2. Passenger Transport
Commercial Community
General public - profit Membership – not for profit
3. Car Sharing and Vehicle Pooling
Schemes
Volunteers
using own car
Group owned
vehicles
Wheels to Work
projects
Best with paid
co-ordinator
3 www.ctauk.org
4. Door to Door Transport (Transport
with Care)
Day care
Medical
appointments
Shopping
Social activities
4 www.ctauk.org
5. Minibus Operations
Group owned
vehicle
Hiring in service
Vehicle
brokerage
Running
registered
services
5 www.ctauk.org
6. Community Bus
Permits
Legislative
changes
Groups now
operating fixed
and DRT
Local option?
6 www.ctauk.org
7. The benefits
Social inclusion
Free travel
Filling gaps
7 www.ctauk.org
8. General Public - Profit
< 9 passenger seats – taxi or Private Hire Car
Local government licensing
requirements
> 9 passenger seats – Operators Licence (PSV)
Traffic Commisioner
9. Buses
Over 9 passenger seats
Operators licence
Qualified manger (CPC)
Good repute
Financial standing
Maintenance requirements
10. Taxi – Private Hire Car (PHC)
Taxi - hail & ride
calibrated meters
PHC - pre-booked
no meter
Special PSV now for both, Taxibus options
11. Restricted PSV
If you have a non
transport business then
you can apply to operate
up to 2 minibuses
without having to comply
with all of the
requirements for a full
Operators licence.
The definition of a bus is 9 passenger seats or more and in the 1970s it was intended that all vehicles over this size would have to comply with PSV regulations. However after protests from the voluntary sector the 1985 Transport Act allowed an exemption for vehicles operating on a not for profit basis. These exemptions are Section 19 and Section 22 of that Act. The permits issued to organisations to run these services are often calle Section 19 (S19) permit and Section 22. The official name for the S19 permit is the Small Vehicle Permit and S22 is the Community Bus Permit. Generally third sector organisations run vehicles with 9 to 16 seats but they can obtain licenses for larger vehicles if they comply with certain conditions, and in 2009 the S19 permit was extended to cover smaller vehicles with less than 9 seats. Taxi and Private Hire car legislation is regulated at local government level.
The use of small vehicles is unlikely ever to be considered as an option for social enterprise because the charge made to passengers can only cover the running cost of the car as set out by HMRC. The current rate is 45p per mile plus 5p per mile for each passenger. The money collected cannot be used to pay a co-ordinator or to pay drivers wages so an alternative source of income has to be found for this, e.g. a grant. The pictures are: Badenoch and Strathspey Car Scheme where they have over 100 volunteers using their own cars. Caithness Rural Transport who own a small fleet of wheelchair accessible vehicles. They have paid drivers and a paid co-ordinator but the cost of these have be met from grants.
Some of this work is done by car schemes. In some cases car schemes have contracts to take people to health appointments or for social care. Overheads such as paying co-ordinators and office costs are covered in this way. Community groups with vehicles of 9 to 16 passenger seats are not restricted to the HMRC mileage rate in the charges they make. It is essential that those running the services analyse the costs and ensure they are charging enough to run, maintain and replace their vehicles. The pictures were taken in Stornoway and Alness, the happy faces show that the services are appreciated.
Vehicles can be owned, hired or leased. The permits are not vehicle specific. Groups set up their operation to suit the needs of their local community. The pictures are: Buckie Accessible Bus The Barra Bus MacKays Coaches – running a service to the Bradbury Centre
In April 2009 legislative changes allowed groups to pay drivers on community bus services and a number of groups in Highland have introduced registered bus service. The picture shows the Lochaber Action on Disability minibus on its first run, picking up a passenger in Spean Bridge for a trip to Fort William.
More happy faces, all using community bus services (anticlockwise from the top): Spean Bridge to Fort William Service (LAD) Bonar Bridge Dial a bus (the Bradbury Centre) Kinlochbervie to Ullapool (North West Community Bus) Bonar Bridge Dial a bus (the Bradbury Centre)
If you intend to operate for profit then the following is required when applying for a PSV operators license
There are 2 types of licenses for those who want to make a profit from smaller vehicles. The local authority issue licenses and each area has different terms and conditions. Once an operator has one of these licenses they can acquire a special restricted PSV which allows them to register a bus service collecting separate fares.
This is often used by rural businesses who have vehicles operating school transport routes. The picture shows the late Iris MacKay from Durness who owned the local shop but also had minibuses on school runs and did dial a bus work.
These are some of the larger Scottish transport social enterprises. All of them are the trading arm of a third sector organisation operating a fleet of permit vehicles. The picture is from 1986 and highlights the length of time some of these organisations have been around!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like me to expand on the content of the presentation.
