Practice Guidance” http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/inclusion/tts/traveltrainingguide/. [See case study 4—Annex 3]

Are other policies (such as planning, education, health, welfare and work etc) adversely affecting the accessibility of public services and the environment? Do decisions on the location of public services adequately reflect available public transport infrastructure and the environmental footprint of the transport needed to access them? How significant are any adverse impacts for accessibility and the environment?

49. The importance of accessibility is recognised in a number of cross-government initiatives.

Access to Work

Reduced cost travel for Jobseekers

50. Some Department for Work and Pensions claimants already get concessionary bus fares because of age (usually 60plus—although that is being changed to 65plus gradually from April 2011), or disability or by being on benefits.

51. Jobcentre Plus District Managers have access to a new discretionary Flexible Support Fund, which they can use to supplement other mainstream services to address individual and collective local needs. It is for district managers to decide individually how to make best use of the fund, which, in appropriate circumstances, could include helping someone with the cost of travelling to an interview where (perhaps) the journey is particularly expensive or difficult. Where appropriate, District Managers may also use the Fund in collaboration with partner organisations and funding streams to help address specific employment-related needs, which could include transport-related issues.

52. On behalf of the rail network, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has had a long-standing agreement with Jobcentre Plus to provide reduced rail fares in England and Wales for long-term benefit claimants or those with additional barriers. In the recent past this included all New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25+ participants as well as the additional groups listed below:

New Deal for Disabled People.

New Deal for Lone Parents.

New Deal 50 Plus.

Jobseekers Regime and Flexible New Deal (Stage 3 only).

53. These travel concessions were valid while seeking work and for the first few months after starting a job. An attractive feature of the New Deal travel card was that it provided a 50% reduction to peak tickets as well as off-peak tickets, thereby helping with job-search and interview costs. As ATOC members include some companies that operate both rail and bus services, the bulk of the use of the New Deal travel card has been on the bus network. DWP is in discussion with ATOC about its continuing support for out of work claimants.

“Holistic” schemes to tackle worklessness barriers

54. A number of Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) have also run forms of WorkWise schemes which combine a number of elements to help people overcome transport barriers to employment. Schemes comprise the core elements of free or discounted travel to interviews and to meet the costs of travel in the first weeks of a new job, combined with personalised travel advice to broaden horizons and job search. According to the PTE Group, this is offered by a number of their members to reasonable success.12 [See case study 5—Annex 3]

55. Evaluation of WorkWise schemes run by Centro has shown that 70% of beneficiaries are still in their new jobs after six months and, in one PTE-led “WorkWise” scheme, 80% would have struggled to reach employment opportunities without WorkWise support. (However, it is not possible to say how much of this was genuinely additional).

Subsidised hire of motorised or pedal transport

56. Particularly in rural areas, a lack of regular public transport can limit opportunities to work and study, particularly for young people. Schemes exist that aim to tackle this barrier through short term loans of mopeds and bicycles. A typical loan period might be 6–9 months to allow time to save up for a more permanent travel solution.

57. Wheels to Work (W2W) was originally trialled in Shropshire with 50 bikes and gained national prominence in 2002, when a best practice guide was published by the Countryside Agency. Since then, Wheels to Work programmes have been established in a number of local authority areas around the UK and these were initially supported via grants from the Countryside Agency through Rural Transport Partnership funding. In December 2004, the Countryside Agency commissioned the consultants Steer Davies Gleave to undertake an evaluation of twelve of the Wheels to Work or Learning schemes. Their full report can be downloaded from the Commission for Rural Communities website: http://www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk

58. W2W is one of the innovative solutions delivered at a local level which aims to break the cycle of young people in rural areas in particular being unable to take up work or training opportunities. Without a job, they cannot afford to buy a vehicle to get them from A to B, but they do not have adequate transport to get them to employment or training opportunities in the first place. W2W operates by providing young people with a means of transport such as a motorcycle (and safety equipment/training) for a period of around six months so that they can take up training or work offers and make the money to purchase their own transport. There are currently around 38 schemes spread across the country. There has, however, been a reduction in the number of W2W schemes across the UK. All of the schemes have been dependent on intermittent grant for local funding, creating an uncertain future for the remaining W2W schemes. Some existing and some new schemes have benefited from successful LSTF bids.

59. Whilst schemes are successful in many areas, delivery is fragmented, without any coherent overarching strategy for integration with other services.

The Government has recently identified this issue and is actively seeking a way forward with local operators; a national Wheels to Work co-ordinator is being funded. However, not all Local Authorities recognise the value of such schemes and, consequently, many areas exclude such projects in their proposals for Government funding under schemes such as the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The Government welcomes a more consistent approach from Local Authorities, and greater recognition of the value of Community Transport in strategic transport provision.

Planning

60. The National Planning Policy Framework published in March 2012 sets out the Government’s planning policies for England, and provides a framework within which local people and their accountable councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans which reflect the needs and priorities of their communities. The core planning principles which should underpin both plan making and decision taking require local authorities to “actively manage patterns of growth to make the fullest possible use of public transport, walking and cycling and focus significant development in locations which are or can be made sustainable”.

61. In the section on “Promoting Sustainable Transport”, the Framework

States that Plans should protect and exploit opportunities for the use of sustainable transport modes for the movement of goods or people. Therefore, developments should be located and designed where practical to:

accommodate the efficient delivery of goods and supplies;

give priority to pedestrian and cycle movements, and have access to high quality public transport facilities;

create safe and secure layouts which minimise conflicts between traffic and cyclists or pedestrians, avoiding street clutter and, where appropriate, establishing home zones;

incorporate facilities for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles; and

consider the needs of people with disabilities by all modes of transport.

Localism

62. The Government recognises that decisions about sustainable development and service provision are best developed at a local level. The Localism Act 2011 and its provisions encourage local communities to engage in and influence decision making and delivery of services and infrastructure (including transport) which benefit their local area. This is at an early stage and successful application of these provisions will need to be monitored to ensure that communities, including rural ones, benefit fully.

Education

63. The Department for Education and local authorities provide financial support to enable access to school for eligible children, including those with special educational needs. DfT works with DfE to promote sustainable travel to school. A recent example is a series of joint-ministerial stakeholder roundtables to identify the issues facing both customers and suppliers of school transport.

Health

64. From April 2013, local authorities will take on responsibility for improving public health, supported by a newly devolved and ring-fenced budget of over £5 billion per annum. These developments offer the prospect of a step change in accessibility to public services, both by active modes such as walking and cycling and for people with reduced mobility.

65. There is a particular problem for rural residents who have to travel often considerable distances to access acute health care at specialist centres, in nearby towns and cities. Around 54% of people in remote rural areas are more than one hour travel time from a hospital, compared with 38% in non remote rural areas.13

66. These longer distances and journey times mean that rural residents can experience “distance decay” where there is a decreasing rate of service use with increasing distance from the source of health care.14 Studies have shown that, the closer the service, the more likely it will be used.15 Rural and remote populations are therefore more likely to be affected by “distance decay”.16

67. It should be noted that, whilst “distance decay” is a reflection of utilisation rates, and cannot be taken as a direct proxy for health care need, it is still a cause for concern, since it leads to delayed intervention and treatment and hence poorer health outcomes become more likely.17 However, where localised health services are provided in rural areas, for example GP surgeries, the situation can be different. The distribution of GPs is relatively equitable with regard to the size and need of the population; and rural areas generally have higher access levels to GP services than urban areas as measured by their ability to see a doctor fairly quickly. Given that rural areas tend to have older populations, there is likely to be greater demand on GP-led services, as GP consultation rates increase with age. The data at Annex 2 illustrates the GP situation.

68. There is existing good practice regarding input into Local Transport Plans by some Primary Care Trusts, and these are encouraging, but more joint transport planning needs to take place. The move to more localised Clinical Commissioning Groups may create opportunities to engage at a local level with Transport Authorities, and the Government is keen to encourage any such engagement between these tiers of decision makers, which enables transport planning to take health service needs into full consideration for the benefit of residents.

Rural Transport alternatives

69. Defra’s Rural Communities Policy Unit (RCPU) has been established to provide a centre of rural expertise within Government, and is able to advise Whitehall departments on the likelihood and possible scale of rural impacts, and to suggest actions that might be taken to mitigate these.

70. With an existing minimal level of public transport provision in many rural areas, a small change in transport provision can have a very significant impact upon the daily lives of people living and working in rural areas. A rural resident recently confirmed that the withdrawal of one morning bus service now meant that there was no public transport to convey her children to school in the morning. It is very important that consultation and engagement guidelines and good practice are followed to ensure that the needs of rural communities can be represented.

Post Offices

71. Post Offices provide a range of services to customers across the socio-economic spectrum, carrying out a critical economic function for many small businesses, and often playing a significant social role in rural communities. Previous network transformation programmes have resulted in nearly half the rural network closing and, currently, 6,500 rural post offices remain in operation. As well as five national access criteria, there is a local access criterion which stipulates that 95% of the total rural population across the UK should be within three miles of the nearest post office outlet.

72. New models of service delivery are being rolled out and it is important that the full impact of these and transport connections are considered in future planning and service delivery.

Is the Government’s current approach of requiring the accessibility of public services to be reflected in local transport plans working? How effective is the Department for Transport in furthering the accessibility agenda?

73. Although DfT no longer monitors Local Transport Plans (LTPs) or local authorities’ performance against them, the LTP guidance issued in 2009 says that accessibility strategies and accessibility planning are key elements of local transport planning as a whole.

74. Evidence from rural stakeholders has reported an inconsistent approach to engagement with Local Authorities on the development of Local Transport Plans and how accessibility is addressed within them. Often these stakeholders represent small rural communities and networks and it is recognised that they need capacity support to engage at this strategic level.

75. The Department for Transport has undertaken its own evaluation of accessibility planning. The report was published on 6 September, and shows that the approach is working overall: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/accessibility-planning-policy-evaluation-report/ . The Department published accessibility planning guidance18 in 2006. It was designed to help local authorities develop their Local Transport Plans and ensure that accessibility problems faced by people from disadvantaged groups and areas could be identified and addressed. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the guidance was making a significant difference to people and communities, but a more robust evidence base from which its effectiveness could be more accurately judged was felt necessary. In December 2008, the Department commissioned an evaluation of accessibility planning to understand the processes by which accessibility planning is operationalised and the impact that it has on the work of local authorities, wider partners, individuals and communities. Its main focus was:

to assess whether the guidance developed by DfT was effective in enabling delivery of accessibility planning as it was intended;

to examine the sorts of processes that lead to good outcomes for accessibility planning strategies and individual initiatives; and

to identify lessons learnt about how to develop and implement those strategies and initiatives.

76. The evaluation report is being submitted to the Environmental Audit Committee as part of the Government’s evidence. The DfT will await the Committee’s recommendations before addressing specific points raised within the evaluation report.

How should the transport-related accessibility of public services be measured? How can decision-making in government better reflect “social” and accessibility impacts, alongside environmental and other considerations? Do social and accessibility concerns conflict with environmental considerations? Would a measure of the transport accessibility of key public services, in a similar manner as “fuel poverty”, be useful for policy-making (and if so, how should it be defined?)

77. The Government regularly publishes statistics on accessibility, providing a small area measure of the availability of transport to key services covering food stores, education (primary, secondary schools and FE colleges), health care (GPs and hospitals), town centres and employment centres, for the populations who use them. They are widely used in local service planning by local authorities. A summary of the latest statistics on accessibility at national and regional level is set out below. More detailed information, including figures at Local Authority and Lower Super Output Area level, are available on the website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/accessibility-statistics-2011/

78. The Department for Transport produces the accessibility statistics of eight key services (listed above) in England, by three modes of transport. The three modes of transport are public transport/walking, cycling and car. For each of the services, apart from further education, accessibility is calculated for the relevant at risk user population as well as for the general population of users. The data can be used to identify the average shortest time by mode to the nearest service, the proportion of users and at risk users able to access a service within a specified time and the number of opportunities for accessing each key service available to the resident population.

79. Key statistics from the most recent bulletin (2011) include:

The average minimum travel time across all seven key services was 14 minutes by public transport/walking, nine minutes by cycling and six minutes by car. These times were about 2.5 to 4% (or 0.2 to 0.55 minutes) longer than in 2010.

As in previous years, hospitals had the longest average minimum travel times of the seven key services in 2011, with average minimum travel times of 30 minutes by public transport/walking, 21 minutes by cycling and nine minutes by driving. Primary schools and foods stores were the most accessible services. The main cause of the difference in travel time between each type of services is how the locations are distributed throughout England and how the locations relate to the population.

Users in urban areas could access key services by public transport/walking, on average, in 12 minutes compared with 22 minutes in rural areas.

The proportion of users able to access key services by public transport/walking in a “reasonable”19 time was highest for employment centres (81%). The lowest was for hospitals (29%).

Overall access to key services by public transport/walking within a “reasonable” time was greatest in London and lowest in the East of England.

80. The National Travel Survey provides information about travel behaviour and accessibility by the socio-demographic characteristics of the population. The latest information is available at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/national-travel-survey-2010/ The Department for Transport also reports on the household expenditure on transport using the ONS Living Costs and Food Survey. In 2010, 13.7% of household expenditure in the UK was on transport.20

81. WebTAG is a resource developed by DfT that gives guidance on transport modeling and appraisal that is used across the spectrum of transport analysis, covering local major schemes, national road schemes, airport capacity, and rail schemes. It is widely used to inform value for money and overall business case assessments, by showing the impacts of transport schemes on the economy, environment and social and distributional impacts.

82. The DfT has introduced the concept of accessibility into the WebTAG guidance. In general terms, accessibility can be defined as “ease of reaching”. In WebTAG http://www.dft.gov.uk/webtag/overview/accessibility.php accessibility is concerned with increasing the ability with which people in different locations, and with differing availability of transport, can reach different types of facility. The term “accessibility” is used in several different ways, including:

measurement of ease of access to the transport system itself in terms of, for example, the proportion of homes within x minutes of a bus stop or the proportion of buses which may be boarded by a wheel-chair user;

measurement of ease of access to facilities, with the emphasis being on the provision of the facilities necessary to meet people’s needs within certain minimum travel times, distances or costs;

measurement of the value which people place on having an option available which they might use only under unusual circumstances (such as when the car breaks down)—“option value”—or even the value people simply place on the existence of an alternative which they have no real intention of using—“existence value”; and

measurement of ease of participation in activities (for personal travel) or delivery of goods to their final destination (for goods travel), provided by the interaction of the transport system, the geographical pattern of economic activities, and the pattern of land use as a whole.

83. DfT’s current Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) policy is the main form of bus subsidy we provide. This policy allows bus fares to be approximately 4% lower than it otherwise would be and results in bus service levels to be approximately 6% higher than they otherwise would be—therefore making bus travel more attractive and accessible to transport users.

84. The Department for Transport is currently undertaking a research project that aims to look at monetising the social impact of bus travel. On the successful completion of this research, we hope to be able to incorporate this in the Department’s WebTAG guidance so that transport appraisals will be able to take account of the social value of buses. This will help decision-making in the Department to reflect more accurately the social benefits attached to buses.

85. The Open Public Services agenda contains a Fair Access objective to ensure that public services are delivered in a way which does not disadvantage certain groups including those living in remote rural areas. It does not explicitly refer to transport accessibility, and the Open Public Services agenda places considerable emphasis upon delivering services using technology. This relies heavily upon Broadband provision.

86. Previously, transport authorities were required to include local assessments of transport-related social exclusion and to deliver action plans to address these problems within their Local Transport Plans. On the ground research suggests that delivery is patchy and fragmented, and that many local authorities do not have the skills or capacity to assess local transport disadvantage and/or do not know how to address this as part of their local corporate agendas.21

87. The most commonly used software package used by local authorities, Accession, is currently being revised with a new software package due for launch later this year. Enhancements include improved performance times and increased functionality. The DfT has not funded any of this development work but has been actively involved in identifying what improvements were required.

The impact of broadband networks and the Internet in mitigating the need for transport infrastructure to access public services.

88. The UK Government is investing £530 million to improve access to superfast broadband for 90% of the UK population, with the aim of the UK having the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015. In addition, £150 million is being invested in super connected cities and up to £150 million on improving mobile networks.

89. However, there is currently limited data on which to assess the actual impact, or quantify the benefits, that improved broadband will bring. This is in part due to the short amount of time that superfast services have been available in the UK. This extends to our understanding of the impacts that increased availability and improved quality of broadband, and online services, including those provided by the public sector, may have on both individual and business travel, and transport demands.

90. The Government’s case for investment in broadband is in part premised on an assumption that improved broadband will lead to improved information flows and increased access and use of online services, both public and private—with consequent potential reductions in the need for individual and business travel.

Improving access to online public services through improvements in broadband and telecommunications infrastructure is of particular importance to those living in rural areas. People in rural areas may not have the range of public services available to them which people living in urban areas may benefit from, or may have greater difficulty accessing services due to the distance needed to travel, or due to a lack of available travel options.

91. We know that people already use the internet in their interactions with public services—in 2011, 32% of Internet users obtained information from public authority websites, and 27% submitted official forms electronically.22 We also know that the channel shift to online public services has been shown to provide public sector efficiency savings associated with the reduction in government transaction costs.23

92. Evidence from Berkshire shows that the public sector would save £25 million pa in transaction costs if the digitally excluded were able to access the internet and undertake similar numbers of transactions on line as the digitally included currently do, whilst 120,000 fewer visits to GPs would be possible if the 140,000 digitally excluded people in Berkshire were able to access the internet.24 Other evidence has shown that use of telehealth technologies could reduce hospital admissions, and therefore also associated journeys, for Long Term Conditions, by 24%-54%.25

93. Further, increasing the use of online services can help improve information flow between government and citizens, and can open up new ways of organising, communicating and collaborating to deliver services. This will result in consequent economic benefits from efficiency gains.

94. There is evidence of the economic benefits of what is known as “agglomeration”—essentially spatially concentrated economic activity.26 Improved broadband and increased use of online services can enable the economic productivity benefits typically associated with urban agglomeration to be realised more widely, but without physical agglomeration. This could have consequent benefits for rural communities in particular, and could help ameliorate the costs associated with travel congestion. It is not thought that the potential benefits from this have been quantified, but they could be large.27

95. Further, there is evidence from the US that existing developments in terms of information and communications technology, broadband and mobile communications are changing road traffic patterns, and that growth in peak time congestion has stopped.28 However, other studies have confirmed that the relationships between improved communications and travel is not necessarily straightforward. It has been found, for example, that, in relation to the consumer sectors of society, improved communications can both reduce and increase travel; improved communications can reduce the need for travel, whilst consequent economic improvements could at the same time increase the demand for travel.29 This US study shows that there is little evidence that improved communications reduces private vehicle travel in particular, although some evidence has shown reductions in use of some forms of public transport.

96. In summary, from the evidence currently available, we do not yet fully understand the actual impacts that improving access to online public services, or broadband, may have on the need for people to travel to access public services, and that it may not necessarily be the case that improved communications mitigates against either total travel demands, or the need for transport infrastructure.

97. Broadband Delivery UK and Defra are currently developing a programme of research and evaluation to assess the range of socio-economic and environmental impacts which will arise from the Government’s investment in improving broadband infrastructure. These studies will aim to better understand the economic benefits of faster broadband and whether the investment represents good value for money. The studies will also investigate the social impacts (such as social behaviours, community engagement and effects on well-being or quality of life measures), and the extent to which access to public services have been improved. Environmental impacts and cost savings resulting from reduced travel, and decreased reliance on car use will also be considered.

98. This investment in broadband could create new and attractive locations for businesses, improve the reach of online businesses and allow many more people the real opportunity to take up remote working.

99. Maximising the potential of remote and flexible working is an important ambition for the Department for Transport. With high quality communications networks, people are being given real choices in the way they work—replacing the need for a long daily commute, with a more flexible approach to working life, gives people the choices they need to meet work and personal commitments in a flexible and environmentally sustainable way.

100.The Department’s message is not “don’t travel”, but “travel only when necessary”. Where travel is unavoidable, we want cost effective and environmentally friendly transport to be the number one travel option. Individuals and businesses will have their own reasons for wanting to adopt a smarter way of working and travelling, be it for financial, environmental or social reasons. The key is that we end up with reduced congestion, reduced carbon emissions and improved quality of life.

Annex 1

RURAL CONTEXT

Areas are defined as rural if they fall outside of settlements with more than 10,000 residents. The Rural Urban definition30 defines four settlement types:

Urban (with a population of more than 10,000).

Rural town and fringe.

Rural village.

Rural hamlet and isolated dwellings (also known as dispersed).

The main characteristic about rural areas is that they contribute to the social, economic and cultural fabric of the country and have considerable potential for supporting both economic and social growth. Approximately 9.8 million people, or 18.9% of the population, live in rural areas. The majority of these (9.2 million people) live in Less Sparse Rural areas.31 With approximately 50% of those living in rural areas aged over 45 years, the rural population is on average older than in urban areas. Rural areas are ageing at a faster rate than urban areas. The fastest rate of growth is amongst the older age groups (age 85 years and over). Disadvantage, deprivation and isolation can be hidden in rural areas and older people who are generally disadvantaged do not stand out as a visible group.

Rural England is not homogeneous. It is made up of a wide range of differing types of places, including remote upland farmsteads, fishing communities, former mining areas, small market towns, and prosperous peri-urban villages. The rural population is diverse in its demographic make-up, and the rural economy is as broadly-based and varied as the urban one—agriculture contributes only a relatively small amount to the wider rural economy, which is worth around £200 billion pa (19% of national GVA) and there are more manufacturing jobs per capita in rural areas than in urban ones.

Annex 2

DISTRIBUTION OF GPS

CHART 1

Distribution of GPs is relatively equitable with regard to the size and need of the population.

Results taken from the 201011 GP Patient Survey. 32

CHART 2

Rural areas generally have higher access levels to GP services than urban areas as measured by ability to see a doctor fairly quickly. Satisfaction with opening hours is broadly similar, suggesting general practice has adapted to meet the requirements of their populations.

Annex 3

SOME LOCAL CASE STUDIES

1. Concessionary Fares for Young People on Metro Transport, West Yorkshire

Metro have a number of travel offers for young people:

Under 5’s—free on most bus and all rail with Metro symbol when accompanied by adult

5-10—half fare on most bus and all rail with Metro symbol, no photocard required

11 to 16—half fare on bus and rail on production of photocard

16–18—half fare if attending school or college and in receipt of child benefit on production of photocard.

There are also day, weekly and monthly discounted tickets available for regular bus and train users that will provide cheaper travel than the basic half fare.

Metro also have a dedicated website for young people and teachers:

http://www.generationm.co.uk/

This gives details of fares, special offers, and has a teachers section giving details of training programmes, including the SAFEMark scheme that helps prepare children to use public transport.

2. Blackburn GoNOW Youth Zone Travel Card

Blackburn with Darwen Council has introduced the GoNOW Youth Zone Travel Card for young people in Blackburn travelling to the Youth Zone centre. This travel card scheme offers up to 40% off bus journeys for members of the Youth Zone aged between 8 and 19. The scheme has been developed by Blackburn with Darwen Council working with Blackburn Youth Zone and local bus operators Veolia Transdev, Darwen Coach Services, Rossendalebus and Holmeswood Coaches.

The Youth Zone opened in June 2012 and is open to all young people in the area aged between 8 and 19. Facilities include a rooftop football pitch, a sports hall and variety of music and art open spaces, and is open every day of the year. More on the centre can be found at http://www.blackburnyz.org/ .

3. Dales Integrated Transport Alliance (DITA)

DITA’s aim is to ensure that a sustainable transport network is provided throughout the Yorkshire Dales area, to benefit both the local communities and visitors. The organisation is a community-led group of individuals and businesses, and is currently funded primarily by Tranche 1 LSTF.

Examples of DITA projects include: evening bus services between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge, and between Grassington and Skipton; and a car share scheme. DITA also provide sustainable travel information from a number of “hubs” based in the villages around the Dales area which are staffed largely by volunteers.

DITA’s website can be found at www.dalesconnect.net

4. Middlesbrough– Independent Travel Package from successful Tranche 2 LSTF bid

The Independent Travel package consists of two elements; the first will engage and empower local residents with disabilities to deliver Community Access Audits. Middlesbrough Shopmobility will act as the delivery partner through recruiting a co-coordinator to manage a programme of community access audits, and report the findings back to the Council, who will rectify the physical accessibility issues highlighted by the findings. As unemployment reaches critical levels, the most disadvantaged social group, are those with disabilities. Building on a previous Working Neighbourhoods Fund project with Shopmobility, these audits will include and ensure that disabled people can get to bus stops and local facilities. This will result in the required infrastructure improvements, such as footpath re-surfacing, introduction of drop kerbs and the removal of unnecessary street furniture, being of an adequate standard to encourage accessibility throughout the town by low carbon modes of transport. This will reduce the physical barriers to employment, education and training opportunities. This will be delivered in the town centre, as well as a satellite station at Stewart Park (with the assistance of the Vocational Training Centre).

The Travel Training (TT) element will follow on from and complement the access audits; delivering an independent and impartial assessment process and a dedicated Travel Training programme. It will work with a wide age range, and produce and procure training resources/materials, and teach people with learning and physical disabilities about journey planning, road safety and independent travel skills, in a safe environment, enabling them to access employment, education, training and leisure opportunities via sustainable modes of transport. A training co-coordinator will be provided by Middlesbrough Council to develop the package, co-ordinate employees, recruit and train volunteers to deliver learning outcomes. Practical training will utilise the purpose built, travel training and road safety facility at Priory Woods School. The facility is an innovative, and the only purpose built site in the Tees Valley capable of delivering such a programme. There is a large physical environment located on the site for practical training, and a designated indoor area for the classroom based learning aspect of the training programme. Travel training has added value, offering a sustainable alternative that not only instigates cultural change but also reduces dependency on local authority home to school, and social care, transport. In order to achieve the above, and address transport as a barrier for disabled people, the package is split into unique and focused areas of work.

5. Merseyside Travel Solutions 2011–15

This is a scheme targeted at young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) who, as a result of their situation, were at a disadvantage and less able to travel further afield to find work either because of financial reasons, or low travel horizons. The solutions offered can also be used for training opportunities as well as employment. This scheme is being offered by Merseytravel, and all 5 local authorities, ensuring consistent county wide best practice. Between October 2011 and March 2012:

40 NEETS have been supported via Connexions Greater Merseyside, including journey planning support, and help in getting NEETs a scooter licence. Bus passes were issued to five NEETs which enabled them to undertake fork lift truck training.

An additional 480 interventions were achieved by the travel teams, with 325 receiving a travel solution such as a scooter, bike or travel pass.

In recognition of the success of this and other accessibility schemes, Merseyside was awarded Beacon Status in 2008 and their on-going accessibility work is now integrated with the City Region Employment and Skills Strategy and the City Region Child Poverty and Life Chances Strategy.

More information, including guides and printed travel aides for the service users, is available at http://www.letstravelwise.org/content95_Travel-Solutions-Guides.html.

20 September 2012