CTA Conference

Much emphasis was made at the CTA Conference on the issue of CTs and commercial operators working much more closely together – both sides need each other. If we are not to see vast areas of the country left without any access to bus services it has to happen and it has to happen quickly. There is a real urgent need for commercial operators and CTs to sit down together, understand each other’s problems and come up with plans for how they can serve their communities better by working together.

Peter Shipp

Caroline Wegryzn

At the conference there were some excellent examples of where this is already happening and in some case has been happening for years. Perhaps the best example is in the East Riding of Yorkshire where Peter Shipp’s East Yorkshire Motor Services has long had a working relationship with local community transport providers, particularly North Holdnerness CT, represented at the conference by Caroline Wegryzn, its Business Manager. As Peter and Caroline explained, each does what they are best at. The CTs bring the people into Peter’s hubs because there is no way Peter could do that commercially. His buses then take the people on to their further destinations because that is what his operation is set up to do and does best, there is no way that the CT in general could consider doing that – it isn’t what they were set up to do. What does exist between East Yorkshire Motor Services and the various community transport groups, is honesty and trust. They meet together and work together to overcome the problems. As an example of just how important that trust bond is, North Holderness CT recently asked Peter to officially open their new operations base in Hornsea!

Terry Crewe

Another example of how CTs and commercial operations can work alongside each other was provided by Terry Crewe, of Manchester Community Transport. They have followed a deliberate programme of taking on public service contracts and use any profits generated from those operations to fund social community transport which otherwise could not be provided. They work closely with the established commercial operators in the city in a spirit of openness and co-operation. As Terry said,’ We get no favours and we don’t expect them.’ Manchester CT has one of the most modern fleets of any CT operation including running hybrids and it is now the third largest bus operator in the city.