Community Transport
Groups with limited mobility can look to local governments to provide
some means of transport.
Local governments often find that community members are unable
to get to local services and activities due to transport unavailability.
In addition, community planning work can highlight lack of transport
as a major community issue.
To alleviate isolation and facilitate access, many local governments
either provide a community bus service or coordinate with a local
provider. These services are funded to some extent by the Federal
Health and Community Care (HACC) allowance which is available for
frail, elderly, those with disabilities and their carers. A portion
of this funding can be allocated for transport to essential services,
which usually takes the form of community transport as either a
bus or system of volunteer drivers. Local governments often either
act as providers or support other providers to undertake this service
and may inject resources to extend the service to a wider market.
However funding limitations usually mean that such services are
heavily restricted.
Subsidy arrangements do not accommodate younger non drivers, particularly
secondary and tertiary level students and first job employees or
apprentices. The shortage of public transport in rural situations
often places additional pressure on local governments to provide
access and relieve isolation. Current subsidy arrangements do not
accommodate transport needs of geographically isolated groups who
do not have private car access; young school leavers fall into this
category.
The value of community provision is in providing a flexible need
responsive service. However, locally provided transport can diminish
support for existing state provided services and threaten the market
for other local providers such as taxis.
Local governments are best positioned to take a more integrated
approach to local provision and take account of all forms of transport
available in the community, recognising the value of the various
commercial, state and local service opportunities and mobility benefits.
Within this framework some particular tasks include
What local governments
can do
Local governments can find themselves extending their role in
transport when acting in community best interest. Additional activities
may not be expensive and can provide a real local benefit.
Institutions and
agencies
A summary of the roles of federal, state and other agencies
Available tools
and resources
There are a number of useful resources to help local governments
Learn from others
Look at work done elsewhere to get ideas for your area.
|
