Community Transport
North Ayrshire Council · 29 September 2026
Back to Cabinet — 29 September 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 29 September 2026 Cabinet Title: Community Transport Purpose: To seek Cabinet approval to support a Community Transport proposal for North Ayrshire. Recommendation: That Cabinet: (a) notes the survey, pilot, consultation and other background activity undertaken to assess community transport needs and develop the proposal; (b) approves Council support for Coalfields Community Transport (CCT) to further develop a North Ayrshire community transport project; (c) approves the use of £100,000 allocated for community transport development as a Council contribution towards the development and three year delivery of the project; and (d) authorises Council officers to work with CCT to further develop and implement the project. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Access to transport has been raised consistently through community and locality engagement as a barrier within North Ayrshire to accessing services, appointments, shopping, social activity and volunteering. As part of a previous Council budget setting process, a sum of £100,000 was allocated for the exploration of a community transport initiative. Considerable background work has taken place to consider the best use of this investment, including small-scale development activity with Coalfields Community Transport (CCT), public consultation and engagement feedback from Locality Partnerships. This work has helped shape the proposals contained within this report. 1.2 A significant proportion of responses came from community groups and the overall feedback supported the proposal for a dedicated, shared minibus as a practical starting point, while also identifying demand for essential journeys, accessible and dementia-aware provision, trained drivers and coverage across North Ayrshire. 1.3 CCT is an established Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation operating community transport services in East Ayrshire. They have worked with Council officers and community groups to develop a pilot proposal for North Ayrshire, based on
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accessible vehicle provision, coordinated booking, driver training and ongoing engagement to shape services around local priorities. 1.4 CCT has also been working to secure external funding for a vehicle dedicated to North Ayrshire. They have been able to secure this funding dependent on confirmation of North Ayrshire Council’s funding contribution to the establishment of the overall project. Vehicle procurement will have a lead-in period of several months. This time would be used to continue engagement, further co-design the detailed operating model, undertake due diligence and agree governance, delivery and monitoring arrangements. 2. Background 2.1 As part of a previous Council budget setting process, a sum of £100,000 was allocated for exploration of a community transport initiative. Considerable background work has been undertaken to develop the proposal, including needs assessment, engagement, survey activity, early scoping with Coalfield Community Transport (CCT) and consideration of potential delivery options. 2.2 Community transport can play a vital role by providing flexible, accessible and community-led solutions to unmet transport needs while complementing existing services. It improves social inclusion and wellbeing, connects rural communities with essential services, offers affordable and adaptable mobility, and supports local economic and community participation. 2.3 Community transport directly supports the Council’s vision of “A North Ayrshire that is fair for all” and its commitment to tackling inequality through the Council Plan. By addressing barriers linked to affordability, accessibility, rurality, disability and limited public transport availability, community transport can help people access employment, education, healthcare, essential services and social opportunities. It supports the Council’s Wellbeing priority by improving independence, resilience and quality of life, while contributing to its Communities and Local Democracy priority by strengthening inclusive, active and resilient communities. The council recognises the important role transport plays in reducing inequality and outcomes for local people. 2.4 Community transport covers a wide range of flexible, accessible and locally responsive services, including demand-responsive transport, community bus services, accessible transport, volunteer car schemes and transport for specific community, health, employment or social needs. Provision can be delivered by charities, community organisations, social enterprises and other partners, often responding to needs that cannot be met through conventional public transport. 2.5 Community transport sits alongside, rather than competes with, commercial bus services and SPT’s MyBus. Commercial services provide the core network where demand is sufficient, while MyBus offers demand-responsive journeys for people who have difficulty accessing mainstream services. Community transport provides an additional layer of flexibility, particularly where routes, timetables, accessibility or individual support do not meet local needs. The introduction of the £2 Bus Fare Cap also improves affordability, but cost alone does not remove other transport barriers. Community transport therefore remains important in ensuring people can access essential services, employment and community opportunities.
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2.6 The allocation was intended to explore the use of vehicles and other means to support communities where transport availability, timing, affordability or accessibility creates barriers to services and opportunities. This aligns with the Council Plan commitment to explore models and pilot schemes that increase access to and use of public and community transport. 2.7 CCT has around 25 years of experience delivering accessible community transport in East Ayrshire. Its current operating model includes coordinated booking, community group membership, accessible minibuses, driver training and services developed in response to local need. It has also supported a small number of North Ayrshire groups and initial pilot activity. 2.8 An outline business plan has been subject to cross-service consideration and engagement with elected members. This identified the need for a phased and co- designed approach. While the proposal would be based on the provision of dedicated vehicle capacity within North Ayrshire, the precise service offer would be refined before full implementation. Potential initial provision however could include: • Group and community transport supporting local organisations and activities. • Demand-responsive transport in areas with limited bus provision. • Accessible door-to-door transport for people with mobility or accessibility barriers. • Community connections linking rural areas with town centres and services. • Health, employment and training journeys where transport options are limited. These options would be refined through consultation and designed to complement, rather than duplicate, existing commercial and publicly supported transport services. Evidence of Need and Engagement 2.9 The North Ayrshire Community Transport Survey and the Garnock Valley Travel Needs Survey, both carried out in 2024/25, identified gaps in public transport, particularly in relation to evenings and Sundays, and highlighted impacts on access to healthcare, employment, food shopping and social activity. Earlier survey work indicated demand for a local community transport offer, accessible community buses and driver training. 2.10 A further consultation on the proposal for a dedicated North Ayrshire Community Transport offer was carried out during summer 2026 to test the emerging proposition. The consultation closed at the end of July and the responses were analysed through a sensemaking exercise. The exercise recorded 45 responses, many representing groups such as older people’s forums and dementia groups, and identified the following recurring themes: • support for shared, accessible minibuses and trained drivers; • the importance of balancing group and social travel with essential journeys, including health appointments and shopping; • the need for dementia-aware and wheelchair-accessible options; • concerns about transport cost, reliability, evening and weekend gaps, and rural coverage; • support for volunteer driver training and local involvement; and • the need for a sustainable, coordinated offer which complements rather than duplicates existing services.
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2.11 Locality feedback has also emphasised the need to coordinate the proposal with existing and emerging community transport activity, including locally funded minibuses, island provision, employability transport initiatives and wider regional transport planning. 2.12 The consultation supports progressing the shared minibus proposal as a useful starting point. It also shows that expectations extend beyond occasional group outings. Further engagement will therefore be required to determine which needs can be met safely and sustainably within the available resources and which require action by other transport providers or partners. 2.13 The CCT proposal is for a centralised and coordinated booking system that would provide a single point of contact for community transport services across North Ayrshire. The service would make cost-effective use of available vehicles and drivers while responding to local priorities. Transport would be available to community organisations, groups and eligible individuals. The initial development model CCT seeks to deliver would be based on: • access to an accessible minibus located for North Ayrshire use, with scope for the model to expand if demand and funding allow; • a single coordinated point for enquiries and booking; • a mixture of employed and volunteer drivers, supported by appropriate training and checks; • membership and affordable hire arrangements for eligible groups and, where feasible, individuals; • a stakeholder steering arrangement which would be bespoke to North Ayrshire to represent the needs of communities on an ongoing basis; • continued engagement and co-design to refine the offer leading to the procurement of additional vehicles as demand increases; • co-ordination with existing public, community, health, employability and voluntary transport provision; and • a robust monitoring and evaluation framework which would cover demand, users, journey purpose, accessibility, cost, outcomes, complaints, safeguarding, carbon impacts and financial sustainability. 2.14 CCT has advised that it has secured external funding that could enable the purchase of a vehicle dedicated to North Ayrshire. Confirmation of Council support is required to ensure the overall project can proceed and to secure the vehicle funding. The vehicle procurement lead-in period would be used to continue engagement, co-design the detailed operating model and undertake any needed due diligence. 2.15 The Council contribution would utilise the £100,000 budget allocation. This would recognise the significant background work already undertaken while enabling the proposal to move from scoping and engagement into formal development and initial delivery, subject to the necessary governance, legal, financial, procurement and subsidy control checks. Initial estimated income and costs from CCT for the first three-years are detailed below for information.
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2.16 The proposal does not replace scheduled public transport or commit the Council to recurrent funding beyond the approved allocation. It is a targeted community transport development intended to complement existing provision and test how identified gaps can be addressed. The proposal is focused on developing sustainability within the project. CCT has considerable experience of this within East Ayrshire, including securing funding from other sources, generating their own income and securing contracts to build a diverse income that supports their activity. 2.17 The project will be delivered through a phased approach, with clear milestones which CCT will deliver to ensure progress, learning and sustainability are built in from the outset: • Project mobilisation – Months 1–3: Procure vehicle order from manufacturer. Engage with key stakeholders, undertake demand analysis, and establish baseline data against which impact can be measured. • Service development and engagement – Months 4–6: Engage with communities, groups, employers, parents and partner organisations to refine the proposed transport solution and identify opportunities for partnership working, referrals and income generation • Pilot implementation – Months 7-9: Vehicle delivery and associated marketing. Introduce and test the targeted community transport provision, monitoring passenger demand, accessibility, reliability, costs and operational performance. • Review and refinement – Months 10–12: Evaluate the pilot against agreed outcomes, gather feedback from users and partners, and make any necessary adjustments to improve effectiveness and value for money.
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• Sustainability development – Yr 2: Develop the longer-term operating model, including opportunities for external funding, contract income, partnership contributions and appropriate passenger income, drawing on CCT’s established experience of developing diverse income streams. • Final evaluation and future plan – Yr 2/3: Assess the overall impact of the project. 3. Proposals 3.1 That Cabinet: (a) notes the survey, pilot, consultation and other background activity undertaken to assess community transport needs and develop the proposal; (b) approves Council support for Coalfields Community Transport (CCT) to further develop a North Ayrshire community transport project; (c) approves the use of £100,000 allocated for community transport development as a Council contribution towards the development andl three year delivery of the project; and (d) authorises Council officers to work with CCT to further develop and implement the project. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The £100,000 allocation approved through the March 2023 Council budget remains available and would be applied as the Council’s contribution to the proposal. No commitment beyond the approved allocation is proposed in this report. Payments would be controlled through a formal agreement, agreed milestones and monitoring returns. The proposal assumes that CCT secures external funding for a vehicle. If that funding is not secured, or its conditions are incompatible with the agreed delivery model, officers would not commit the Council contribution until a revised and affordable proposal had been considered under the Council’s governance arrangements. Human Resources 4.2 No direct staffing implications are anticipated for the Council beyond officer time required for development, governance, monitoring and partnership support. CCT would be responsible for its own staffing and volunteer management arrangements under the final agreement. Legal 4.3 Legal Services will advise on the appropriate funding and delivery mechanism. Approval is sought subject to satisfactory completion of all necessary checks. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The proposal is intended to reduce transport barriers affecting people on low incomes, older people, disabled people, people living with dementia and their carers, rural
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communities and groups experiencing isolation. An integrated impact assessment will accompany the final delivery plan and inform final project design. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 Shared transport has the potential to reduce reliance on multiple private car or taxi journeys. The vehicle specification, emissions, route planning and utilisation will aim to maximise this impact. Key Priorities 4.6 The proposal supports the Council Plan priorities of Wellbeing, Communities and Local Democracy and a Sustainable Council by seeking to improve access to services and community participation, reduce isolation and transport poverty, and develop a community-led response to identified needs. Community Wealth Building 4.7 The proposal supports community wealth building through partnership with a proven local charitable community transport provider, local volunteering and skills development, and the use of shared assets to enable participation in local services and activities. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 The proposal is primarily focused on mainland vehicle provision. Island communities have distinct transport arrangements and constraints. The impact assessment and further engagement will consider how the proposal connects with and compliments existing island community transport provision for passengers then travelling on to the mainland. The Council continues to support island specific provision with local partners. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 The proposal may improve access by children, young people and families to services, education, employment support and community activity. Any direct service involving children or young people would require appropriate safeguarding and rights-based impact assessment. This will be implemented if required. Consumer Duty 4.10 The detailed service design will consider affordability, accessibility, transparent eligibility and pricing, complaints handling and the needs of people who may be vulnerable or digitally excluded. 5. Consultation 5.1 The proposal has been informed by North Ayrshire-wide and Garnock Valley survey work, earlier pilot activity, engagement by CCT with local groups, cross-service officer feedback and the summer 2026 public consultation.
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5.2 The summer 2026 consultation indicated overall support for progressing the proposal, alongside a clear request that the detailed model reflect essential as well as social journeys, accessibility, rural coverage, affordability and co-ordination with existing services. Further engagement and co-design will continue should the proposal be approved. David W. Hammond Executive Director Communities & Housing For further information please contact Dr Rhonda Leith, Head of Service Connected Communities, on 01294 314450. Background Papers 0