CTA Conference

Concessionary fares

There was some interesting debate at the Conference on the subject of concessionary fares. This is something of a vexed issue with Community Transport operations. Many CTs are not eligible for concessionary fares under the way it is currently set up and feel they should be. However, many CTs that do receive concessionary fares, are openly critical of it. Many say that far from helping the situation, concessionary fares have actually worsened the financial situation for CT operators. One operator said that in the case of the operation he represented all that had been achieved was a drastic reduction in fare income, which was a vital part of the overall income of the organisation. This was because where previously passengers were relatively happy to pay the full fare, now through the concessionary fare scheme the operator was only receiving a part of the fare cost. Effectively the operator, not the Government, was funding the cost of the journey. For them concessionary travel had not produced any discernable increase in traffic because essentially they were already carrying most of traffic that was available. He called for changes to be made to the system to provide a better return to operators where no discernable increase in traffic can be shown.

Health services

A section of the conference dealt with the question of CTs working with the health sector. This has long been a holy grail for the sector, feeling as it does that it should not only have the opportunity to bid for services, particularly patient transport services, but that it could operate them better and more cost effectively. Two representatives from Devon, Andy Lyle, Manager of Tavistock Area Support Services, one of the largest CTs in Devon and Alison Holder, who is the Patient Advice and Liaison Service Manager for the new Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, spoke about their experiences of working together.

Andy Lyle

Andy highlighted the enormous difficulties they first encountered due to the incredibly bureaucratic nature of the NHS. ‘It would have been easy to give up in the face of brick wall after brick wall,’ he said, ‘but we masochistically carried on and eventually we got there.’ He helped develop Transport for your Community in Devon an organisation, set up using funding from DfT, aimed at developing and supporting local CT groups. As a Director of that organisation he also sits on the Transport Forums looking at Social and Health transport requirements in the county and also sits on the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee which looks at the part CT plays in helping to allieviate depression in older people often caused by isolation. As a result of all that effort, CTs in this area of Devon are now commissioned to carry out the vast majority of patient transfer services within the area.

Andy paid tribute to the work done by Alison Holder. ‘Without her dogged determination we would never have achieved it,’ he said.

Alison Holder

Alison Holder said that the resulting arrangements had brought substantial benefits all round by providing patients with better services and better value for the Trusts. What she described as a ‘win, win’ situation. It was also benefitting the CT groups and the vital contribution they make to improving the health and wellbeing of patients.

Both speakers called on both sides across the country to start talking constructively to each other because there are tangible benefits to be gained for both sides. Alison’s message was simple – ‘get it on the Agenda.’