TRANSPORT and ROAD RESEARCH LABORATORY

Department of the Environment Department of Transport

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT 467

VOLUNTARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT IN BIRMINGHAM, REDDITCH AND BROMSGROVE

by

J M Bailey

(Transport Studies Unit, Oxford University)

The work described in this report was sponsored by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory

Any views expressed in this Report are not necessarily those of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, nor of any other part of the

Department of the Environment or the Department of Transport

Access and Mobility Division Transport Operations Department

Transport and Road Research Laboratory Crowthome, Berkshire

1979 ISSN 0305-1315

Ownership of the Transport Research Laboratory was transferred from the Department of Transport to a subsidiary of the Transport Research Foundation on I st April 1996.

This report has been reproduced by permission of the Controller of HMSO. Extracts from the text may be reproduced, except for commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged.

CONTENTS

Abstract

1. Introduction

1.1 Aims of the study

1.2 Scope and method of research

2. Voluntary transport

2.1 Organisations involved

2.2 Organisation of transport services

2.2.1 Vehicles owned

2.2.2 Vehicles hired

2.2.3 Volunteer car drivers

2.3 Vehicle utilization

2.4 Drivers and insurance

2.5 Trip purposes served

2.6 Finance of services

2.7 Mileage covered

2.8 Development of services

3. Social Services transport

3.i Vehicles used

3.2 Nature and extent of trips

3.3 Vehicle utilization

3.4 Costs

4. The importance of voluntary and Social Services transport to clients

5. The scope for operational change

5.1 Information and co-ordination

5.2 The 1977 Minibus Act

5.3 The balance between transport and other forms of welfare

6. Conclusions

7. Acknowledgements

8. References

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(C) CROWN COPYRIGHT 1979 Extracts from the text may be reproduced, except for

commercial purposes, provided the source is acknowledged

VOLUNTARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT IN BIRMINGHAM, REDDITCH AND BROMSGROVE

ABSTRACT

This report is concerned with the use of small vehicles for providing communal transport as a form of welfare. A postal survey, supplemented by personal inter- views, was carried out in Birmingham to identify the pattern of transport provided by voluntary organisations. Data were collected on vehicle-type, cost and finance, drivers, users, trip purposes, and the development of the service. It appeared that most services were associated with some social or recreational service provided for particular clients, although the characteristics of clients varied considerably between different voluntary organisations. Journeys to suit personal requirements were less common, and there was little diversion from public transport. Levels o f vehicle utilization varied considerably, and the potential for improving the provision of such transport by better co-ordination between organisations is discussed. The operation of Social Services Department transport in two areas was also studied. This is a sec- tor of transport provision which has grown in a relatively unplanned way in recent years, as a function ancillary to domiciliary and day-care provision. A number of problems for both types of transport supplier are identified in the context o f fleet management, organisation and finance.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Aims of the study

Voluntary organisations and local authorities have become increasingly involved in the provision of transport

services for the elderly, the handicapped, the socially deprived and other specific client groups. Recent research in

rural areas 1,2 has shown an extensive use of minibuses and volunteer car drivers; but there is little or no information

about the nature or significance of these 'community ' transport services in urban areas. The study reported here has

attempted to provide such information on the basis of survey data collected in part o f the West Midlands. The study

concentrated on:

(i) the nature and extent of services;

(ii) the organisation and development of services;

(iii) the importance of such services to users and their relationship to conventional public transport.

1.2 Scope and method of research

It was intended that the study should focus on two main types of services: (i) voluntary transport, as provided

by voluntary organisations; (ii)Social Services transport, as provided by the local authority. The two forms of

transport are discussed in separate sections of the report.

The definition of the forms of transport service which might be considered in a study of this sort is not precise.

A number of areas of communal transport provision which use similar vehicles or provide transport for a similar

group of clients have been specifically excluded; these are:

Ambulance and school transport services provided by Area Health Authorities (AHAs) or local authorities.

Subscription coaches and car-sharing schemes.

Private vehicles owned or hired by organisations and interest groups specifically for their own members

(eg residential establishments and some social clubs).

In practice it was very difficult to distinguish the last mentioned group from voluntary organisations. While

most you th clubs were included in this survey, scout groups and sports clubs were not. Small political and cultural

groups were also excluded on this basis, but where such groups appeared to have an active role within the

community (eg in immigrant areas) these were included. The wide diversity of voluntary organisations made it

almost impossible to devise a workable classification.

Two surveys were carried out during the Spring and Summer of 1977:

(i) A personal interview survey of 32 voluntary organisations owning vehicles or organising volunteer drivers

(who used their own cars) was carried out in Birmingham Metropolitan District and in the Districts of Redditch

and Bromsgrove. On-vehicle surveys, recording trip times and distances, and allowing discussion with both

drivers and users, were carried out with about half the organisations. Similar data were Collected for transport

provided by the two Social Services Departments that served these three Districts.

(~) A postal survey o f transport provided by voluntary organisations was carried out in Birmingham as a back-up

to the interview survey and in order to provide some quantitative evidence on the extent of services. The

survey was carried out jointly with Birmingham Social Services Department and coverage was therefore

restricted to Birmingham. A total of 582 voluntary organisations were identified as potential users or

providers o f transport services and were sent a questionnaire.* Usable replies were received from 352 organis-

ations, giving a response rate o f 60 per cent. The data collected refer to summer 1977.

2. VOLUNTARY TRANSPORT

2.1 Organisations involved

The wide diversity o f voluntary organisations posed great problems in devising a classification. The

classification f'mally adopted was based on the client group served and the primary purpose or activity of the

organisation.

0)

The client group classification consisted o f four main groups:

The elderly and handicapped group. This was further subdivided into groups dealing with the elderly in

general (eg Council for the Welfare o f Old People), and groups dealing with the physically handicapped -

comprising people aged 18 or more, and including groups whose main interest was with the physically

handicapped or housebound elderly (eg Birmingham Fellowship of the Handicapped).

* Copies of this questionnaire and the associated coveting letters may be obtained from the Transport Studies Unit,

11 Bevington Road, Oxford, OX2 6NB.

(ii) Children and families. This was again subdivided, to allow the identification of those groups who were

specifically concerned with mentally or physically handicapped children (eg Birmingham Society for

Mentally Handicapped Children).

(iii) Other specific client groups. This was a wide ranging category and included anything from ex-prisoners to

residents of a particular area, racial groups and specific age groups.

(iv) Non-specific or multiple client groups (eg Birmingham Volunteer Bureau, and other groups providing general

volunteer help, community centres and church centres).

The distribution of transport provision by organisations replying to the Birmingham postal survey is shown

in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 shows their distribution according to client group served, while Figure 2 shows it with

respect to the organisation's main activity or purpose. In all, about 54 per cent of respondents were in some way

involved in arranging transport provision. The remainder were engaged in providing activities which were either

home-based or which the participants reached independently; except for the comparison given in this section, these

organisations are not considered in this report. Co-ordinating organisations and those supplying volunteers for a

variety of purposes made up the majority of the 'other' category. Transport provision as a primary service or

activity in itself (ie for individual clients and/or other organisations) was also included in the 'other ' category as

this only applied to three organisations (less than 1 per cent of the respondents).

Comparing Figures 1 and 2, it is clear that transport was most important in those organisations dealing with

the elderly and physically handicapped or 'non-specific' clients and concerned with social/recreational activities.

Figure 1 shows that a large proportion of organisations catering for the elderly or children and families did not

arrange transport at all. This category comprised organisations providing domiciliary services or others arranging

group activities but relying on public transport or ad hoc lifts.

2.2 Organisation of transport services

There are three main methods of vehicle operation:

(i) vehicles owned by the organisations;

(ii) vehicles hired from other bodies;

(iii) volunteer drivers using their own cars.

The relative importance of each (in terms of the number of organisations reporting use of each method rather than

the number of trips undertaken) was respectively 21 per cent, 42 per cent and 37 per cent. Fifty per cent of

organisations used more than one of the above methods. The generally 'peaked' nature o f demand for travel

to clubs and other meetings often necessitated the use of all three methods at one time.

2.2.1 Vehicles owned: Table 1 indicates the extent and type of vehicles owned by particular organisations.

Minibuses (generally standard Ford Transits) were clearly the most important, but a significant number of more

specialist vehicles were also owned. These comprised ambulances capable of carrying a stretcher, or vehicles

equipped with a mechanical lift or ramps for wheelchairs. The ownership of larger vehicles was very much an

exception. Five of the six buses recorded in Table 1 were owned by an Evangelical church in Newtown, Birmingham

and were used on regular scheduled routes each Sunday to bring people into church; no charge was made. The

majori ty o f vehicles operated on private licences, although a few were registered as ambulances. There were no

examples of vehicle holding Public Service licences as specified in the 1960 Road Traffic Act.

2.2.2 Vehicles hired: Vehicles tended to be supplied by private firms rather than other voluntary organisations

or the Social Services Department (see Table 2). Minibuses were the most popular hired vehicles, but larger capacity

vehicles were more important for regular and longer distance outings. The specialist vehicles for passengers in wheel-

chairs were hired predominantly f rom the local authority. There was no evidence of private firms being able to

supply such vehicles and their hire from other voluntary organisations was very limited; reasons for this are discussed

in Section 2.3.

2.2.3 Volunteer car drivers: Volunteer car drivers formed an important back-up for organisations operating larger

vehicles and for regularly transporting clients who did not require a vehicle with a tail lift. In both Redditch and

Birmingham the respective Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) had a list of people prepared to drive for one-off

trips and regular meetings. At the time of the survey (mid-1977) the latter had a total of 164 drivers registered. In

Birmingham as a whole a total o f 1008 drivers were identified in the postal survey, giving an average of 11 per

organisation (excluding the CVS Volunteer Bureau). The majority of these people received no payment at all for

their services except in the case of trips undertaken for Social Services Departments or the DHSS when a mileage

rate was paid.

2.3 Vehicle utilization

The pattern o f vehicle usage in Birmingham over the day and the week is illustrated in Figure 3. It shows the

percentage o f vehicles owned by voluntary organisations in use regularly (ie at least monthly) at the times shown.

There was clearly a preference for weekday travel as opposed to weekends; the afternoon was the most popular

time of day, and on Thursday afternoons, 40 per cent of vehicles were in use. On average, over the 21 time periods

given, only 25 per cent o f the vehicle fleet was in use at any one time.

There were a number of reasons why vehicle utilization was low. The greater the degree of vehicle commitment

and usage, the greater was the liability on the part of the organisation and the work load to be undertaken by the

organiser. Given that organisers were generally unpaid, this could be important. Moreover, a vehicle donated to an

organisation or obtained from its own funds would in most cases be carefully maintained, so that very high levels

o f vehicle usage would be discouraged. Since, in general, no allowance was made for depreciation, higher levels of

usage might also imply higher running costs, the consequence of which could be very serious and possibly threaten

the continuation o f the whole operation. A great deal depended on the enthusiasm of the organiser, his ability to

control the use of the vehicle and to become involved in what could be a very complex administrative exercise.

This was also related to the amount of time the organiser had available; the organisations most actively engaged in

transport provision were those with full-time (and in some cases paid) officials.

A characteristic o f a voluntary organisation which was fundamental to its operation was the motivation and

morale o f its volunteer drivers. In effect, such organisations operated partly for the benefit of volunteers as well

as for their clients. Volunteers often identified strongly with the organisation and would probably be opposed to

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other people using the vehicles during the day. Clearly their wishes had to be taken into account if there was to be

a long-lasting service. Such issues were not always fully recognised by the organisers; they often worked successfully

without a full appreciation of the divergence of interests between themselves, the volunteers and the clients.

It has already been shown that some voluntary organisations did lend their vehicles to others, but there

were many problems associated with this. These were accentuated when the vehicle was loaned without a driver.

Firstly there was a greater risk of misuse and damage from an organisation with no responsibility (and often

surprisingly little concern) for the upkeep of the vehicle. The restrictions of a 'named driver' insurance policy were

often cited as a convenient face-saving device by the organiser, when his real fears probably related to possible

damage and misuse. Two examples from the interview survey illustrate the point:

'Various groups phone the vicar to see if they can borrow the bus, but they can' t because its a

named driver insurance policy; and anyway if he does lend it out, it always gets maltreated' .

(Church centre organiser.)

'The vehicle is far too precious to lend out; and anyway, insurance regulations forbid it'.

(Organiser o f a social group for the handicapped.)

If the organiser did allow the vehicle to be loaned under a named driver insurance policy, he then faced the additional

problem of ensuring that only named drivers actually drove; in practice this was extremely difficult to achieve.

Given all these difficulties it is perhaps surprising to find examples where vehicle utilization was high.

Redditch CVS was one of these; Community Transport in Birmingham was another. Action Centres and youth

groups often achieved high levels of utilization, although the carriage of supplies and personnel were more important

in the latter case and Education Department grants often meant that the financial constraints were far less rigid.

The lowest utilization rates occurred within groups dealing with the handicapped. For example, one group owning

a vehicle had only two regular evening commitments per month. Apart from holidays in the summer, the vehicle

was left in a garage for most of the intervening period. Another organisation utilized its vehicle for only one social

evening a month and about eight local one-off trips a year. In both cases the vehicles involved were equipped to

a high standard which included the provision of a tail-lift.

2.4 Drivers and insurance

Seventy-two per cent of organisations owning vehicles had between one and four regular drivers, with one

being the most common number. Many organisers stressed the need to keep the number o f drivers small to

minimise wear and tear on the vehicle clutch and gearbox. Insurance premiums were high and policies often

placed a restriction on who could drive the vehicle. Generally there were three conditions attached to policies,

which specified that drivers must:

(i) be named on the policy;

(ii) be at least 25 years of age;

(iii) have had at least 3 years accident-free driving.

However there was little evidence in the surveys that safety standards were low. On the contrary drivers appeared

to take exceptional care in transporting the elderly and handicapped. A very small number of drivers did in fact

hold PSV licences.

Organisations with some full-time staff and substantial accommodation of their own (ie in addition to an

administrative office) often employed a dual purpose handyman/driver, typically a recently retired person able to

do light work. Retired people, housewives and the temporarily unemployed were the most common sources of

supply o f volunteer drivers, with the former being favoured as most reliable and competent. Students were not a

significant source of supply because of both insurance and current legislation which specify a minimum age of at

least 21 years for drivers of vehicles containing more than nine seats overall. Volunteer drivers for evening work

were drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds, but the majority were male employed people serving in their spare time.

The provision of a door-to-door service often meant that the driver was expected to help passengers in and

out o f the vehicle and make sure they were safely settled in their home after the return trip. Separate personnel

for escort duty were rare. Organisers therefore relied heavily on their own judgements as to the suitability of

particular people, and rarely recruited anyone without careful prior scrutiny. There did not however appear to be

a general shortage of minibus drivers. The shortage was much more acute in the case of volunteer car drivers.

Regular trips undertaken by volunteer car drivers (VCDs) involved at least four stages: driver's home to

passenger's home, passenger's home to destination, and two similar stages for the return journey. I f the distance

between the driver's home and the final destination was long, then it might not be worthwhile for him to return

home and come back for his client later, thus committing him for the whole evening. Moreover, if it was possible

to make such a return trip home, he would add two further stages to his journey and incur additional expense.

The rising real cost of operating a car is probably the most important factor leading to the recent decline in recruit-

ment o f VCDs which was reported by a number of organisers. The consumer cost of petrol and oil rose by 120 per

cent over the period 1970-753 , compared to a rise of 54 per cent in the General Index of Retail Prices over the

same period 4.

In the case of VCDs adequate insurance for passengers was essential. Some organisations took out a general

policy to cover all their volunteer drivers against liability to passengers. Insurance companies have agreed that a

passenger's contribution to costs does not contravene the hiring exclusions of most private car policies.

Since the 1978 Transport Act5social car schemes of this sort have ceased to contravene Public Service Vehicle

licensing regulations.

2.5 Trip purposes served

The services provided fall into two groups. In the first, transport was a means of access to the primary

service or activity; this can be regarded as part o f an overall 'package'. In the second, transport was provided as a

specific service for the personal trip requirements of clients; this is referred to throughout the report as 'personal

transport ' .

The main types of package trips are indicated in Figure 2. Social/recreation trips constitute mainly trips to

lunch clubs and social clubs, but outings and attending playgroups were also important. About 75 per cent of

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organisations arranging transport listed these as their primary trip purpose(s). A further 18 per cent listed a variety

of other primary purposes, such as transport to day-work centres for the disabled, meals-on-wheels and the transport

of furniture (and other goods). Only the remaining 7 per cent were concerned primarily with personal trips.

However the latter was more important as a secondary purpose. About half of the package trips took place at least

once a week and 75 per cent at least once a month.

The split o f trips between clients corresponds approximately to the data presented in Figure 1. Usually

transport was only provided on a door-to-door basis for those clients unable to make their own arrangements; its

provision was subject to the available vehicle capacity and number of separate 'runs' possible. The latter was some-

what restricted in that group activities require all or most clients to arrive at roughly the same time. Examples of

waiting lists for club membership and for transport were common. It generally seemed that those clients who used

'package' transport would not have participated in the activity it took them to, were a door-to-door service not

available; this was true even where the clients were physically able to use public transport. In deprived areas,

organisations such as the Family Service Unit found this was true for a large proportion of the people participating

in the activities they provided.

Personal trips undertaken included visits to patients in hospital, to the dentist or hairdresser, moving into a

new house and simply going for a drive. The majority of organisations undertaking such trips (eg St John Ambulance

and Multiple Sclerosis Society) had to fit them in with package trip commitments and other activities. There was

thus relatively little time available for this type of service. Usually the organiser had to be certain of the necessity

of the trip for the client concerned, and the lack of alternative transport. Often organisers insisted that requests

were only accepted via a social worker or other voluntary organisations, personal requests from the individuals

concerned were rarely accepted. This meant that a person with no particular at tachment to a social club or local

authority social worker was likely to experience considerable difficulty in obtaining such transport.

Lack of information generally was also a problem. It is probable that many potential clients, even if they

did have contact with the social services agencies, were unaware that some organisations were prepared to meet

their personal requests; they therefore did not make these known. Tables 3 and 4 illustrate in more detail the

trips undertaken by two voluntary organisations.

2.6 Finance o f services

The acquisition and running of a vehicle was often one of the most significant items in the total budget o f a

voluntary organisation. In 1977 a standard short wheelbase minibus cost about £3,500. Accessories and the

possible fitting of a tail-lift could increase the cost by another £1,000. Vehicles with specially built bodies would

be still more expensive.

The bulk of this capital outlay was likely to have been met by some outside body. Local charitable

organisations (eg Lions and Rotary Clubs) were a common source of funds for obtaining vehicles. Joint funding

schemes between the Social Services Department and Area Health Authori ty were also significant where the clients

to be carried could be identified as otherwise potential users of residential or hospital services. The Variety Club

of Great Britain was however one important exception to the general rule o f local funding. It provided vehicles

specifically for handicapped children's organisations and was known to have contributed to at least 35 vehicles

within the study area (including some at Special Schools outside the scope of the study).

The really significant f'mancial liability for the organisation came in actually running the vehicle. This often

involved an initial appeal, at least to establish a contingency fund. But voluntary organisations by nature operated

on a very low budget, and to say that Financial planning was haphazard or non-existent is not really a criticism.

Appeals by voluntary organisations are much more effective when related to a specific item. Compassion is more

easily aroused in a real problem situation rather than a hypothetical one. For example, an organisation's appeal for

funds to meet the possible eventuality of a new gearbox being required for its vehicle would be likely to receive a

far less enthusiastic response than an organisation whose vehicle was lying idle for that very reason. It is thus not

really surprising to find that most organisations did not take account of depreciation on their vehicle. The few

organisations that did this generally had a relatively stable income, such as youth centres supported by funds from

the local education authority.

As a result o f their low overheads, the running costs incurred by voluntary organisations were probably much

lower than those of other operators. It was very difficult to obtain an accurate picture of costs because many

organisers did not keep detailed accounts. On the basis of AA figures 6 , for a vehicle with engine capacity of

1501-2000 cc covering about 11,000 kilometres per year (the approximate average for voluntary organisations

as Table 7 shows), running costs amounted to about 6p per kilometre. I f standing charges such as road tax and

insurance were included (but depreciation and interest on capital were excluded) the figure would have been about

8p per kilometre.

The majority of voluntary transport services were provided entirely free of charge to clients. This was not

only a result of restrictions imposed by the PSV regulations; there was also a conscious desire on the part of

organisers to provide a genuinely 'social' service to those most in need. There was only one case of a fare being

charged and only 15 per cent o f organisations in Birmingham indicated that direct payments from passengers and/or

regular subscriptions were a source of funds. In the latter situation there was little evidence of a specific sum being

set aside for transport apart f rom an overall club subscription. Some organisations did accept donations for the

personal trips they provided, but this usually depended on the circumstances of the client; trips paid for by

Social Services Departments or DHSS were the exception to this. The main source of funds was the organisation's

own fund raising schemes and grants f rom public funds or private charities. There appeared to be little or no

charging of separate fares. Table 5 gives the survey findings on sources of funds.

2.7 Mileage covered

From the survey data an a t tempt was made to estimate the number of vehicle kilometres, vehicle journeys

and, combining the latter with a figure on the number of passengers per journey, the extent of passenger journeys

in Birmingham. Table 6 gives the actual results obtained, with the proportion of missing values (that resulted

from non-responses) shown in brackets. Table 7 gives grossed-up figures which take account of missing values and

which compensate for the 40 per cent non-response rate by assuming a proportionate number of trips for non-

respondents; however this may over-estimate the true level o f provision since organisations which had no interest

whatever in transport may have been less willing to return the questionnaire. Consequently although the figures in

Table 6 represent the minimum number of journeys provided by such transport, the data in Table 7 may be over

generous. In terms of trip rates, the true rate probably lies between 3 and 8 passenger journeys per household per

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year. This compares with about 430 public transport journeys per household in the West Midlands region as a

whole recorded in 1972/737. Voluntary transport thus accounted for between 1 per cent and 2 per cent o f public

transport trips in Birmingham. Given the limitations on the data available it should be emphasised that these figures

should only be treated as a rough guide.

2.8 Development of services

The enthusiasm of the individuals involved appeared to be the most significant factor in setting up the service;

this related principally to the organiser, as the extent of services very much depended on the amount of work he was

prepared to put into them. In addition, the longevity of the service depended on at least rudimentary management

of vehicle maintenance and finance. Where applicable, the enthusiasm of the organisation donating the vehicle was

also important. In some cases however, this was misdirected, and an organisation might receive a vehicle for which

it had only a limited need, and which it lacked the experience and finance to run or maintain.

There were other very specific'reasons why services develop. One organisation was set up as part of an

experimental Home Office Community Development Project and obtained a minibus through that funding. In

another case it was impossible for a church centre located on a steep hill to provide a lunch club without aJso

providing a minibus service for the elderly who could not get up the hill on foot.

3. SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT

The passenger transport provided by two local authority Social Services Departments was also considered in this

study. The authorities concerned were Birmingham Metropolitan District, which provides its own Social Services

and the Redditch and Bromsgrove area where Social Services are provided by Hereford and Worcester County

Council.

3.1 Vehicles used

As was the case with voluntary organisations, Social Services vehicles were drawn from three sources: own

vehicles, hired vehicles and volunteer car drivers. The Department 's own vehicles could be divided into two

categories, 'pool ' vehicles available for general use, and those attached to a particular centre or residential establish-

ment. The latter were used almost exclusively for the transport of residents or in connection with the servicing

of the centre; hence they could be regarded as 'private' vehicles and were outside the scope of the study. However,

to allow comparison of the size of the two categories, Table 8 lists the total vehicle fleet of each authority.

In Birmingham, the standard 13 seat minibus was the most common vehicle. These were used both to

transport clients and to deliver meals-on-wheels, and were operated separately from the specialised vehicles, equipped

with tail-lifts, which were used exclusively for transporting clients. A fleet o f small vans was also used for the

meals-on-wheels service with part-time paid drivers. The dual use of vehicles for clients and meals did not take

place in Hereford and Worcester where the meals-on-wheels service was operated voluntarily by the Women's Royal

Voluntary Service who used vans supplied and maintained by the Council. However the general use fleet included

a larger proportion of vehicles with tail-lifts.

Both local authorities made considerable use of hired vehicles, particularly taxis and larger capacity vehicles

such as buses and coaches. Volunteer car drivers were far less common. They were not used at all in Birmingham,

but in Bromsgrove the Social S.ervices Department did have a list o f people prepared to drive for both one-off and

regular trips; a mileage allowance of 6p per mile was paid.

3.2 Nature and extent o f trips

Table 9 gives a breakdown of trip purposes by vehicles used in Birmingham over a typical week. Sixty-six per

cent of passenger journeys were provided by hired transport; the bulk of these were in connection with attendance

at Adult Training Centres (ATCs) and provided transport for the mentally handicapped on a daily (Monday to

Friday) basis. Many of these clients were capable of using a double-deck bus (if an escort were provided) which,

in contrast to other services, did not provide a door-to-door facility. Ten buses were hired from the West Midlands

PTE on a daily basis. Although the ATCs accounted for 87 per cent of passenger journeys, they accounted for only

56 per cent o f clients transported weekly. Physically handicapped people attending Social Welfare Centres once or

twice a week accounted for a further 40 per cent of clients, but for only 10 per cent of passenger journeys; Social

Welfare Centres provided social clubs, and facilities for craft work and recreation for the physically handicapped.

The amount of transport supplied in connection with other day care activities and for the rehabilitation of the

mentally ill was very small. Personal trips (also very few by comparison) were provided almost entirely by the

hiring o f commercial taxis. The majority of these were provided for clients in residential establishments for such

purposes as visiting the doctor or dentist.

Both local authorities provided services to voluntary organisations; some of these were provided free on long-

term agreement while others involved a charge. In Birrni0~gham the rule was to charge only the cost of the driver's

overtime for the hire of.a vehicle and driver during the evening or weekend. Typically this might amount to about

£7 for an evening. A mileage rate plus driver's pay was charged by Hereford and Worcester; the rate varied accord-

ing to the type of vehicle loaned.

To allow comparison with Tables 6 and 7 (bearing in mind the problems of data quality), Table 10 provides

estimates of the extent o f social services transport on an annual basis. Unfortunately it is not possible to derive a

figure for average journey length because of the differences in calculation of distance and trip figures. The annual

trip rate per household in Birmingham is about 1.5. The approximate total trip rate for voluntary and Social Services

transport together is thus between 4.5 and 9.5 per household per year.

3.3 Vehicle utilization

The basic commitments of the passenger vehicles were the inward and return trips to day centres. Usually

clients arrived at centres at about 1000 hrs and left at about 1500 hrs. There was a small number of separate

morning or afternoon sessions which involved trips at mid-day, but the majority of clients had lunch at the day

centre and stayed for the whole day. This could present a problem of how to allocate use in the off-peak, since

drivers were available for the whole day. Meals-on-wheels delivery was one off-peak use in Birmingham. Others

included providing transport for luncheon clubs run by voluntary organisations, the use of vehicles for one-off

requests (instead of hiring a taxi) and in the transport of goods and supplies.

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Drivers were full-time employees of the Social Services Departments. The work was very similar to that under-

taken by drivers working for voluntary organisations. Hereford and Worcester trained their drivers to full PSV

licence standard, although they may be the exception among Social Services Departments.

3.4 Costs

As a result of the way in which transport was organised within Social Services Departments, it was not easy

to obtain overall detailed costing figures. Specific sections (eg 'residential services' or ' communi ty support ' ) appear

to incur both general transport costs, as a result of their use of pool vehicles, and specific costs for services which

they arranged themselves. With the exception of a few small items of income from hiring, the costs o f transport were

financed out of a general budget for the Department. Table 11 lists the costs of that Social Services transport which

was provided on a pool basis.

The cost of between 6p and 8p per kilometre for minibus use which was found to apply in the voluntary

sector appears to be equally valid for Social Services vehicles. However, if driver costs (which made up 68 per cent

of the Birmingham budget) are included, the cost per kilometre becomes about 19p.

In both authorities about 50 per cent of transport expenditure was on hired vehicles. In Birmingham in 1976/77

the sum of £171,119 was spent on taxis alone. Hire rates of between 8p and 10p per kilometre were common for taxis.

On this basis one firm, undertaking regular trips to a day centre, received an annual payment of £67,000.

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT TO CLIENTS

Although this study has concentrated on the supply of voluntary and Social Services transport, a limited amount o f

information was collected, both from discussions with the officers involved in transport provision and from the users

themselves, on the role of this form of transport in providing mobility. The benefits to the users o f these services,

which were provided at some considerable cost to the community , can be considered for three main groups of client.

The housebound handicapped formed one distinctive group of the population. They relied heavily on domici-

liary services, such as meals-on-wheels and volunteer visitors. In many of these cases volunteer helpers, relatives,

friends or neighbours assisted with the domestic duties and did the shopping. Often the doctor called at the house

since the patient could not visit the surgery. It was also common to f'md hairdressers providing an in-home service

to the handicapped, often at discount prices. The extent of these domiciliary services thus removed the need for a

variety of personal business trips which are common in the life styles of the able bodied. The journeys such people

made by voluntary or Social Services transport were generally to communal activities which served the dual functions

of day care or rehabilitation, and provided social contact. The extent of personal trips (eg for shopping and visiting

friends) was low, and transport of the form discussed in this report seldom provided a demand-responsive service.

Those whose mobility was severely restricted (eg wheelchair users) were heavily dependent on Social Services or

voluntary transport for any sort of mobility, since a specialised vehicle was required. While the quality of service

provided was high when available, the number of personal journeys made by such services was small since few suitable

vehicles were available. Even for the less severely handicapped, the importance o f this form of transport appears

to be considerable since their ability to make motorised journeys by other means is very limited.

11

The elderly who used voluntary and Social Services transport might also experience a degree of specific handicap

or might simply be frail. Many were able to walk and could thus reach local shops and other facilities. However,

they might be unable to use the bus, either because they could not mount the step, or because they felt insecure on

a moving vehicle, or because they could not walk as far as the bus stop. While they might be able to use public

t ransport with an escort, such old people were more likely to live alone and thus lacked such assistance. Although

the majori ty of old people appear to make considerable use of public transport, increasing frailty does appear to

result in a decline in bus use 8, and thus for frail old people the alternative form of transport discussed in this report

becomes important . However, as with the handicapped, most of the journeys made were connected with group

activities, and the extent to which personal trips could be made was limited.

In the case o f journeys made by children and families, the situation was rather different. Here physical

access to public transport was not generally a problem, but cost or motivation to travel to that activity was.

Organisations such as Birmingham Family Services Unit found that transport provision was often essential in ensuring

that clients attended an activity such as a playgroup. Thus while people in this group also made use of conventional

public transport, the journeys they made by voluntary and Social Services transport represented an addition to their

overall level o f travel; these journeys were not diverted from conventional public transport.

5. THE SCOPE FOR OPERATIONAL CHANGE

5.1 Information and co-ordination

In both the voluntary and the Social Services sector, the transport services studied had developed on a rather

ad hoc basis and in the past little systematic thought had been given to the efficiency or co-ordination of operations.

In the Social Services field, where transport had grown as an ancillary function to a Department's duties, vehicle

fleets could total 100 vehicles.

At present no separate accounting system is used to cost the provision of transport for different Social

Services functions; there is a case for establishing a systematic data base on both demand and operating costs.

This would aid decisions on matters such as the structure of a vehicle fleet and the balance between owned and

hired vehicles.

For voluntary organisations, whose need for vehicles is much more fragmented, such planning might not be

appropriate. Nevertheless, the overall supply of transport within the voluntary sector would benefit if more

information were available on alternative methods of supplying transport. Such information could easily be

disseminated by a local authori ty or Council for Voluntary Service, and might give details ef:

(i) The cost and availability of vehicles from Social Services Departments and private firms, including those in the

latter group who are prepared to offer a discount to charitable organisations.

(ii) The organisations who are prepared to undertake personal trips. This might include details on the eligibility

o f clients and how particular clients should go about making arrangements.

12

(iii) The problems of vehicle ownership and use. This is already covered to some extent by circulars from bodies

such as the Councils for Voluntary Service, but could include more information on vehicles available, costs

of operations, legislation and so on.

In addition, the low level of utilization of some vehicles owned by voluntary organisations suggests that

there is scope for greater co-ordination in the use of a common stock of vehicles. There are many problems here

both of insurance, standard of care given to a vehicle on loan, and the purpose for which a vehicle should be used,

and many attempts at co-ordination have been unsuccessful. However, there are areas, such as Welwyn and Hat field

District 9 where such co-ordination has been achieved. A step towards this would be the designation of a transport

co-ordination officer in either the Social Services Department or the Council for Voluntary Service.

.5.2 The 1977 Minibus Act

For voluntary organisations the question of finance is clearly important. Since the time at which this research

was initiated, the Minibus Actl0has come into force, and may affect the pattern of future provision. This act

excludes specific vehicle uses from Public Service Vehicle regulations; a permit may be granted by the Traffic

Commissioners (or other designated body) to allow the organisation to charge fares. The Act is concerned with

minibuses having a seating capacity of 8 - 1 6 passengers. It allows voluntary organisations a greater degree o f

flexibility in their financial arrangements, but the evidence from the research suggests that it is unlikely to have a

major impact. This is mainly due to the apparent opposition among organisers of groups dealing with the elderly

and handicapped to the principle of charging for services; there is a strong tradition of providing free services. The

Act could however prove more popular with religious groups, organisations dealing with education and others

working generally for the 'benefit of the community ' , all of whom are covered by the Act. In these cases the

opposition to charging is less strong.

There are likely to be a number of administrative difficulties in implementing the Act, some of which may be

of a transitional nature. A permit applies only to a particular vehicle used by a particular organisation. Thus if

one organisation uses several vehicles, or several organisations use one vehicle, multiple permits are required. This

may pose problems for an organisation making use of hired vehicles, particularly if its requirements are irregular,

when the vehicle is not necessarily always supplied by the same source. Permits obtained through the Traffic Comm-

issioners will cost £7, so that multiple permits are likely to be prohibitively expensive for a voluntary organisation.

The conditions o f safety and equipment applicable to vehicles receiving permits under the Act are very detailed and

may in some instances involve considerable financial outlay. These provisions come into force in 1978 for new

vehicles, and in 1982 for vehicles first registered before the Act was passed.

The 1978 Transport Act 5 increases the scope for providing fare paying services in small vehicles (seating bet-

ween 8 and 16 passengers) manned by volunteers which serve 'the social and welfare needs of one or more comm-

unities'; such services are primarily intended to meet situations where there is no suitable public transport, which

are most likely to occur in rural areas. The Department of Transport has prepared a guide on the subject 11

13

5.3 The balance between transport and other forms o f welfare

Both voluntary and Social Services transport provision have grown rapidly in recent years on a rather unsystem-

atic basis. In most cases such transport provides a means of getting clients to a centre at which some other welfare

function is carried out. Some of these welfare functions could be carried out on a domiciliary basSs. Many issues

are involved in a decision about whether to employ domiciliary or communal welfare, of which transport is perhaps

not the most important. However, given the considerable (and rising) cost of transport provision, there is a case for

assessing the cost effectiveness of different strategies.

6. CONCLUSIONS

This report has examined the provision of voluntary and Social Services transport in three areas - Birmingham,

Redditch and Bromsgrove. Typically such transport took the form of minibuses, although specialised vehicles (with

facilities for carrying the handicappaed), voluntary car schemes, and taxis were also used. Such'transport probably

accounted for between 1 and 2 per cent o f all public transport journeys in Birmingham. However, the clients who

use such transport were drawn from very specific sub-sections of the population: the handicapped, certain elderly,

other deprived social groups (eg children from poor areas). The provision of.such transport was generally associated

with the need to get clients to a particular destination where an activity (eg day care, a lunch club, a play group) was

"also provided by the organisers; most clients would not otherwise have been able to take part in this activity.

Voluntary transport services also provided a limited number of personal trips to individual destinations for the less

mobile.

The majority of journeys provided by voluntary organisations were made either in vehicles owned by the

organisation or in those they hired. Levels o f vehicle use varied widely between different organisations; individual

organisations were often reluctant to loan their vehicles to other organisations, and level o f use therefore reflected

the range o f activities undertaken by that organisation. Few problems were experienced in obtaining drivers for

owned or hired vehicles, but there was some difficulty in recruiting volunteer car drivers. Financial planning was

very limited, and many organisations depended on fund raising activities to maintain and renew their vehicles.

Charging for journeys was uncommon.

The two Social Services Departments studied each owned a considerable number of vehicles and provided

transport almost entirely as a means o f getting clients to activities they organised; the majority o f joumeys were

associated with the care of the physically and mentally handicapped. Vehicles were driven by professional drivers.

The demand for passenger t ransport tended to be peaked, and vehicles and drivers were sometimes used for other

purposes, such as the delivery of meals-on-wheels at other times of day.

Lack o f information on the problems and possibilities for the provision of transport was noted in the case of

voluntary organisations. The often precarious nature of their financial arrangements may be alleviated by the 1977

Minibus Act, although there are problems associated with the use of permits, and some voluntary organisations

are reluctant to charge for the service provided. In the case of Social Services transport, the ancillary nature of

transport to these Departments ' main activities has resulted in a rather unorganised pattern of provision. There is

scope for bet ter co-ordination o f t ransport within bo th Social Services Departments and voluntary organisations.

14

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The work described in this report was carried out at the Transport Studies Unit, University o f Oxford, under contract

to the Transport and Road Research Laboratory. Thanks are due to S W Town and J P Rigby o f TRRL for advice

and assistance in the conduct and reporting of the work.

The author is indebted to Birmingham Metropolitan District Social Services Department (in particular to

Mr B Thornton) for their assistance, particularly in the administration of the survey, and similarly to the other

organisations which took part in the surveys. Thanks are also due to Jane Hands and Elizabeth Dunn for their

contributions as research assistants.

The work forms part of the programme of the Access and Mobility Division of the Transport Operations

Department of TRRL.

8. REFERENCES

1. NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL SERVICE. Rural transport - what is the alternative? London, 1976.

. MOSELEY, M J, R G HARMAN, O B COLES and M B SPENCER. Rural transport and accessibility.

Norwich, 1977. (Centre for East Anglian Studies, University of East Anglia.)

. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. Transport statistics: Great Britain 1965-75. London, 1977 (H M

Stationery Office).

4. DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT. The Gazette. Vol. 83. London, 1976 (H M Stationery Office)~

5. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Transport Act 1978.Eliz 2 Ch 55. London, 1978 (H M Stationery Office).

6. AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION. Estimates of vehicle running costs: April, 1977. Basingstoke, 1977.

-7. MITCHELL, C G B. Some social aspects of public passenger transport. Department o f the Environment,

TRRL Report SR 278. Crowthorne, 1977 (Transport and Road Research Laboratory).

8. HOPKIN, JEAN, M, P ROBSON and S W TOWN. Transport and the elderly: requirements, problems and

possible solutions.' Department o f the Environment Department o f Transport, TRRL Report SR 419.

Crowthorne, 1978 (Transport and Road Research Laboratory).

9. WELWYN AND HATFIELD COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE. Annual Report 1976/77.

10. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Minibus Act, 1977. Eliz 2 Ch 25. London, 1977 (H M Stationery Office).

11. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. A guide to community transport. London, 1978 (H M Stationery Office).

15

TABLE 1

Type o f vehicles owned by those voluntary organisations in Birmingham covered in the survey

Vehicle type Number owned Percentage of all vehicles

Minibus (<~ 15 seats)

Small coach ( 1 5 - 2 0 seats)

Bus or coach ('> 20 seats)

Specially built or adapted vehicle*

Car or taxi

Vans with 3+ passenger seats

Other vehicles (including goods vehicles)

46

3

6

22

23

6

16

38

2

5

18

19

5

13

All vehicles 122 100

* includes all vehicles with taB-lifts.

TABLE 2

Source of hired vehicles used by those voluntary organisations in Birmingham covered in the survey

Percentage of all hired Supplying organisation vehicles from this source

Social Services Department

Other voluntary organisation

Private firm

School

Miscellaneous

24

23

45

4

4

All sources 100

16

TABLE 3

Summary of regular joumeys undertaken at least monthly by one vehicle operated by Redditch Council for Voluntary Service

Number of Characteristics Day and Frequency Organisers Trip purpose time passengers of passengers

10 Elderly Salvation Army Darby and Joan Club (social club)

Housebound Club (social club)

Social Club

Social Club

Darby and Joan Club (social club)

Socialclub

Prison visiting

Furniture collection

Monday affemoon

Monday a~emoon

Wednesday affemoon

Wednesday afternoon

Thursday

3 times a month

monthly

fortnightly

fortnightly

fortnightly

11

8*

21

Mainly physically handicapped, but elderly

Elderly

Physically handicapped

Elderly afternoon

Thursday afternoon

Sunday morning and afternoon

Tuesday afternoon and Fridays

fortnightly

fortnightly

(monthly to each of 2 prisons)

weekly

(two return trips)

11 Blind and partially sighted

'Inner Wheel'

Local Community Centre

Red Cross

Local Community Centre

Local blind associations

Social Services Depart- ment

* a further three passengers were collected by car from outlying areas.

17

TABLE 4

Summary of regular weekly and personal journeys undertaken by one vehicle operated by Birmingham Family Service Unit

Trip purpose I DaYtimeand Frequency passengersNUmber of Characteristics of passengers !

(a) Summary of regular weekly journeys

Playgroup I Tuesday/ Thursday morning

Activity Group

(eg practical work; painting, decorating)

Tuesday afternoon

Outings, I Wednesday eg swimming i 16.30-19.30

I Activity Group Thursday

afternoon

twice weekly

weekly

weekly

weekly

(b) Examples o f personal tn'ps - one week sample

Saturday all day

Monday

often weekly during summer

one-off

one-off

10

10

children under five

adolescent girls with specific social problems

children aged 11-13

Family holiday in Conway

Visit to Child Guidance Counsellor

Playgroup children to park

Tuesday morning

4 outward 6 return

10

unemployed men

one poor family taken out, return with another

one adult, one child

children under 5

TABLE 5

Sources of funds for transport provided by voluntary organisations in Birmingham

Source of funds Percentage receiving from that source

Direct payments from passengers Regular subscriptions Own fund raising Another voluntary organisation Charity Social Services Department: general grant

transport grant Volunteer drivers meet their own costs Other (eg AHAs, private donations)

10 4

39 6 8 8 5 8

12

Note: several organisations received funds from more than one source; hence percentages do not total 100.

18

TABLE 6

Unadjusted statistics of distance covered and journeys made by transport operated by voluntary organisations in Birmingham during a 'typical' year

Vehicle kilometres

Average distance per vehicle (km)

Total vehicle journeys

Average vehicle journey length (km)

Total passenger journeys

Vehicles owned

1028563 (17)

10715

52968 (22)

19

476712

Vehicles hired or borrowed

471802 (55)

29413 (32)

16

470608

Volunteer car

drivers

61939 (32)

161041

Total

144320

1108361

- - denotes data not available ( ) figures in brackets refer to percentage of organisations for whom no information was available.

TABLE 7

Statistics of distance covered and journeys made by voluntary transport in Birmingham in a 'typical' year adjusted for missing values and non-respondents

Vehicle kilometres

Average distance per vehicle (km)

Total vehicle journeys

Average number of passengers per journey

Average vehicle journey length (km)

Total passenger journeys

Vehicles owned

2065215

10782

113200

9.2

18

1041100

Vehicles hired or borrowed

1747378

90800

15.9

19

1444300

Volunteer car

drivers

151800

2.6

394800

Total

355800

m

2880200

19

T A B L E 8

Vehicles o w n e d b y Social Services Depar tments , June 1977

(a) General use or 'pool" vehicles

Minibus - s t andard 13 seats

Minibus - 'h igh t o p ' convers ion, tail-l if t

Small coach - up to 22 seats, tai l- l if t

PSV s t anda rd coach - 28 seats, side-lift

' L o n d o n Tax i '

S taf f cars and suppor t vehicles

Meals-on-wheels vans

(b) Other vehicles

Minibus - s tandard 13 seats

Minibus - s tandard - tall-l if t

Birmingham

Minibus - 'h igh t o p ' - tail-l if t

Meals-on-wheels vans (ope ra t ed b y WRVS)

Goods vehicles

Other vehicles

25

3

5

10

Hereford and Worcester*

3

6

3

2

2

sub-total 51 16

18

2

2

4

5 15

9

sub-total 44

Total 95

17

33

* par t (a) of the table refers on ly to the R e d d i t c h and Bromsgrove area o f the County Social Services Depar tment ; pa r t (b) refers to the whole coun ty .

20

TABLE 9

Passenger journeys per week made by vehicles operated by

Birmingham Social Services Department, Summer 1977

ehicle type

Journey purpose

Mentally handicapped to adult training centre

Day care for elderly

Social welfare centre for physically handicapped

Rehabilitation centre for physically handicapped

Personal trips on demand

Vehicles owned (general use)

minibus

2780

680

[

vehicle with tail-lift

84

174

minibus

Vehicles hired

670

Passenger journeys n 3460 258 670

for all purposes % 32 2 6

taxi

880

80

276

72

94

1402

13

large bus

5160

5160

47

Total

passenger journeys by

all modes n %

9574

80

1130

72

94

10950

87

1

10

1

100

TABLE 10

Statistics of distance covered and journeys made by transport provided by

Birmingham Social Services Department

Vehicle kilometres*

Average distance per vehicle (km)

Vehicle journeys t

Passenger joumeys ?

I I Vehicles owned

1013027

22512

11500

185900

Hired vehicles

27650

361600

Total

39150

547500

- denotes information not available. * figures for 1976/77 supplied by Department, including vehicles loaned to voluntary organisations

and passenger vehicles used for meals-on-wheels service. t figures based on 50 week year.

21

TABLE 11

Operating costs and income of Social Services Transport 1976/77

(a)

(b)

Costs

Directly provided transport (owned vehicles)

Vehicle operations

employees; salaries, wages uniforms, subsistence petrol, oil, tyres, licences hiring of vehicles; without driver

with driver* premises; fuel and light (where allocated) administration (where allocated)

Repairs and Maintenance

repairs and maintenance of vehicles tools and spares repairs to premises

General

rents purchase of new vehicles miscellaneous

sub-total

Regularly hired vehicles +

taxi minibus ambulance buses and coaches

Birmingham Social Services Department

127,329 785

25,898 7,398

17~11 32 28

17,332 195

4

300 16,767

121

213,200

171.,119 24,503

1,275 16,019

sub-.to tal 212,916

Total 426,116

Income Sales of vehicles 408 charges to voluntary organisations 6,967 miscellaneous 85

Total 7,460

Hereford and Worcester Social Services Department

45,940

26,850**

2,150

20,490

95~30

I 120,000

120,000

215,430

5,840

5,840

* hired in the event of breakdowns ** includes costs of repairs + with driver

Although the figures presented in the above table are based on Social Service Department records and give a

satisfactory overall picture, they contain certain assumptions made by the author and their detailed accuracy

cannot be guaranteed.

22

Proport ion arranging t ransport (n = 187)

Proport ion NOT arranging t ransport (n = 155)

Non-specif ic groups

Other specif ic groups

Children and families, and handicapped

Physically handicapped

Children and families

Elderly

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I I I I I 0 10 20 30 40 50

Percentage of all responding organisat ions

Fig. 1 ORGANISATIONS RESPONDING TO POSTAL SURVEY; CLASSIFICATION BY GROUP OF CLIENTS S E R V E D

Multiple activities

Other

Meals

Medical services

Housing/ accommodation

m Proportion arranging transport (n = 187)

Proportion NOT arranging transport (n = 152)

Advice/ information/ counselling

Employment/ education

Represent viewpoint/ ideology ;"<<<<i;iiiii:!:i"

Social/ recreation

P i I I I 0 10 20 30 40

I 50

Percentage of all responding organisations

Fig. 2 0 R G A N I S A T I O N S RESPONDING IN POSTAL SURVEY: CLASSIFICATIONS BY ACTIVITY OR PURPOSE

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ABSTRACT

VOLUNTARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT IN BIRMINGHAM, REDDITCH AND BROMSGROVE: JMBailey: Department of the Environment Department of Transport, TRRL Supplementary Report 467: Crow- thome, 1979 (Transport and Road Research Laboratory). This report is concerned with the use o f small vehicles for providing communal transport as a form of welfare. A postal survey, supplemented by personal interviews, was carried out in Birmingham to identify the pattern of transport provided by voluntary organisations. Data were collected on vehicle-type, cost and f'mance, drivers, users, trip purposes, and the development o f the service. It appeared that most services were associated with some social or recreational service provided for particular clients, although the characteristics of clients varied considerably between different voluntary organisations. Journeys to suit personal requirements were less common, and there was little diversion from public transport. Levels of vehicle utilization varied considerably, and the potential for improving the provision of such transport by better co-ordination between organisations is discussed. The operation of Social Services Department transport in two areas was also studied. This is a sector of transport provision which has grown in a relatively unplanned way in recent years, as a function ancillary to domiciliary and day-care provision. A number of problems for both types of transport supplier are identified in the context of fleet management, organisation and finance.

ISSN 0305-1315

ABSTRACT

VOLUNTARY AND SOCIAL SERVICES TRANSPORT IN BIRMINGHAM, REDDITCH AND BROMSGROVE: JMBailey: Department of the Environment Department of Transport, TRRL Supplementary Report 467: Crow- thorne, 1979 (Transport and Road Research Laboratory). This report is concerned with the use of small vehicles for providing communal transport as a form of welfare. A postal survey, supplemented by personal interviews, was carried out in Birmingham to identify the pattern of transport provided by voluntary organisations. Data were collected on vehicle-type, cost and finance, drivers, users, trip purposes, and the development of the service. It appeared that most services were associated with some social or recreational service provided for particular clients, although the characteristics of clients varied considerably between different voluntary organisations. Journeys to suit personal requirements were less common, and there was little diversion from public transport. Levels of vehicle utilization varied considerably, and the potential for improving the provision of such transport by bet ter co-ordination between organisations is discussed. The operation of Social Services Department transport in two areas was also studied. This is a sector of transport provision which has grown in a relatively unplanned way in recent years, as a function ancillary to domiciliary and day-care provision. A number of problems for both types of transport supplier are identified in the context of fleet management, organisation and finance.

ISSN 0305-1315