RTI External Evaluation - Final Report - · PDF file3.4 MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF RTI ... To describe and analyse the experience of the Rural Transport Initiatives pilot projects

External Evaluation of

the Rural Transport Initiative

A Report Prepared

for ADM by Fitzpatrick Associates

July 2004

E X T E R N A L E V A L U A T I O N O F T H E R U R A L T R A N S P O R T I N I T I A T I V E

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1

1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................1 1.2 THE RURAL TRANSPORT INITIATIVE............................................................................................1 1.3 TERMS OF REFERENCE.................................................................................................................2 1.4 APPROACH AND METHOD ............................................................................................................3 1.5 REPORT STRUCTURE....................................................................................................................3

CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT.............................................................................4

2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................4 2.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTEXT ........................................................................................................4 2.3 RURAL TRANSPORT RESEARCH AND POLICY ...............................................................................8

CHAPTER 3 RURAL TRANSPORT INITIATIVE.......................................................................19

3.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................19 3.2 OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES ....................................................................................................19 3.3 GROUP SELECTION ....................................................................................................................20 3.4 MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF RTI ..........................................................................21 3.5 RTI GROUPS..............................................................................................................................24 3.6 ACTIVITIES FUNDED ..................................................................................................................27 3.7 PROFILE AND VIEWS OF PASSENGERS - RTI PASSENGER SURVEY.............................................31

CHAPTER 4 PROGRESS TO DATE ..............................................................................................33

4.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................33 4.2 PHYSICAL PROGRESS .................................................................................................................33 4.3 FINANCIAL PROGRESS ...............................................................................................................36 4.4 EFFECTIVENESS IN ADDRESSING RURAL TRANSPORT NEEDS ....................................................38 4.5 OBSTACLES AND BARRIERS .......................................................................................................39 4.6 REMAINING CHALLENGES AND OUTLOOK FOR PROGRESS .........................................................42

CHAPTER 5 IMPACT AND VALUE-FOR-MONEY ...................................................................44

5.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................44 5.2 IMPACT OF RTI ASSISTED SERVICES .........................................................................................44 5.3 CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS BEST PRACTICE ...............................................................................46 5.4 COST EFFECTIVENESS AND VALUE-FOR-MONEY .......................................................................50 5.5 CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS GOVERNMENT POLICY AND OBJECTIVES .........................................56


CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................58

6.1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................58 6.2 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................58 6.3 RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................62


List of Figures / Tables TABLE 2.1 SELECTED SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR RURAL AND URBAN IRELAND 2002.................5 TABLE 2.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE PER COUNTY 2002..........................................................................6 TABLE 2.3: CAR AVAILABILITY.................................................................................................................11 TABLE 2.4: INCIDENCE OF UNMET NEEDS................................................................................................. 12

TABLE 3.1 MAIN RTI GROUP FUNDING SOURCES (2002-04) .....................................................................23 TABLE 3.2 BACKGROUND OF RTI PROJECTS..............................................................................................25 TABLE 3.3: GROUP AREAS AND POPULATION ..........................................................................................26 TABLE 3.4 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RTI TRANSPORT MODELS ........................................30 TABLE 4.1 SERVICES DELIVERED AND PASSENGER TRIPS, 2003...............................................................35 TABLE 5.1 DRIVER TRAINING AND VEHICLE ACCESSIBILITY...................................................................48 TABLE 5.2 BENEFITS AND IMPACTS OF RTI ASSISTED SERVICES ..............................................................53

FIGURE 2.1 COLLECT AND CONNECT RURAL TRANSPORT MODEL............................................................15 FIGURE 3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS BY GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS.......................................................27 FIGURE 3.2 OVERVIEW OF RURAL TRANSPORT SERVICE TYPES DELIVERED BY RTI ................................27 FIGURE 3.3 SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS USED BY RTI GROUPS ..............................................................29 FIGURE 4.1 TIMING OF SERVICE COMMENCEMENT ...................................................................................33 FIGURE 4.2 PASSENGER TRIPS AND NUMBER OF GROUPS OPERATIONAL BY MONTH, 2003. ...................36 FIGURE 4.3 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOTAL EXPENDITURE AND PERCENTAGE OF FUNDING ALLOCATED

TO ADMINISTRATION.........................................................................................................................37 FIGURE 5.1 PASSENGER NUMBERS AND COST PER PASSENGER TRIP BY MONTH, 2003. .......................... 51

BOX 5.1 USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES ......................................................................................................46 BOX 5.2 RTI LINKS WITH OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES .................................................................................55


Note on Terminology

The following are some important terms and their meanings used in the report:

‘Brokerage’: refers to the sharing of existing vehicles between organisations for the purpose of

delivering transport services

‘Passenger Trips’: refers to the number of single journey trips made by RTI passengers

‘Beneficiaries’: refers to the number of people who have benefited from RTI services

‘Service trips’: refers to the number of service journeys made

‘Public service providers’: refers to publicly funded organisations providing services such as health,

education and training

Acknowledgements The consultants wish to acknowledge the support, assistance and input made by a number of

organisations to this evaluation. The RTI Groups made a considerable input through their attendance at

workshops and completion of evaluation checklists. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the input of

voluntary Board Members who gave of their own free time to contribute to the evaluation. The four

case study Groups were also most helpful and facilitating during our research. A number of staff in ADM

and the Departments of Transport and Social and Family Affairs also made important inputs to the

evaluation.

1


Chapter 1 Introduction

1.1 Introduction

This is the Report of an external evaluation of the Rural Transport Initiative (RTI) prepared for ADM by

Fitzpatrick Associates. The RTI is a pilot initiative supporting the provision of rural transport services by

34 community and voluntary groups in various parts of Ireland. The RTI was launched in 2001, and

following a competitive selection process, groups commenced service delivery in 2002 and 2003.

Section 1.2 of this chapter provides an introduction to the RTI, the study Terms of Reference are set out

in Section 1.3, while Section 1.4 describes our approach and method. Section 1.5 sets out the structure

of the remainder of the Report.

1.2 The Rural Transport Initiative

The RTI is funded under the 2000-06 National Development Plan (NDP) by the Department of

Transport. ADM manages the Initiative on behalf of the Department. A budget of €4.4 mn was originally

allocated to the RTI under the NDP, equivalent to 0.15% of the total planned NDP public transport

expenditure of €2,837 mn for the 2000-06 period. Upon delivery it was agreed that the Initiative would

receive €3.0 mn per annum over the 2002/03 period.

Due to a later than planned commencement of services, however, the Department of Transport agreed

to extend the annual funding of €3.0 mn for a further year. Total funding provided by the Department

for the 2002-2004 period, therefore, is €9 mn. RTI groups also receive funding from other sources. The

most significant of these are the Department of Social and Family Affairs, for the extension of “free

travel” to RTI services, and the FÁS Social Economy Programme.

Applications for RTI funding were invited from voluntary and community organisations in Autumn 2001.

Applicants were invited to apply for either “pre-development stage” funding or “operational stage”

funding. Pre-development stage funding was targeted at groups with no significant previous experience

in rural transport, while groups already delivering services or at an advanced planning stage were

encouraged to apply for operational stage funding. Following a competitive selection process, eight

groups were awarded operational funding and a further 26 groups were allocated pre-development

funding. RTI groups operate in all counties with the exception of Louth.

2


Only two selected groups were delivering rural transport services on the ground prior to commencement

of the RTI. Other operational stage funded groups commenced delivery of services in 2002, while the

remaining groups commenced services in the first half of 2003.

Distinctive features of the RTI of particular relevance to the external evaluation are:

level of experience: there is a considerable difference in the level of programme delivery

experience between groups. Some groups have experience in delivery of previous rural

transport projects (funded by ADM), while many have been involved in wider local

development programmes. There are a number of groups, however, with no previous transport

or programme delivery experience.

pilot initiative: the RTI is a pilot initiative with a focus on learning, sharing experiences and

best practice, and contributing to future policy in relation to rural transport provision. While it

is important to consider the performance of the RTI in terms of financial and quantitative

achievements, these factors are not the sole basis for evaluation of the RTI.

timescale of operation: 16 of the 34 groups had been delivering services for less than a year at

the time of the evaluation. Many groups had therefore not completed a full year of operation

and were ‘finding their feet’ in relation to management, administration and operational issues.

1.3 Terms of Reference

The evaluation Terms of Reference are as follows:

The evaluation will take cognisance of the following: The socio-economic circumstances which have created transportation issues for rural dwellers and

particular groups in society and the resultant social, economic and cultural impacts on rural communities and individuals who are effected by the absence of an integrated and accessible local transport network

Specifically, the objectives of the evaluation are: To document and analyse within a national and local context, the responses to addressing the

mobility needs of rural areas and communities that have been developed and delivered by the Rural Transport Initiative

To describe and analyse the experience of the Rural Transport Initiatives pilot projects with particular reference to the context, principles and objectives of the initiative.

To examine the barriers and challenges that have been faced, from both a policy and practical perspective, documenting efforts to address these concerns and outlining the remaining issues that will have to be resolved at a policy level.

To consider the performance of the individual projects against the objectives and principles set for the initiative and provide recommendations as to their continued support.

To document and assess the contribution of the Initiative towards the development of best practice in relation to rural transport provision, co-ordination and the development of standards.

To evaluate the value for money derived from the funding provided to the RTI from an economic and a social perspective.

To assess the contribution that the Rural Transport Initiative has made in furthering the overall objectives of the NDP and other relevant Government policies and programmes.

3


To provide recommendations as to how the development of models of good practise, gained from the RTI experience, could be incorporated into the development of a national integrated transport policy for rural areas

1.4 Approach and Method

In order to address the evaluation requirements, our research process has involved:

review of existing relevant literature on the issue of rural transport in Ireland and

internationally

analysis of RTI project and programme level data collated by ADM

consultation with relevant Government Departments, Agencies and public transport providers

consultation with RTI groups through:

o a detailed study checklist completed by all 34 groups

o workshops to discuss the evaluation topics

o a bilateral meeting with each group

o visits to four groups (Kerry Community Transport; County Sligo LEADER Partnership

Company; Offaly Kildare Community Transport; and Ring a Link). The case study

groups were selected on the following criteria: geographical coverage; degree of

rurality; models of transport used; project budgets; and level of experience.

1.5 Report Structure

The remaining chapters are structured as follows:

Chapter 2 sets out the background and context of the RTI and considers the main socio-

economic circumstances within which it operates and relevant policy issues

Chapter 3 examines the objectives and principles of the RTI, its management and delivery

structures and the background and activities of groups

Chapter 4 provides an assessment of progress to date; achievements; and barriers and

challenges faced by the initiative

Chapter 5 reviews the initial impact and value-for-money of the RTI to date

finally, Chapter 6 sets out the conclusions and recommendations of the Report.

4


Chapter 2 Background and Context

2.1 Introduction

This Chapter sets out the background and context within which the RTI operates. Section 2.2 reviews

key socio-economic characteristics of rural Ireland that affect the rural transport issue. Section 2.3

examines the policy context for the RTI, including previous experiences in rural transport provision and

the impact of wider government policy on the issue.

2.2 Socio-economic Context

2.2.1 Rural Structures and Trends

This section highlights the key socio-economic factors relevant to the issue of accessibility and transport

in rural Ireland. It highlights relevant socio-economic differences between rural and urban areas and

between individual counties.

Table 2.1 shows the socio-economic differences between rural and urban areas in relation to

demographic structure, car ownership and distance travelled to work.

Factors identified in Table 2.1 affect rural transport as follows:

a high percentage of the Irish population (40.4%) resides outside towns and cities of 1,500

persons or more in size. This suggests that Ireland’s population is still relatively dispersed across

rural areas. Rural transport issues therefore potentially affect two in five of the national

population;

Table 2.1 shows that there is a somewhat higher share of people aged over 65 in rural areas

(12.5%), compared to urban areas (10.2%). Of the rural population aged 65 and over, 53.2% is

female and 46.8% is male

almost 22% of Ireland’s households are without a car. A higher percentage of households in

urban areas are without a car compared to rural areas. In rural areas, some 68,401 (14%) or one

in seven households are without a car, emphasising the need for rural public transport services;

Table 2.1 also shows that nationally 37.0% of households in the ‘unskilled’ socio-economic

group are without a car, compared to a very low percentage of households in socio-economic

group A (employers and managers) and B (higher professional), 6.5%. Almost 13% of farming

households are without a car;

5


over 80% of the working population in rural areas travel over 2 miles to work, while rural

residents are much more likely than people living in urban areas to travel longer distances of 15

miles or more to work, 29% vis-à-vis 15%;

across Ireland as a whole, approximately 8% of the State’s population has a disability. About

120,000 rural residents have a disability.

TABLE 2.1 SELECTED SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR RURAL AND URBAN IRELAND 2002

Rural Urban State

Population 1,582,921 2,334,282 3,917,203

Population density (per km2) - - 55.8

% Population Male 51.3% 48.6% 49.7%

% Population Female 48.7% 51.4% 50.3%

% Population aged over 65 12.5% 10.2% 11.1%

% of population aged 65 and over that are male 46.8% 40.6% 43.4%

% of population aged 65 and over that are female 53.2% 59.4% 56.6%

% of Households without a car 13.8% 26.7% 21.7%

% of households in key socio-economic groups without a car

- G: Unskilled - - 37.0%

- I &J: Farmers and Agricultural workers - - 12.8% - A&B: Employers, Managers and Higher Professionals - - 6.5%

Distance Travelled to work

0-2 miles 17.6% 22.1% 20.4%

2-4 miles 16.5% 30.9% 25.4%

5-14 miles 37.0% 32.4% 34.2%

15+ miles 28.8% 14.6% 20.1%

% of population with a disability 8.0% 8.5% 8.3% Source: CSO Census of Population Vol 1, 2002; CSO Principal Socio-economic Results 2002; CSO Census of Ages and Marital Status Vol 2, 2002; CSO Census Travel to Work, School and College Vol 9, 2002; CSO Census Disability and Carers, Vol 10, 2002.

Significant social changes have occurred in rural Ireland over the past decade or so which have also

impacted on the issue of rural transport:

greater female participation in the labour force has meant that many rural homes are empty

during the day and this adds to the sense of isolation for older people in rural areas. Greater

labour force participation amongst rural residents has also impacted on the availability of

people to undertake volunteer work.

rural household structures have also changed considerably in recent years. Average household

size has fallen and older people are now much less likely to live in the same home as their

6


offspring. Some 120,000 people over the age of 65 now live on their own in Ireland1, this has

increased from a corresponding figure of just over 100,000 in 1996, and has resulted in

increased isolation for many older rural residents.

the availability of services such as post offices and banks in rural areas has declined due to

service rationalisation. This has resulted in a greater need for rural residents to travel outside of

their local areas to access essential services.

2.2.2 Profile By County

Table 2.2 compares key socio-economic variables across rural counties.

TABLE 2.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE PER COUNTY 2002 Counties Rural Population Rural as a % of total

population % of rural population

aged 65 and over % of rural households

without a car

Leinster Carlow 23,581 51.2% 11.1% 12.0% Dublin 27,024 2.4% 10.5% 10.0% Kildare 57,749 35.2% 8.6% 10.3% Kilkenny 55,747 69.4% 11.9% 12.4% Laois 39,331 66.9% 12.3% 13.2% Longford 23,511 75.7% 14.2% 17.2% Louth 36,481 55.8% 10.4% 11.6% Meath 74,250 55.4% 10.4% 10.8% Offaly 38,093 59.8% 11.8% 12.3% Westmeath 40,407 56.2% 11.3% 12.2% Wexford 78,693 67.5% 11.5% 10.5% Wicklow 45,653 39.8% 10.7% 11.4% MUNSTER Cork 172,804 38.6% 12.6% 11.0% Kerry 87,570 66.1% 13.7% 15.3% Clare 66,115 64.0% 13.2% 14.7% Limerick 86,457 49.3% 12.0% 13.8% Tipperary 87,177 66.2% 12.8% 12.2% Waterford 38,623 38.0% 12.6% 12.3% CONNACHT Galway 121,240 58.0% 12.6% 14.9% Leitrim 23,957 92.9% 15.9% 18.2% Mayo 87,067 74.1% 15.4% 18.3% Roscommon 43,153 80.2% 15.5% 15.5% Sligo 38,465 66.1% 13.8% 15.6% ULSTER Cavan 47,044 83.2% 13.8% 15.8% Donegal 104,787 76.2% 13.1% 20.0% Monaghan 37,942 72.1% 11.7% 13.6% State 1,582,921 40.4% 12.5% 13.8% Source: CSO Census of Population Vol 1, 2002; CSO Principal Socio-economic Results 2002; CSO Census of Ages and Marital Status Vol 2, 2002; CSO Census Travel to Work, School and College Vol 9, 2002; CSO Census Disability and Carers, Vol 10, 2002.

1 Census of Population. 2002.

7


Important issues illustrated by the data in Table 2.2 are:

a large number of counties have a very high percentage of overall population residing in rural

areas, e.g. Leitrim (92.9%), Cavan (83.2%), Roscommon (80.2%) and Donegal (76.2%). This

highlights the dispersed nature of settlement in Ireland;

it is evident that counties in the BMW Region have a higher percentage of population aged 65

and over, e.g. Leitrim (15.9%), Roscommon (15.5%), Mayo (15.4%) and Sligo (13.8%),

compared to counties in the S&E Region such as Kildare (8.6%), Meath (10.4%) and Dublin

(10.5%). The counties with higher percentages of population aged 65 and over are more likely

to have greater need for public rural transport services;

many counties have a much higher percentage of rural households without a car, such as

Donegal (20.0%), Mayo (18.3%) Leitrim (18.2%) and Longford (17.2%), where almost one in

five households are without a car. Car ownership is much higher in eastern counties such as

Dublin (10.0%), Kildare (10.3%), Wexford (10.5%). The greater level of car ownership in

eastern counties is clearly illustrated in Map 2.1.

[Map 2.1 Car Ownership Levels By County]

8


2.3 Rural Transport Research and Policy

2.3.1 Introduction

This section summarises earlier research conducted for ADM on local transport initiatives delivered by

Partnership Companies and Community Groups, as well as more recent research undertaken by the

County Development Boards and the Interdepartmental Committee on Rural Transport. The implications

for rural public transport of policy documents such as the White Paper on Rural Development (1999),

the National Development Plan (2000-2006) and the National Spatial Strategy (2002) are also

reviewed.

2.3.2 Previous ADM Supported Community Involvement in Rural

Transport

ADM supported Local Partnership Companies and Community Groups in the provision of local transport

initiatives under the Local Development Programme (1994-1999). In 1997, the Rural Development

Working Group in ADM and the Rural Renewal Pilots Initiative jointly hosted two seminars on rural

transport. The seminars were attended by, among others, rural transport project promoters and

representatives from state agencies and departments. The feedback from these seminars is compiled in

Rural Ireland: Waiting for a Lift2. Five key recommendations emerged:

a national committee, made up of local development, community and state agency

representatives should be established

discussion with seminar participants should be maintained through follow up seminars and

reports

action-research projects should be developed to further learning, with a view to mainstreaming

good practice

a national research agency should undertake a detailed rural transport study

comprehensive information on local transport needs should be compiled, with the proposed

national committee responsible for its dissemination.

During the life of the Local Development Programme (1994-1999), many Partnership Companies and

Community Groups, in responding to local needs, designed and delivered rural transport initiatives. In

1999, ADM decided to consolidate this learning and commissioned a study3 to review these initiatives.

2 Area Development Management and Department of Agriculture and Food (1997) Rural Ireland:'Waiting for a Lift' 3 Farrell Grant Sparks (2000) Rural Transport: A National Study From a Community Perspective

9


The specific aims of the study were to review the activities of local groups in delivering transport and to

identify models of good practice; to determine the contribution of transport provision to development

and inclusion in rural areas; and to recommend how local experience and good practice can contribute

to rural transport policy. The report findings are based on a series of consultations, workshops and a

review of international, national, and local research on rural transport.

One aspect of the project involved collating findings from 12 local transport research projects. Although

drawn from different samples using different methodologies, the combined results give some indication

of the rural transport problem. The research showed that over one third of the population either have no

access to transport or have difficulty accessing transport services. This is somewhat higher than the level

of unmet transport need demonstrated by research undertaken by the CDBs (see Section 2.3.3). This gap

can be explained by the fact that the selected local transport research projects were undertaken in more

peripheral rural areas.

The research also confirmed that the lack of transport contributes to lost opportunities in terms of

access to employment, education and social activities. In terms of existing transport, most felt that

there was no public transport service available, and where it did exist it was inaccessible (in terms of

distance to pick up point, frequency etc). In terms of the frequency of transport required, the report

stated that 44% need a transport service infrequently (maybe once a month), while 32% would like a

weekly service. The remainder (24%) would like a daily service.

Eight case study projects were selected to highlight best practice and to determine the difficulties

experienced by those involved in the rural transport initiatives. The projects were West Limerick;

Ballyhoura Rural Transport Initiative; Rural Lift (Cavan); Louisburgh Community Transport Initiative;

Westmeath; FORUM (Connemara); Wicklow; and Waterford Suirway. A variety of different models were

piloted including car schemes, sub-contracting to local operators and partnerships with Bus Eireann. The

ability to use the free travel pass was seen as an important success factor for most of the rural transport

projects.

The following factors were identified as key in delivering successful rural transport initiatives:

detailed research: research should be conducted by local people to determine the needs of

rural residents in their area

local community impetus: local people should be engaged in the entire process in so far as

possible

appropriate to needs: transport services should be accessible, demand-responsive and

affordable

consultation, monitoring and evaluation: as the profile of an area is constantly changing, all

services should be monitored and adjusted as appropriate

10


information and promotion: to ensure the capacity of services is maximised, the services

must be adequately publicised

co-ordination at all levels: local level co-ordination was identified as one of the key factors in

successful local rural transport services and it should be supported by a county level forum

made up of the relevant stakeholders

integrated services: local transport services should feed into and compliment the regional and

national transport network

partnership: a partnership of the community, local development and statutory sectors was

seen as the most approach through which to tackle the rural transport problem.

Detailed recommendations were presented in the report, focusing on issues such as co-ordination at all

levels, pilot initiatives, public transport as well as national level policy pointers. The detailed

recommendations were summarised into eight broader recommendations, and these are presented in Box

2.1.

BOX 2.1 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

“Establish a Rural Transport Sub-Committee which reports to the Department of Public Enterprise

Prioritise Government funding for provision of adequate and appropriate transport services in rural areas to achieve equality for all citizens in accessing services – economic, social and civic

Provide appropriate resources for rural transport: to Bus Éireann, communities and others piloting new initiatives and methodologies, for mainstreaming lessons from successful initiatives, for disability initiatives, for disability infrastructure, for national, regional and local co-ordination and networking of co-ordinators, for factoring transport into accessibility of all public services/programmes, for research to address deficiencies in the current situation

Reform transport legislation and formulate a rural transport policy in consultation with stakeholders

Better co-ordination mechanisms are needed to maximise resource use Pilot new service delivery approaches, transport and other services; Transport-proof all public

services. Successful initiatives should be mainstreamed. The use of telematics in demand responsive transport solutions should be explored

More flexible approaches are needed towards meeting the diverse transport demands on the ground taking account of disability; special needs; remoteness; the social economic and cultural needs of the youth and the elderly. In particular, new models; existing resource uses; partnerships; and co-ordination mechanisms should be explored

National resources are needed to put local level co-ordinators in place to facilitate community transport initiatives; networking of co-ordinators should be encourages. Fora for matching supply and demand sides are needed”

Source: Farrell Grant Sparks (2000). Rural Transport: A National Study From a Community Perspective.

2.3.3 County Development Board National Rural Transport Survey

In response to a commitment in the White Paper on Rural Development (see Section 2.3.5 below), each

County Development Board was asked to undertake an audit of transport services and an assessment of

rural transport needs. An Interdepartmental Working Group on Rural Transport, chaired by the then

11


Department of Environment and Local Government, was established to progress this work. This Group

oversaw the audit and rural transport needs assessment in four pilot counties of Mayo, Kerry,

Westmeath and Laois4.

Guidelines were then published to assist the remaining County Development Boards to undertake

research in a consistent manner. In early 2002 all the remaining CDBs undertook the audit of transport

services and needs assessment and the results were assembled in a national rural transport database.

This section sets out some of the most notable findings from the CDB National Rural Transport Survey

(NRTS)5.

An important indicator of transport deprivation, highlighted by the NRTS is ‘access to a car’. As Table 2.3

shows approximately 16% of rural respondents stated that they ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ have a car available to

them. The lowest levels of car availability are found in the Border and Mid-West regions. The survey

showed that in terms of both car ownership and car availability, a clear pattern emerges across socio-

economic groups in rural areas. Those with least access to cars are older people (especially women),

people who are ill or people who have a disability, young people and those in lower income groups.

TABLE 2.3: CAR AVAILABILITY NUTS Region Always Often Rarely Never TotalBorder 65% 14% 11% 10% 100%Dublin 73% 8% 7% 12% 100%Mid-East 72% 9% 6% 13% 100%Midland 71% 12% 8% 8% 100%Mid-West 76% 12% 8% 5% 100%South-East 72% 13% 8% 7% 100%South-West 76% 11% 7% 7% 100%West 70% 13% 8% 9% 100%National Rural 71% 12% 8% 8% 100%SOURCE: Fitzpatrick Associates, Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport 2002; National Rural Transport Survey

The incidence of unmet needs, which is the percentage of the adult population stating that there are

journeys they would like to make at present but cannot due to lack of suitable transport, varies across

regions. The average level of unmet transport needs in rural Ireland is 24%.

4 Fitzpatrick Associates. Preparation of a Study of a Service Audit and Needs Assessment for Rural Transport Services in Four Irish Counties – Mayo, Westmeath, Laois and Kerry. 2001. 5 Fitzpatrick Associates, Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport. 2002.

12


TABLE 2.4: INCIDENCE OF UNMET NEEDS NUTS Region Yes No TotalBorder 27% 73% 100%Dublin 29% 71% 100%Mid-East 28% 72% 100%Midland 23% 77% 100%Mid-West 22% 78% 100%South-East 20% 80% 100%South-West 21% 79% 100%West 27% 73% 100%Total 24% 76% 100%SOURCE: Fitzpatrick Associates, Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport 2002; National Rural Transport Survey

Other key findings from the study of direct relevance to the current evaluation are:

private cars are central to peoples’ transport in rural Ireland and the vast majority of rural

residents’ trips are made by car;

nine out of every ten people in rural Ireland live in a household with at least one car. However,

not everyone has a car available to them even if there is one in the household.

car availability affects the amount of travelling people do – rural residents who ‘always’ or

‘often’ have a car available make 50% more journeys than those who ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ have

one;

taxi and hackney availability varies and is generally concentrated in and around larger towns.

While taxis and hackneys can in principle provide a rural public transport service anywhere, cost

becomes a major factor in more remote areas

regarding numbers of additional trips people with unmet needs wish to make, the average was

just under two round trips weekly. As would be expected, this figure was lower for people with

‘always/often’ car availability and higher for those with ‘rarely/never’ car availability;

the survey asked respondents to specify the purpose for which they wish to make additional

trips. The largest reason for additional trips is shopping (32%), with leisure and work in joint

second place (19-20% each). This split reflects the combined social and economic significance

of rural transport services.

Map 2.2 shows the percentage of the rural population with and without a weekly scheduled public

transport service in each county. The percentage of the rural population in a DED without any scheduled

service is 39% (this is represented by the red portion of the county pie charts). Rural residents in the

Greater Dublin Area have greater access than is typical elsewhere due to the spillover of commuter bus

services, including those of Dublin Bus. It also indicates the absolute number of people in rural DEDs

with and without a scheduled service. This is shown by the relative sizes of the pie charts, which are

proportional to the size of the county’s rural population. It is apparent that, in absolute terms, western

counties have the largest numbers of rural people with no scheduled transport services.

[Map 2.2 Availability of Rural Public Transport Services]

13


14


2.3.4 Proposals for New Policy Framework on Rural Transport

In late 2001 an Interdepartmental Committee on Rural Transport, chaired by the Department of

Transport, was established to progress the rural transport agenda by forwarding proposals for a possible

new policy on rural transport6. Research was drawn from existing rural transport services and

community based research, related national policy, rural transport experiences in other countries and

results from the National Rural Transport Database of 12,000 respondents. The Committee also

considered the views of the Public Transport Partnership Forum on rural transport policy.

The Committee examined transport availability, rural public transport provision and rural transport gaps.

The Committee also presented its views on what the objectives of a rural transport policy should be. In

its view, there should be two co-equal objectives:

sustainable transport: to develop a more economically, socially and environmentally

sustainable approach to transport and settlement patterns in rural areas through the increased

use of public transport. To fulfil this objective, the Committee envisaged there would be a

minimum weekly daytime service between all county towns and other large towns.

social inclusion: to ensure that most rural residents, regardless of access to cars, should be able

to make regular independent trips to their nearest town. To achieve this objective, the

Committee proposed a weekly service, using scheduled and non-scheduled services, with

priority given to vulnerable groups.

With these two policy objectives in mind, the Committee proposed the ‘Collect and Connect’ transport

system as shown in Figure 2.1. This involves a network of basic scheduled services between higher and

lower order settlements and non-conventional services to bring those in isolated areas from their homes

to the nearest towns. In each case, the Committee believed a minimum weekly service would be

appropriate.

6 Fitzpatrick Associates. Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport. 2002.

15


9

SmallTown

SmallTown

SmallTown

County/LargeTown

Non-Conventional Service

Rural Dwellings

Scheduled Service

KEY

FIGURE 2.1 COLLECT AND CONNECT RURAL TRANSPORT MODEL

Source: Fitzpatrick Associates. Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport. 2002.

Regarding implementation, the Committee felt a variety of players are needed to implement successful

rural transport services which meet the needs of rural residents. In terms of government responsibilities,

the Department of Transport should be the lead department in terms of policy development and

funding. Other departments should also maintain their specific responsibilities eg Department of

Education and Science in relation to school transport and the Department of Social and Family Affairs in

relation to the free travel pass. As well as implementing their existing functions, the Committee believed

local authorities should have a new role in route planning and overall regulation through county-level

consultative structures. Finally, the Committee stated that the community and voluntary sector has a

key role to play in local rural transport and should have continued responsibility for delivering the non-

conventional transport service within the ‘Collect and Connect’ framework. It noted that the community

and voluntary sector is ideally placed to articulate the needs of the marginalised as well as tapping into

unused potential to develop non-conventional transport services through models such as brokerage.

2.3.5 Wider Policy Environment

Policy documents such as the White Paper on Rural Development, the National Development Plan 2000-

2006 (NDP) and the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) are central in highlighting important rural and

social inclusion issues of relevance to the rural transport issue. Other policies initiatives in the areas of

the environment, equality and poverty prevention also impact on rural transport and the RTI.

16


In the 1990’s there was a growing emphasis on rural development, and in response to this, the

Government published Ensuring the Future: A Strategy for Rural Development in Ireland7. Key to its

vision is the understanding that rural life involves more than just agriculture and that the economic and

social well-being of rural communities must be promoted. The White Paper remains the Government’s

“blueprint” for the development of rural Ireland.

The overall objective of the White Paper was to identify and implement a strategy which would:

“ provide sufficient employment opportunities to compensate for the changing pattern of

employment in agriculture

counter migration and depopulation in many areas

meet the needs for public service delivery in terms of access to the range of services which are

required to sustain viable rural communities.”

The White Paper presents a vision and framework for the development of rural areas as well as

illustrating the Government’s clear commitment to rural Ireland. The Government wanted to ensure the

maintenance of vibrant, sustainable rural communities and acknowledge that adequate infrastructure,

including transport, is key to achieving this. While transport services exist in some parts of rural Ireland,

there are many areas of the country where there are no public transport services, and this can lead to

increased marginalisation. The White Paper promotes the use of innovative approaches in attempting to

overcome the difficulties of providing transport services in remote and low population density areas.

Each County Development Board was requested to undertake an audit of transport needs and services

and to identify the most appropriate co-ordination and delivery mechanisms to ensure adequate

transport provision.

The NDP equally reflects this commitment to rural development and social inclusion. Each NDP Measure is

assessed to determine its impact on the four horizontal principles of poverty, equality, environment and

rural development. This means, in practice, each department, agency, or organisation delivering the NDP

must ‘proof’ its activities to ensure they have either a positive or neutral effect on the four horizontal

principles.

Meanwhile the aim of the NSS8 is to achieve better balanced growth between the regions. As reflected in its

title, the Strategy examines spatial relationships ie the location of people, their workplaces and other

activities and how these relate to each other. The Strategy emphasises the importance of linking urban

centres with their rural hinterlands. Rural transport, therefore, has a critical part to play in the success of

7 Department of Agriculture and Food (1999) Ensuring the Future - A Strategy for Rural Development in Ireland 8 Department of the Environment and Local Government (2002) The National Spatial Strategy 2002-2020 People, Places and Potential.

17


the NSS by ensuring rural residents have access to urban centres.

2.3.6 Regulatory Framework

The regulatory framework that governs the provision of public transport services is a multi-faceted one, and

there are a number of different agencies responsible for regulating various aspects of public transport

services:

the Department of Transport is responsible for the regulation of commercially operated bus

services in accordance with the provisions of the 1932 Road Transport Act;

the Department of Transport is also responsible for the regulation of taxi and hackney services,

though it delegates the responsibility for licensing taxis and hackneys to the local authorities.

Full liberalisation of taxi and hackney services in Ireland was introduced in late 2000. The

regulatory function for taxis and hackneys will shortly be transferred to the new Commission

for Taxi Regulation as set out in the Taxi Regulation Act, 2003.

apart from licensing taxis and hackneys, local authorities have responsibility in a number of

important areas including vehicle licensing, traffic management, driver licensing and testing,

and physical planning (e.g. location of bus stops);

An Garda Síochana has responsibility for the granting of large public service vehicle licences, for

public service vehicle driver licences and for the enforcement of public service vehicle

regulations;

the Revenue Commissioners have responsibility for vehicle registration and the Fuel Tax

Rebate;

the National Car Testing Service has responsibility for testing and certification of vehicles as

suitable to be licensed as taxis and hackneys.

Any type of road passenger service (scheduled and unscheduled) that is operated for hire or reward in

Ireland requires a basic vehicle licence. This is known as the Public Service Vehicle licence (PSV). In the

case of large PSVs – i.e. vehicles with nine or more seats – this is granted by An Garda Síochana. In the

case of small PSVs – mainly taxis and hackneys – it is granted by the local authority.

Thereafter, the regulatory treatment of large and small PSVs becomes somewhat different. Treatment of

small PSVs is relatively more straightforward, in that prospective operators simply require a taxi or

hackney licence from the appropriate local authority. Since the deregulation of this sector, taxi and

hackney licences have become a lot easier to obtain.

The regulatory treatment of large PSVs and operators is more complex (with the notable exception of

Bus Éireann – see below). Apart from the PSV licence, operators of large PSVs that wish to run

commercial services for hire or reward must also obtain the following:

18


a Road Passenger Transport Operator’s Licence (RPTOL), issued by the Department of

Transport, which licences the operator and the number of vehicles authorised for service;

a Passenger Licence for each individual route that an operator proposes to serve. This licence,

which is again issued by the Department of Transport, requires that the applicant must already

hold an RPTOL and that the licence application must specify the terminal points of the

proposed service, the proposed routeing and intermediate stops, the schedule and timetable,

the vehicle capacity on the route and the fare structures.

Furthermore, there are a number of other factors that have traditionally had an important bearing on

the licensing of public transport services in rural areas:

usually, passenger licences in rural areas are only granted in cases where there is a gap of more

than one hour in existing services. This is further complicated by the fact that the 1958

Transport Act exempts Bus Éireann, as the State bus company, from the licensing requirements

that apply to other operators (though Bus Éireann is prohibited from competing with a licensed

service without the consent of the Minister for Transport);

the 1932 Road Transport Act provides for the revocation, suspension or non-renewal of existing

passenger licences if the licensee fails to comply with the conditions of the licence. However,

these powers are rarely used in practice, meaning that other operators cannot provide service

on a route even if the existing licensee is not operating it;

the licensing regime does not generally facilitate flexible-route services, nor does it provide the

type of flexibility necessary to adapt/alter services in response to emerging patterns of

demand. This means that it is not well equipped to deal with the type of community transport

services that are piloted under the RTI.

19


Chapter 3 Rural Transport Initiative

3.1 Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the objectives and principles of the RTI, the background of the

individual groups and the main activities funded. Section 3.2 sets out the objectives and principles. The

management and delivery structures are examined in Section 3.3, while Section 3.4 reviews the

background of the RTI groups. A description of the activities funded through the RTI is provided in

Section 3.5.

3.2 Objectives and Principles

3.2.1 Overall Aims of RTI

The overall aim of the RTI is to support the development of community based pilot rural public transport

projects with a view to addressing social exclusion in rural areas. The central aims of the Initiative

therefore are that:

projects should be community based and should be developed through collaboration and

partnership at local level between the community, voluntary and statutory sectors

the initiative is a pilot and therefore should promote the use of innovative transport models

and best practice in rural transport provision with a view to informing future policy in the area

the overarching goal of the initiative is to address social exclusion in rural areas. While the

initiative also seeks to promote wider economic and environmental objectives, combating

social exclusion is its primary focus.

3.2.2 Objectives

The specific objectives set for the initiative are:

“to promote and support the development of innovative pilot community based public

transport projects in rural areas

to use local knowledge and expertise in the development of public transport services

to improve utilisation of existing transport assets

to develop models of collaboration and partnership at local level by encouraging different

sectors e.g. voluntary and community organisations, statutory bodies etc, to participate in the

initiative

20


to gain experience of the use of new technologies in the co-ordination and development of

transport systems

to encourage innovative approaches to meet the recognised local needs, including those of

disabled and mobility impaired

to develop models of best practice and meet identified needs

to contribute to the development of rural public transport policy”.

3.2.3 Principles

The RTI groups are encouraged to adhere to the following general principles underpinning the Initiative:

voluntary and community organisations and partnerships are encouraged to work in

conjunction with local authorities and health boards

projects must address both the social and economic transport needs of the community

services should not be confined to designated target groups and should be available to all

sections of the local community

services should complement rather than compete with existing public transport services

the potential to deliver transport services for the mobility impaired should be explored and

promoted

the use of new technologies in transport planning is encouraged

groups are expected to source matching funding for the RTI locally.

3.3 Group Selection

Applications for RTI funding were invited from interested parties, including voluntary and community

organisations, in 2001. All rural areas were eligible for support and applications were received from all

counties except Louth. A total of 52 applications were received and were subject to an independent

appraisal process. The following general selection criteria were applied:

“a balanced spread of projects from different types of rural environments

a balanced spread of project types

a balanced spread between the two application stages i.e. predevelopment stage and

operational stage

the potential impact on gender, equality, poverty, and rural development issues

the degree to which transport accessibility for the mobility impaired is being addressed

levels of existing public and private transport services and the integration potential

projected social and economic benefits to the communities concerned

most effective use of existing resources

21


potential to involve other partners/agencies and the level of community support.”

Further specific criteria were also applied to groups seeking pre-development funding and operational

funding. Following the appraisal process, 26 groups were approved for pre-development funding and

eight groups for operational funding i.e. a total of 34 in all. Pre-development funding was allocated in

order to allow groups that had identified a need for rural transport services in their areas to develop a

detailed strategy for service delivery. All of the groups that were awarded pre-development funding

subsequently received operational funding. Operational funding allowed groups to commence the

delivery of rural transport services.

3.4 Management and Administration of RTI

3.4.1 Introduction

A number of Government Departments and agencies are involved in activities delivered through the RTI.

The Department of Transport provides the primary source of funding for the RTI, while the initiative is

administered and managed nationally on an operational basis by ADM. RTI groups have also benefited

from funding provided by The Department of Social and Family Affairs, while some have received

funding from FÁS through the Social Economy Programme. The following sections set out the roles and

responsibilities of the respective organisations in relation to the RTI.

3.4.2 Role of Department of Transport

The Department of Transport has overall policy and regulatory responsibility for transport infrastructure

and public transport services in Ireland. It originally allocated a budget of €4.4 mn within the 2000-06

Economic and Social Infrastructure Operational Programme for the RTI. It was envisaged that the RTI

would be a two year pilot initiative funded over the period 2002/03 but it was subsequently agreed that

in order to allow groups to reach their full potential as pilots, the initiative should be extended to end

2004. The Department has to date provided €9 mn to the RTI, double the level of expenditure originally

envisaged. Funding from a number of other sources is also provided, see Table 3.1.

3.4.3 Role of ADM

ADM was commissioned by the Department of Transport in 2001 to oversee the day-to-day

management of the RTI. ADM had gained considerable experience of the community transport sector

through the rural transport projects supported in the 1994-99 period.

Given the lack of programme delivery expertise of many of the RTI groups, it was evident from the

outset that considerable assistance was required. ADM therefore allocated a number of staff to provide

22


monitoring, training and on-going technical support to groups. ADM support for the RTI mainly occurs in

the following areas:

financial reporting: all RTI projects must comply with detailed ADM financial procedures and

audit requirements. The ADM Internal Audit Unit undertook full audits of groups in 2003.

Independent audits were also undertaken at various levels of the programme delivery.

financial training: a finance trainer has been working with the RTI groups since August 2003. It

was necessary to provide this assistance to groups as many of them experienced difficulties

preparing and submitting returns. Assistance involved the delivery of group training sessions,

one-to-one assistance and on-going ad hoc support.

monitoring and evaluation: ADM has developed a number of monitoring and evaluation

initiatives for the RTI. These have included tools to assist groups themselves in their own

monitoring and evaluation and also those for use at a programme-wide level. An extensive

passenger survey was also undertaken across all 34 groups in 2003. The groups must also

submit monthly performance monitoring reports.

on-going technical assistance: on-going technical assistance has been provided to groups in

relation to a range of technical and administration issues. The RTI Co-ordinator and

Development Officer organised a number of workshops and training sessions for group staff

and board members in 2003. ADM staff members also undertook site visits to all groups and

provide on-going advice and support. On-going support has been provided in administration

areas such as staffing and human resources; organisational structures; responsibilities of board

members; and tendering procedures and processes. Advice on technical issues has included

route planning; legislation and insurance; and fleet management.

There has been a very steep learning curve for many of the groups delivering the RTI and this has placed

a considerable responsibility on ADM to support and develop them. Groups have experienced numerous

difficulties and obstacles in planning and delivering the RTI and the support of ADM staff has been

central to overcoming these.

3.4.4 Role of Other Organisations

The Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA) spends about €50 mn annually on the provision of

free travel for those aged over 66 or otherwise eligible for assistance9. While the CIE Group is the main

recipient of funding for free travel, private licensed route operators are also allowed to claim payments

under the scheme. In 2002 DSFA agreed to provide a fixed-sum contribution to the RTI in respect of

travel for free travel pass (FTP) holders. DSFA provided funding of €400,000 to the RTI in 2003 and has

also agreed funding for 2004.

23


Free travel funding in 2003 was allocated to groups by ADM on the basis of passenger numbers and

expenditure levels, but not specifically on the basis of the number of FTP holders using the service, as

this would have been difficult to administer in the first year of operation. Funding allocated to RTI

groups in 2004, however, will be dependent on the number of FTP holders carried. Groups will receive a

pro-rata contribution towards the cost of travel for each FTP holder, which is expected to equate to

about one third of the total passenger cost involved. RTI operators are treated differently to other

commercial operators eligible for payments under the scheme in that all RTI assisted services accept

FTPs while other commercial operators delivering services for social purposes such as bingo do not

receive reimbursement for FTP holders.

The FÁS Social Economy Programme (SEP), launched in 2000, supports the employment of eligible

unemployed people in social economy enterprises. Provision of rural transport was identified as an

eligible activity and 10 RTI groups were allocated over €1 mn in total. SEP funding supports employment

costs in these groups for an initial period of three years. RTI employees funded under the SEP are

engaged in the co-ordination and provision of transport services.

Table 3.1 sets out the funding sources for RTI groups.

TABLE 3.1 MAIN RTI GROUP FUNDING SOURCES (2002-04) Total Funding (€) Period

Department of Transport 9 mn 2002-04

Department of Social and Family Affairs

0.8 mn 2003-04

FÁS 1 mn 2002-04

SOURCE: ADM.

The RTI has also benefited from considerable support and technical advice from the Northern Ireland

Rural Transport Fund staff in the Department for Regional Development. Assistance has also been

provided by the Community Transport Associations in the UK and Ireland. The sharing of best practice in

other countries has therefore been important to the successful delivery of the RTI in Ireland.

9 People with disabilities, in receipt of carers allowance or accompanying a free travel pass holder also receive free travel.

24


3.5 RTI Groups

3.5.1 Introduction

This section presents an overview of the background, structures and geographical areas serviced by the

34 RTI projects. The eight groups which initially received operational funding commenced service

provision in 2002, as did two of the groups that received feasibility funding, while the remaining 24

projects started delivering services at different stages in 2003. Some projects did not commence services

until July 2003 and are therefore operating for less than a year. This obviously has implications for the

degree to which performance to date can be assessed.

3.5.2 Background of Groups

The 34 groups selected to deliver the RTI have varying track records in the delivery of previous local and

community development initiatives. A total of 15 new groups were established to deliver the RTI but

nine of these are backed by pre-existing local development organisations responsible for the delivery of

programmes such as LEADER, LDSIP or the Community Development Programme (CDP). Some 10 RTI

groups are engaged in the delivery of other local development programmes, while five groups have

previous experience in rural transport. Table 3.1 provides an analysis of the background of RTI projects.

The categorisation of groups is not mutually exclusive e.g. new groups can also be supported by existing

local development groups.

25


TABLE 3.2 BACKGROUND OF RTI PROJECTS Group Name New

Group Existing

Local Dev.

Group

Existing Rural

Transport Group

Supported by Dev. Group

Other Existing

Local Org.

Supported by Local

Authority

Aughrim-Kilmore Development Association Ltd Avondhu Development Group Bantry Rural Transport Bawn and Latton Transport Initiative Bealach Borrisokane Area Network Development Ltd Comharchumann Chleire Teo Community of Lougharrow Social Project County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company Ltd. East Clare Accessible Transport IRD Duhallow Kerry Community Transport Kilcommon – Upperchurch (Tipperary LEADER Group)

Kilnaleck Community & Co-operative Laois TRIP Meath Accessible Transport Meitheal Mhaigh Eo Teo North Fingal Rural Transport Initiative North Longford Rural Transport Initiative Offaly Kildare Community Transport Ring a Link Rural Bus County Limerick/Nth Cork Transport Group

Rural Lift Seirbhís Iompair Tuaithe Teo SiobTeo South East Galway Integrated Rural Development Ltd

South Kildare South Westmeath Rural Transport Association Ltd Waterford Rural Transport Working Group Tumna Shannon Development Co. West Coast Rural Transport Initiative West Offaly Partnership Wexford Area Partnership

Wicklow Rural Partnership TOTAL NUMBER 15 10 5 11 3 2

Notes: New Group: new organisation established for the purpose of delivering the RTI Existing Local Development Group: Organisations engaged in the delivery of LEADER, LDSIP or CDP. Existing Rural Transport Group: Groups with previous experience in the delivery of rural transport Supported by Development Group: Groups which are supported by existing local development group Other Existing Local Organisation: These are local development co-operatives with no previous programme delivery experience Supported by Local Authority: Groups that are closely linked to Local Authorities (CDBs)

26


3.5.3 Geographical Coverage and Population Serviced

At least one RTI project has been funded in every county, with the exception of Louth. The size of area

covered by groups varies considerably, however, as does intensity of coverage. Some of the smaller

groups just provide services for one or two parishes while the largest groups provide county-wide and

regional services across a number of counties. Table 3.3 provides details of the size of area and

population serviced by the RTI. The smallest of the groups, Comharchumann Chleire Teo, provides

transport services to the 130 residents of Cape Clear and its visitors, while many county level and

regional groups serve populations in excess of 100,000. In total, RTI projects in principle service more

than half of the total land area of rural Ireland and about 60% of the rural population.

TABLE 3.3: GROUP AREAS AND POPULATION Group Name Area

Sq Km Population Pop. Density

(persons /sq. Km)

Aughrim-Kilmore Development Association Ltd N/a 800 Avondhu Development Group 713 41,100 58Bantry Rural Transport N/a 28,000 Bawn and Latton Transport Initiative 105 1,869 18Bealach 1,500 12,126 8Borrisokane Area Network Development Ltd N/a 5,343 Comharchumann Chleire Teo 10 130 13Community of Lougharrow Social Project 100 2,267 23County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company Ltd. N/a 3,605 East Clare Accessible Transport N/a 12,000 IRD Duhallow 1,300 30,000 23Kerry Community Transport 4875 126,130 26Kilcommon – Upperchurch (Tipperary LEADER Group) 419 3,150 8Kilnaleck Community & Co-operative 518 4,690 9Laois TRIP 573 10,691 19Meath Accessible Transport 2,344 134,000 57Meitheal Mhaigh Eo Teo 5,586 111,000 20North Fingal Rural Transport Initiative N/a 13,500 North Longford Rural Transport Initiative 1,091 7,717 7Offaly Kildare Community Transport 1,138 44,569 39Ring a Link N/a 114,220 Rural Bus County Limerick/Nth Cork Transport Group 1,600 131,188 82Rural Lift 1,790 28,320 16Seirbhís Iompair Tuaithe Teo N/a 10,500 SiobTeo 52 2,475 48South East Galway Integrated Rural Development Ltd 1,152 10,686 9South Kildare 1,036 37,163 36South Westmeath Rural Transport Association Ltd 613 12,260 20Waterford Rural Transport Working Group 710 56,952 80Tumna Shannon Development Co. 269 N/a West Coast Rural Transport Initiative N/a 8,000 West Offaly Partnership 685 14,000 20Wexford Area Partnership 218 19,500 90Wicklow Rural Partnership 2,032 114,676 56TOTAL 29,129 1,152,627 39** Average population density of rural areas served by RTI projects. Source: Survey of RTI Groups.

Figure 3.1 below provides a summary of the number of groups servicing the different area classifications.

Some 42% of groups serve sub-county areas or natural catchment areas across county boundaries.

27


Parish based projects constitute 22% of the total, while 13% are county based. Islands are serviced by

15% of groups while 8% provide services on a regional basis. The majority of projects are therefore

based at a sub-county or parish level, while only a relatively small number serve entire counties.

FIGURE 3.1 CLASSIFICATION OF GROUPS BY GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS

Regional8%

County-wide13%

Sub-county/Natural catchment area

42%

Parish22%

Island15%

Note: Some groups are included in more than one classification e.g. a sub-county based group might also provide services to islands. SOURCE: ADM

3.6 Activities Funded

3.6.1 Service Type

Figure 3.2 provides an overview of the main service type permutations.

FIGURE 3.2 OVERVIEW OF RURAL TRANSPORT SERVICE TYPES DELIVERED BY RTI Scheduled Semi-Scheduled Fully Demand

Responsive Special Trips

Door-to-Door Services Hail and Ride Services

It shows that RTI assisted services fall into one of four main categories of transport services:

semi-scheduled services (partially demand responsive): the vast majority of RTI groups

provide services of this nature. It involves services operating semi-fixed routes at set times and

deviating from the main route to collect pre-booked passengers directly from their homes.

Services will generally deviate distances up to a mile or so from the main route. Passengers who

have not pre-booked also hail and ride these services.

28


scheduled services: this is where vehicles operate to a fixed timetable and route and collect

passengers that hail the bus at various points along the route. This is not a common type of

service delivered by the RTI but is used in a small number of instances

fully demand responsive services: this involves dedicated transport services for passengers

that pre-book in advance. Unlike partially demand responsive semi-scheduled services, no

services will be provided unless passengers book in advance. Services do not follow a given

route and generally collect people directly from their homes and bring them to their

destinations, preferably collecting other pre-booked passengers en route. This is not a common

type of service and is predominantly used to transport people to essential services such as

health care and pension collection etc. Fully demand responsive services are mainly delivered

by cars through either the voluntary car scheme or co-ordinated hackney services.

special trips: about two thirds of RTI groups deliver special ad hoc services. These are mainly

for the purpose of attending recreational and social events. Passengers are collected directly

from their homes, hail and ride services, or congregate at central collection points.

A key feature of RTI transport services is therefore that a large proportion are door-to-door. Almost

three quarters of all passengers carried in 2003 availed of door-to-door services, while the remainder

were ‘hail and ride’ passengers. RTI assisted services are predominantly ‘semi-scheduled demand

responsive’ in nature.

3.6.2 Service Delivery Models

The different models of service provision used by groups are:

contracting all services out to commercial operators

owning and operating their own buses

co-ordinating community car share schemes

brokering services with other organisations

using a combination of two or more of the above models

Figure 3.3 sets out the breakdown of service models used by RTI groups. It can be seen that the most

popular model of delivery is contracting services to commercial operators. In total, 29 groups are

contracting either some or all of their services out to commercial operators. Just under one third have

purchased their own vehicles. Many of these deliver services through a combination of their own

vehicles and commercial operators. In general, groups were not encouraged to purchase their own

vehicles and ADM only allocated capital funding for this purpose in exceptional cases where groups were

able to demonstrate that suitable commercial operators were not available locally.

Only one RTI group has successfully developed a voluntary car-sharing scheme. This entails local people

driving those without transport to essential services. Drivers are paid a mileage allowance for the

29


service. This proved a difficult service to establish as securing adequate insurance for drivers posed

numerous problems. The model is expensive for long journeys while it is also difficult to manage from a

security and safety perspective.

FIGURE 3.3 SERVICE DELIVERY MODELS USED BY RTI GROUPS

Own vehicles (a)

Other models (incl. brokerage)

Combination of (a) and (b)

Services fully contracted out (b)

Brokerage involves the sharing of vehicles between different organisations. There are two different types

of brokerage services operating within the RTI. The first of these is where other organisations provide

their buses to RTI groups, while the second involves the provision of transport services by RTI groups for

other organisations on a contract basis. Although eight groups have made some progress in advancing

transport brokerage, this model has not been fully successfully delivered by the RTI and the true

potential of brokerage remains largely untapped. Particular difficulties continue to exist in relation to

legislation. These and other obstacles in relation to brokerage are described in Chapter 4.

Table 3.3 sets out the main advantages and disadvantages of the each of the different transport delivery

models.

30


TABLE 3.4 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF RTI TRANSPORT MODELS Model Advantages Disadvantages Services Contracted Out

Local providers have knowledge of community needs and are committed to RTI ethos

Quality of vehicles available locally not always of sufficient standard

No long-term financial commitment to vehicle maintenance or replacement

Model generally more expensive for fully demand responsive services

No capital expenditure Other contract commitments of commercial operators result in restrictions in RTI service scheduling

Easier to manage – all direct transport management difficulties responsibility of commercial operators

Private sector less likely to provide fully accessible services

Provides flexibility to groups to reduce or increase services

Increases utilisation of existing vehicle stock Provides increased employment and income to

local operators/drivers

RTI Owned Vehicles Increased flexibility in service delivery High capital expenditure required Provides accessibility if otherwise not available

locally Future liabilities in maintenance and replacement

Likely to be more cost effective in long-run for fully demand responsive services or where vehicle utilisation is high

Long-term commitment for pilot programme

Allows more effective promotion of RTI assisted services through use of logos on buses etc

Greater responsibility on RTI group in relation to transport management, insurance etc

Often necessary where local commercial operators are not available

Expensive option where vehicle utilisation is low

Brokerage Arrangements

Reduces capital expenditure for RTI groups Difficult to organise, particularly in pilot phase as other organisations need long-term commitment

Ensures better use of existing vehicles Legislation and insurance issues remain major obstacles

Cost savings for other organisations Can lead to reduced flexibility for RTI assisted services

Promotes specialist transport management activities i.e. other organisations can focus on main objectives

Car Sharing Schemes No capital costs Expensive for long journeys as

drivers are paid mileage allowance Very effective at targeting those most in need

of access to essential services Encourages car use – mainly single passenger trips

Fully demand responsive and flexible service Less social interaction for passengers Difficult to arrange insurance

31


3.7 Profile and Views of Passengers - RTI Passenger Survey

3.7.1 Introduction

Passenger surveys were untaken by all RTI groups in Autumn in 2003. Some 1,200 questionnaires were

completed and the findings provide a detailed profile of RTI users and their views on RTI assisted

services.

3.7.2 Profile of Passengers

The group availing most of RTI assisted services is older women. Three quarters of all users are female,

while about two thirds of users are aged 66 or older. The high proportion of older women using the

service is reflective in part of the fact that in excess of 53% of the rural population aged 65 and over are

female. However, some Groups have noted that there also appears to be reluctance amongst older men

to use public transport. This is an issue that a number of the groups have attempted to address directly.

There are a number of examples across projects where the age profile of users differs significantly from

the national average. This has occurred mainly where groups have been successful in targeting the needs

of young people in relation to issues such as access to training, education and social activities. Some

groups provide national school transport where none had previously existed, while a number of groups

have successfully developed daily services for third level colleges.

The survey found that about 4% of users were in receipt of disability payments. It was noted, however,

in Section 2.2 that in excess of 8% of the population of the State has a disability. It may well be the

case, however, that some people with disabilities already have their needs addressed by existing services

provided by the health boards and dedicated disability organisations. People with disabilities are also

likely to make less trips overall, while difficulties in relation to full journey accessibility for connecting

services will also impact on their use of RTI assisted services.

3.7.3 Purpose of Trips

Shopping (61%) and leisure activities (34%) were found to be main travel purposes of passengers’.

Pension collection and other services (21%) and health appointments (18%) were also found to be

important uses. Access to services is of particular importance to rural residents in light of curtailments in

public service provision in recent years e.g. post office closures. The provision of transport by the RTI for

rural dwellers to health services will be addressed in detail in Chapter 6 in the context of the benefits

provided by the Initiative. Only 2% of passengers were found to use services for travel to work. In those

groups operating commuter routes, however, about 20% of passengers use the services to access

32


employment. Some groups also provide transport for national schools and for creche and after-school

services.

3.7.4 Other Key Findings and Views

Other key findings from the survey include:

only 7% of users always have access to a car – almost 70% rarely or never have access to a car

over one third of users would not have been able to make the trip at all if the RTI service was

not available. About one third would have requested a lift from a family member or neighbour

about 22% of passengers would have hired a taxi to make the trip. In the course of our own

research a number of examples were cited of older people paying between 10% and 15% of

their weekly pension in taxi fares for transport to post offices

when asked about the impact of the service on their lives, most respondents cited

‘independence’ and ‘social contact’ as the most important, with access to a local town also

important

respondents were overwhelmingly positive in their views on the RTI overall and on a number of

specific aspects of it which were explored. In general, there was very little about the services

that passengers would like to see changed. The one exception was frequency of services, which

they would like to see increased.

33


Chapter 4 Progress to Date

4.1 Introduction This Chapter reviews the progress achieved under the RTI to date. Section 4.2 examines the physical

progress achieved, while Section 4.3 considers the financial progress. Section 4.4 examines the

effectiveness of the RTI in addressing rural transport needs nationally. Section 4.5 reviews the obstacles

and barriers faced by the RTI, while Section 4.6 sets out the challenges and outlook for progress for the

RTI.

4.2 Physical Progress

4.2.1 Service Commencement

As already described, in Autumn 2001 eight groups were awarded ‘operational funding’ to commence

the delivery of rural transport services, while a further 26 groups were allocated feasibility funding. All

eight groups allocated operational funding commenced service delivery in 2002. The remaining 26

groups started operating services between January 2003 with the final Group starting services in July

2003. Figure 4.1 illustrates the timing of service commencement.

It had been envisaged that all groups would have commenced service delivery by January 2003 – 22

groups therefore started delivering services later than anticipated. The level of progress (measured by

passenger numbers) achieved in 2003 must therefore be viewed in light of the fact that the RTI only

became fully operational in July of that year.

FIGURE 4.1 TIMING OF SERVICE COMMENCEMENT

1 2 3 46 7 8

12

18

2528

33 33 34

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Jan- 0 2 Ma r - 02 May -02

Jun- 0 2 S ep- 02 Nov - 02 Dec - 02 Jan- 03 Feb- 03 Ma r - 0 3 Apr - 03 May -0 3

Jun- 03 Jul - 0 3

SOURCE: ADM.

34


4.2.2 Service Delivery and Passenger Numbers

Table 4.1 shows the following numbers for each Group for 2003 - number of passenger trips (cumulative

passenger journey numbers in year), number of services (transport services provided) and number of

service beneficiaries (number of individuals using RTI services on one or more occasions).

A total of 305,000 passengers trips were recorded in 2003. While detailed programme targets for

passenger trips were not established at the outset, ADM set an overall target for 200,000 for the first

year of operation.

Given that 2003 did not constitute a full year of operation, this target has therefore been greatly

exceeded. Most groups also set their own individual targets for passenger trips and in the majority of

cases these were reached. The vast majority of groups stated that they greatly exceeded their targets

for passenger trips, even allowing for the later than anticipated start-up dates.

The total number of transport services provided was over 42,000. The average number of passengers per

service was nine. The number of service beneficiaries in 2003 is estimated at 15,700. The average

passenger therefore travelled about 20 times in the year or twice every month.

In general, the level of demand for services has greatly exceeded expectations at group and programme

management level and RTI vehicles are operating at a high capacity level (Table 4.1). Vehicles generally

used in the RTI have a seating capacity of 14 or 16, but a number of these seats may often be used for

storing passengers’ shopping or luggage. On average, RTI buses are therefore operating at about 75%

capacity. If demand for services increases further additional buses will be required and this will have cost

implications for groups. In general, it is not possible to use larger buses due to the poor road

infrastructure in most rural areas.

35


TABLE 4.1 SERVICES DELIVERED AND PASSENGER TRIPS, 2003. Group Name Services in

2003 Passenger

Trips No. of

passengers per service

No. of beneficiaries

Aughrim-Kilmore Development Association Ltd 490 8,084 16.5 300Avondhu Development Group 1,164 8,322 7.15 550Bantry Rural Transport 2,416 17,040 7.05 500Bawn and Latton Transport Initiative 394 4,548 11.54 348Bealach* 992 4,662 4.7 223Borrisokane Area Network Development Ltd* 508 1,727 3.4 83Comharchumann Chleire Teo 1,507 5,601 3.72 500Community of Lougharrow Social Project 2,397 3,299 1.39 130County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company Ltd.* 751 5,854 14.61 525East Clare Accessible Transport* 1,091 6,630 6.08 317IRD Duhallow 1,515 7,083 4.68 500Kerry Community Transport 5,493 32,496 5.92 1,100Kilcommon – Upperchurch (Tipperary LEADER Group)**

153 3,325 21.73 244

Kilnaleck Community & Co-operative 416 2,092 5.03 70Laois TRIP 382 2,590 6.78 157Meath Accessible Transport 1,466 10,139 6.92 350Meitheal Mhaigh Eo Teo* 1,518 14,633 9.64 701North Fingal Rural Transport Initiative* 682 2,336 3.43 112North Longford Rural Transport Initiative* 630 5,342 8.48 256Offaly Kildare Community Transport* 1,174 10,970 9.34 565Ring a Link** 800 15,769 19.71 850Rural Bus County Limerick/Nth Cork Transport Group* 1,886 17,786 9.43 852Rural Lift* 1,792 15,248 8.51 730Seirbhís Iompair Tuaithe Teo 402 9,956 24.77 1,563SiobTeo 2,849 27,170 9.54 600South East Galway Integrated Rural Development Ltd* 1,868 1,969 1.05 94South Kildare 2,702 11,802 4.37 565South Westmeath Rural Transport Association Ltd* 1,294 14,534 11.23 696Waterford Rural Transport Working Group 653 4,610 7.06 921Tumna Shannon Development Co.* 187 1,109 5.93 53West Coast Rural Transport Initiative* 566 8,330 14.72 399West Offaly Partnership 692 6,402 9.2 300Wexford Area Partnership* 358 3,546 9.91 170Wicklow Rural Partnership* 1,068 8,688 8.13 416TOTAL 42,256 305,215 15,740

* Data on the number of beneficiaries are not available from these groups and the figures shown are based on the average ratio of beneficiaries to passenger trips submitted by all other groups.

** These groups deliver demand responsive services and the number of services therefore refers to the number of days on which the service is provided rather than the actual number of journeys.

Given the differences in budget allocation and scale of operation of the individual groups, there are

obviously considerable differences in the level of service delivery. About one third of groups had in

excess of 10,000 passenger trips in 2003. Of these, Kerry Community Transport and Siobh Teo had more

than 25,000 passenger trips each. All groups had more than 1,000 passenger trips with Tumna Shannon

having the lowest number of passenger trips at just over 1,100.

Figure 4.2 shows the number of passenger trips and the number of groups operational by month.

Passenger trips grew rapidly in the January to September period as more groups commenced operation

and the demand for services increased. Passenger trips appear to have reached a plateau in the final

quarter of the year and the average monthly passenger trips in this period were 43,500. If services were

36


delivered at this level for the 12 months of 2003, total passenger trips for the year would have exceeded

520,000.

FIGURE 4.2 PASSENGER TRIPS AND NUMBER OF GROUPS OPERATIONAL BY MONTH, 2003.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Jan-03 Feb-03 Mar-03 Apr-03 May-03 Jun-03 Jul-03 Aug-03 Sep-03 Oct-03 Nov-03 Dec-03

No.

of

Gro

ups

-

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

No.

of P

asse

nger

Trip

s

No of Operational Groups No. of Passenger Trips

SOURCE ADM

4.3 Financial Progress

4.3.1 Budgets and Expenditure Incurred

An original budget allocation of €4.4 mn was set out in the NDP for the RTI and it was envisaged that

the programme would run over a two year period – 2002 and 2003. The Department of Transport

subsequently increased this two-year budget to €6 mn. Due to delays in initialising the projects in 2002

very little of this allocation was spent in that year. The bulk of this allocation was spent in 2003. Total

actual RTI expenditure incurred in 2002 was €1.6 mn, while that in 2003 was €3.8 mn. (A further budget

of €3.0 mn was also allocated for 2004.)

4.3.2 Expenditure Breakdown

Of the total actual expenditure of €3.82 mn incurred in 2003, operational costs accounted for €1.86 mn

or 49%. A further 41% of total expenditure, €1.56 mn, was allocated towards administration costs while

the remaining 10% (€400,000) was capital expenditure. Capital expenditure was predominantly

incurred in the purchase of vehicles.

37


The percentage of total expenditure allocated to administration under the RTI is much higher than the

average for local development programmes generally. It should be recognised, however, that

‘administration’ includes all staff costs and not only those costs associated with administrative

functions. Development work and capacity building carried by RTI groups is therefore classified as

administration.

There is, however, a substantial variance between groups in the percentage of total expenditure

allocated to administration. Administration costs by group range from 66% to 11% of total expenditure.

Administration costs accounted for more than 50% of total expenditure in 11 RTI groups in 2003. The

scatter-gram in Figure 4.3 shows the relationship between total expenditure and percentage of

expenditure allocation to administration costs by group. It demonstrates that groups with smaller

absolute budgets are more likely to spend a higher a proportion of available funding on administration.

FIGURE 4.3 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TOTAL EXPENDITURE AND PERCENTAGE OF FUNDING ALLOCATED TO ADMINISTRATION

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000

Total Expenditure by RTI Group (€)

Adm

in. a

s %

of T

otal

Exp

endi

ture

4.3.3 Factors Affecting Progress

The majority of groups (32 out of 34) did not reach their expenditure targets in 2003, however, many

groups spent in excess of 80% of their funding allocations and stated that unspent monies largely

represent time lags between incurred expenditure and invoicing for goods and services.

A total of nine groups drew down less than 80% of their funding allocation and recorded substantial

under-spends in 2003. The main reasons given for this were:

late commencement of services: nine groups were engaged in service delivery for less than

three quarters of 2003. Given that the original funding allocations were based on a full-year

38


schedule of services, many of these groups were therefore unable to reach their expenditure

targets. A further 17 groups only commenced services in the first quarter of 2003 and therefore

experienced some difficulty in drawing down their full 12 month funding allocation for that

year

changes to original operational plans: a number of groups submitted plans based on the

purchase of capital equipment such as buses and IT systems. In some cases groups did not

proceed with planned investments and therefore failed to draw down funding allocated e.g. one

group had been allocated funding for the purchase of a telematics system but subsequently

decided that it did not represent good value-for-money and therefore failed to draw down its

full allocation

4.4 Effectiveness in Addressing Rural Transport Needs

In order to assess the overall effectiveness of the RTI in addressing unmet transport needs, passenger

trips need to be viewed in the context of the total rural population serviced.

A comparison of RTI passenger trips to the overall level of “unmet10 rural transport needs” has shown

that:

based on the level of “unmet rural transport needs” taken from the CDB rural transport

surveys11, it is estimated that over 280,000 people in the areas serviced by the RTI have unmet

needs

the RTI is estimated to be addressing the unmet needs of almost 16,000 people or about 6% of

the total number of people affected in the areas serviced

the extent to which groups address the unmet needs of rural residents i.e. the number of

beneficiaries as a percentage of the number of people with unmet needs, in their catchment

areas varies widely. In general, groups with the smaller catchment areas have been most

successful in addressing rural transport needs. In a small number of cases the number of those

benefiting from services has exceeded the number with unmet transport needs. Groups

providing county-wide or regional services have on average addressed less than 10% of existing

unmet rural transport needs.

other reasons for differences between groups in effectiveness in addressing unmet transport

needs are their stage of development, peripherality and population density of areas serviced

and the length of trips involved.

10 ‘Unmet rural transport needs’ refers to the number of rural residents that would like to make additional trips but are unable to do so due to inadequate transport provision. 11 Fitzpatrick Associates, Availability, Access and Choice. A Report to the Inter-Departmental Committee on Rural Public Transport. 2002.

39


It should be noted, however, that the RTI groups have been much more successful in addressing the

unmet transport needs of older people and those experiencing social exclusion than of the rural

population generally. It may also be the case that the level of unmet needs identified in previous

research represents an overstating of the current extent of the rural transport problem.

4.5 Obstacles and Barriers

A number of obstacles and barriers have impacted on the progress of the RTI to date. These can again be

viewed from both a programme and group perspective. Those from a programme perspective are:

group capacity: due to the inexperience of a number of RTI groups in programme delivery and

the lack of expertise of almost all groups in rural transport provision, group managerial capacity

was generally limited at the outset. Many groups required considerable developmental

assistance from ADM in order to get services operational and meet the necessary reporting

requirements.

pilot nature of programme: the fact that the RTI has operated as a pilot programme has

somewhat limited its overall effectiveness to date. The lack of certainty associated with the RTI

has resulted in groups experiencing difficultly in achieving buy-in from other organisations

rural transport issue cross-cuts a number of Departments and agencies: rural transport

provision is affected by and affects a number of Government Departments and agencies. It is of

particular relevance to the Departments of Transport, Social and Family Affairs, Health and

Education. Other publicly funded organisations affected include FÁS, health boards and local

authorities. The RTI has struggled to achieve sufficient buy-in from all of these organisations.

Groups themselves have faced a variety of difficulties in delivering the RTI. These have manifested

themselves in two main ways:

delays in commencement of services

reduced effectiveness in service delivery.

Groups faced a number of difficulties at start-up phase that impacted on the commencement date of

service delivery. The most common of these were as follows:

lack of awareness of challenges in delivering community transport: delivery of community

transport services is a difficult and complex task. It involves a broad range of disciplines in areas

such as transport logistics, community development, insurance, legislation and general

management and administration. The vast majority of groups did not anticipate the extent of

the challenges and difficulties involved. Many of them had little or no experience in the above

40


disciplines and hence faced a very steep learning curve. The pre-operational planning phase was

therefore much longer than most groups anticipated

taxation: apart form a small number of exceptions RTI groups have not received the same tax

benefits as charitable organisations. Charitable organisations such as those providing transport

services for people with disabilities and older people are exempt from Vehicle Registration Tax

(VRT) on the purchase of new vehicles and are also subsequently eligible for rebates on VAT on

fuel purchases. The Revenue Commission has granted these exemptions in a small number of

cases in the RTI but it remains unclear as to whether future vehicles would be exempt.

tendering and contract issues: most groups choose to contract services out to commercial

transport providers. This option was seen by many as having numerous advantages (see Section

3.5), however, it also involved complex tendering processes. Tendering for publicly funded

contracts must adhere to strict guidelines and many groups found this a difficult process.

Considerable assistance was provided by ADM in this regard.

staffing and administration: all groups recruited RTI co-ordinators on either a part-time or

full-time basis. Prospective candidates were required to have experience in a range of

disciplines and in many cases there were difficulties in recruiting suitable staff. Once staff were

recruited they faced a steep learning curve in getting up to speed with operational and

administrative issues. Staff operating in stand-alone organisations without the support of an

existing local development organisation experienced particular difficulties in this regard.

selection of routes and services schedule: the selection of routes and timing of services was

a difficult and complex task for all groups. Extensive local consultations, involving community

input, were undertaken but groups were then faced with the difficult task of trying to satisfy

differing interests.

Once groups commenced delivery of services, the following difficulties were most common:

awareness raising: many groups experienced difficulties in developing a local profile for the

service and targeting those most in need. A range of promotional activities were used including

advertising in local media, parish notices, announcements at religious services and posters in

public buildings. Word of mouth has proven to be the most effective means of promoting

services, however, and the work of staff and volunteers in phoning and visiting people most in

need of transport services has been instrumental in this regard.

capacity building: even where people were aware of the availability of services there was often

a reluctance to use them. Many rural residents have never had access to public transport and

were not familiar with using buses. This is demonstrated by the fact that over half of RTI

passengers holding free travel passes had not used the pass before the provision of RTI assisted

services. Groups were therefore faced with the challenge of not only making rural residents

aware of the availability of services but of also encouraging them to use the service. For many

41


older people in particular it meant a significant change in normal routines and involved a ‘leap

of faith’ in trusting a new service.

attracting all sections of the community: many groups initially targeted older people as

those most in need of rural transport services. Groups have been successful in this regard and

about two thirds of passengers are aged 65 or over. This success in targeting older people,

however, has meant that many services have been labelled locally as the ‘old persons bus’ and

this has made it difficult to encourage younger passengers to use the services. Older men have

also been reluctant to use the services.

difficulty in encouraging commuters to use services: a number of groups have developed

dedicated commuter routes. In the vast majority of cases demand for these services remains

poor. The fact that the RTI remains a pilot initiative may be discouraging commuters from

changing their normal travel patterns as there is no commitment to its on-going availability

inflexibility of contractors: while there were many advantages for groups to subcontract out

delivery of services, it also involved a number of difficulties. Schedules were constrained by the

availability of subcontractors, who in most cases also have other service contracts. In some

cases contractors were also reluctant to change routes and schedules in order to respond to the

changing needs of passengers.

lack of support from other public service delivery organisations: in order for community

rural transport to achieve its full potential in requires collaboration and support from a wide

range of public service delivery agencies engaged in the training, education and health sectors.

While there have been some very positive examples of excellent support from these

organisations, generally the level of buy-in to the RTI is poor. This has greatly limited the

overall effectiveness of the initiative.

successful integration with public transport: this has proved difficult in two main regards.

Firstly, the level of co-operation provided by existing public transport providers varies between

regions and while some groups have been very successful in developing effective links with

other public bus and rail services, many groups have failed to make progress in this regard.

Secondly, where groups have provided dedicated links to other public transport services,

demand has generally been poor and a number of these services have been withdrawn. The

main reason for this is that RTI passengers generally do not want to travel beyond their local

town and there is little demand for regular transport involving connections to larger towns and

cities.

It is a clear and stated objective of the RTI that services should not overlap or duplicate those

already provided by existing commercial or public transport operators. Both the Department of

Transport and ADM have sought to ensure that overlap and duplication have not occurred in

practice. While there is some evidence that this issue caused some difficulties at the outset of

the Initiative, overlap and duplication of services do not appear common.

42


lack of availability of accessible vehicles: groups that contracted services to commercial

operators were generally constrained by the availability of suitable vehicles in their localities.

While all groups had a preference to contract accessible vehicles only, in practice this proved

impossible as only a small proportion of the existing vehicle stock was fully accessible. While

some vehicles have been adapted to provide accessibility since the commencement of the RTI,

this issue remains a considerable difficulty. The topic is examined in further detail in Chapter 6

trial and error in service selection: despite extensive planning and research into forecast

levels of demand for services, most groups found that anticipated demand for services did not

transpire to actual usage. Many surveyed residents who stated they would use a service if

provided, failed to avail of it when actually delivered. Groups found this experience frustrating

and were forced to use trial and error in determining optimum routes and service schedules

administration: given that the RTI is a pilot initiative, and the need to learn from and closely

monitor progress, significant reporting requirements have been placed on the groups. Groups

have found this a major source of frustration and state that it has restricted their capacity to

develop service provision. The administrative burden has been particularly difficult for smaller

scale groups that only employ co-ordinators on a part-time basis. As the level of reporting

requirements is the same for all groups irrespective of scale, smaller groups are required to

allocate a higher proportion of their available labour resources to administration than larger

groups. Those experiencing most difficulty with administrative requirements are small-scale

groups operating without the support of a local development agency.

Many groups also experienced teething problems in relation to the monitoring requirements of

drivers, many of whom had poor administration skills. These difficulties have generally been

overcome, however.

4.6 Remaining Challenges and Outlook for Progress

4.6.1 Remaining Challenges

While many of the above difficulties have been overcome a number of outstanding challenges remain

for the RTI. The most significant of these are as follows:

difficulties in relation to brokerage: one of the central objectives of the RTI is to make better

use of existing vehicles. Many groups have devoted considerable resources to progressing

brokerage arrangements but in the vast majority of cases have been unsuccessful. Legislative

difficulties and complications in relation to insurance are the main remaining obstacles. The

groups most engaged in the process to date believe that the issue can be best resolved at

national level rather than by the groups themselves on an ad hoc local basis. The lack of

43


certainty over the future operation of the RTI itself is also a considerable obstacle to progress in

this area as other statutory agencies are reluctant to enter into arrangements with groups that

can’t guarantee their future existence.

administrative and operational capacity of groups: while all groups have successfully

planned and delivered rural transport services, some have been more successful than others in

delivering the Initiative. The new stand-alone groups operating without the support of other

local development agencies have experienced particular difficulties in relation to administrative

requirements and have relied heavily on support from volunteer board members and ADM staff.

The status quo therefore does not appear sustainable for some of these groups

difficulties in relation to VAT and VRT: the VAT and VRT difficulties outlined in Section 4.5

have not been resolved and continue to impact on the effectiveness of the RTI.

44


Chapter 5 Impact and Value-for-Money

5.1 Introduction

This Chapter examines impact and value-for-money of the RTI to date. Section 5.2 sets out the impacts

of the RTI. Section 5.3 examines the contribution of the RTI towards best practice in rural transport

provision. The level of value-for-money provided by the RTI is set out in Section 5.4, while Section 5.5

reviews the contribution of the RTI towards wider Government policy and objectives. In discussing all of

these issues, the stage of implementation of RTI projects must be emphasised - many have less than one

year operational experience.

5.2 Impact of RTI Assisted Services

The impact of the RTI can be viewed from a programme and group or project perspective. At programme

level the main impacts are as follows:

establishment of 34 pilot rural transport projects: the RTI has resulted in establishment of

34 rural transport Groups, most of which were not previously involved in the provision of

transport services, in 25 different counties.. The RTI has therefore increased the profile of rural

transport issues throughout the country and has provided a forum for local level strategic

policy.

capacity building: the support and technical assistance provided by ADM has greatly

developed local level expertise in relation to rural transport. This expertise provides

considerable potential for future delivery of rural transport services.

establishment of rural transport services where none previously existed: the overall

objective of the RTI is to address social exclusion through the provision of rural transport

services to those currently inadequately served. In this regard the RTI has been very successful.

The RTI has provided public transport services to many parts of rural Ireland that never

previously had services.

At group or project level the main qualitative impacts are:

providing greater equality of access to services for rural residents: over half of all RTI

passengers holding Free Travel Passes had not used their passes prior to operation of the RTI.

This is mainly because they did not previously have access to public transport services. The RTI

has therefore provided equality of access to transport services for rural residents.

45


targeting those most in need: RTI groups have been successful in working with local

communities to plan and deliver flexible transport services that meet the needs of local people.

The input of volunteers has been vital in this regard and has helped projects to target those

most at need. A key success factor for this aspect of the Initiative has been the ‘bottom-up’

approach to transport provision.

developing integrated transport models through partnership approach: a number of RTI

groups have been successful in co-ordinating transport provision with the other public

transport providers and with the services of other statutory agencies. Having suitable board and

sub-committee structures in place have been instrumental to success in this regard. Groups

that have Board members from statutory agencies are more likely to develop operational links

with these organisations. Over two-thirds of groups provide services that feed directly into

training, education and health services.

providing high quality personalised services: RTI groups provide a dedicated personalised

service to all of their passengers. Co-ordinators, drivers, passenger assistants and volunteers all

make every effort to consider the welfare of passengers. This might involve helping older

people with their shopping, assisting mobility impaired passengers to access vehicles, or even

calling on the homes of people who may have missed their routine trips due to illness. The RTI

is clearly not just a transport service but also very much a social service for rural communities.

It provides a link to isolated residents to their communities, friends and necessary services.

Older people in particular find it reassuring to know that someone will call to their home at

least once a week.

door to door services: the provision of door-to-door services has enabled an increased

proportion of mobility impaired rural residents to use public transport. For those with

disabilities or for people who are mobility impaired, a distance of 500 yards to a hail and ride

bus service might be as prohibitive as a distance of five miles.

improving vehicle accessibility for the mobility impaired and people with disabilities:

while the RTI has a long way to go in terms of providing fully accessible transport services,

current levels of accessibility represent a considerable improvement over the existing rural

public transport services.

increasing local employment in transport provision: RTI projects have provided increased

employment in many disadvantaged rural areas. In cases where groups have contracted services

out to commercial operators, additional drivers have been recruited and the employment hours

of existing drivers have been increased. Groups delivering services using their own vehicles have

also provided employment for new drivers. It total, direct employment for 90 people engaged

in RTI projects has been provided and employment of an additional 200 bus drivers has been

supported.

46


5.3 Contribution Towards Best Practice

5.3.1 New Technologies Used

Groups have generally not embraced the use of new technologies in the planning and delivery of rural

transport services. Only one group uses an advanced telematics system to co-ordinate services. Details

of this are provided in Box 5.1. The system enables direct contact between the co-ordination centre and

vehicles on the road and allows real-time planning of routes. It has proved successful to date but has

been expensive to implement. Other groups that have explored the use of such systems believe that

they would not provide short-term value-for-money.

Tailored passenger booking systems (mainly those developed by Shaunsoft) are used by an additional

three groups. Most other groups use Access or Excel based databases for passenger bookings.

Other examples of innovation in technology use in the RTI are the development of a SMS (mobile phone

texting) based booking system by one group and the provision of Lo-call or free-phone services by two

groups.

BOX 5.1 USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES The Ring-a-Link rural transport group provides transport services across the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary South Riding. The group operates a fully demand responsive transport service and given the very large area serviced, decided that it would be necessary to acquire a specialised computer software package and on bus location trackers and communication equipment in order to manage passenger bookings. The Mobirouter system enables real time communication between the booking centre and bus drivers and allows drivers to deviate from routes in order to collect passengers directly from their homes. All Ring-a-Link users must first register as travel club members. Upon registration membership details such as name, address, phone number and directions to house are entered on the Mobirouter system.

5.3.2 Quality of Services Provided

The RTI generally provides a high quality of service to passengers. The key quality aspects of RTI assisted

services are:

staff training: a high proportion of project staff, passenger assistants, and drivers have

completed relevant certified training. The Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS),

developed by the UK Community Transport Association, is the recognised standard for the

training and assessment of minibus drivers. As can be seen from Table 5.1, about 60% of all

drivers currently delivering RTI assisted services have completed MiDAS training. The Passenger

Assistant Training Scheme (PATS) is provided for those responsible for the supervision and care

47


of passengers. A number of project RTI staff and volunteers have completed PATS training

courses

provision of passenger assistants: one third of all RTI groups provide passenger assistants on

services. Passenger assistants are instrumental in assisting people with disabilities in accessing

vehicles. Passenger assistants are trained and experienced in working with older people and are

available to provide emergency first aid care when required. Passenger assistants enable many

people to use RTI assisted services that would not be able to avail of existing conventional

public transport services

accessibility of vehicles: it can be seen from Table 5.1 that some 37% of total vehicles used to

deliver RTI assisted services are fully accessible. Although vehicles owned by RTI groups are

more likely to provide accessibility than those operated by commercial contractors, a number

of contracted vehicles have been adapted for wheelchair use. Many operators have been

unwilling to adapt vehicles, however, as it requires significant investment and results in reduced

vehicle capacity. Grants have been made available under the RTI to encourage commercial

operators to adapt vehicles.

improved quality of vehicles: additional revenue earned by commercial operators through the

RTI has enabled some to upgrade their vehicles. About one quarter of all vehicles owned by

commercial operators contracted to provide RTI assisted services have been upgraded since the

Initiative commenced. Vehicle improvements have included alterations to enable full

wheelchair accessibility; fitting of folding steps to assist those with mobility difficulties; and

general vehicle refurbishment.

48


TABLE 5.1 DRIVER TRAINING AND VEHICLE ACCESSIBILITY Group Name Drivers

Employed Drivers with

MIDAS Training

Vehicles Used

Fully Accessible Vehicles

Aughrim-Kilmore Development Association Ltd 4 3 5 0Avondhu Development Group 9 5 11 5Bantry Rural Transport 4 3 3 3Bawn and Latton Transport Initiative 6 0 5 1Bealach 12 5 11 11Borrisokane Area Network Development Ltd 3 1 4 0Comharchumann Chleire Teo 2 1 1 1Community of Lougharrow Social Project 0 County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company Ltd. 6 2 5 5East Clare Accessible Transport 7 7 2 2IRD Duhallow 10 2 15 0Kerry Community Transport 28 15 23 5Kilcommon – Upperchurch (Tipperary LEADER Group) 1 1 2 0Kilnaleck Community & Co-operative 6 2 6 3Laois TRIP 5 3 4 1Meath Accessible Transport 8 7 6 5Meitheal Mhaigh Eo Teo 10 9 9 5North Fingal Rural Transport Initiative 3 3 2 2North Longford Rural Transport Initiative 4 3 4 0Offaly Kildare Community Transport 10 5 8 1Ring a Link 9 2 8 5Rural Bus County Limerick/Nth Cork Transport Group 9 9 9 7Rural Lift 18 12 12 1Seirbhís Iompair Tuaithe Teo 3 3 2 1SiobTeo 5 5 3 3South East Galway Integrated Rural Development Ltd 3 3 3 1South Kildare 8 0 3 0South Westmeath Rural Transport Association Ltd 20 8 2 2Waterford Rural Transport Working Group 15 1 10 3Tumna Shannon Development Co. 5 3 4 0West Coast Rural Transport Initiative 9 5 6 0West Offaly Partnership 10 6 13 2Wexford Area Partnership 4 2 3 0Wicklow Rural Partnership 4 4 5 0TOTAL 260 140 209 75

In general, it is evident that the RTI has resulted in improved quality, as well as quantity, in public

transport services in rural areas. Considerable awareness raising amongst commercial operators has

been achieved and drivers are generally very committed to providing a high quality service to

passengers. Much work remains to be done, however, in relation to vehicle accessibility in particular.

Over 60% of all vehicles are not wheelchair accessible and some RTI groups clearly display a much

stronger commitment to providing fully accessible services than others. Nevertheless the RTI has

succeeded in improving awareness levels amongst groups, local transport operators and local

communities of the needs of people with disabilities.

49


5.3.3 Co-ordination of Services

The RTI has sought to provide co-ordination in service delivery in two main ways. Firstly, through co-

ordination with other public transport services, the RTI has facilitated improved integrated transport for

those rural residents who wish to travel beyond their local towns. Secondly, in working with public

service providers in areas such as health, education and training, the RTI has improved access to these

services for its passengers.

Links with Public Transport

In relation to co-ordination of RTI assisted services with existing public transport, the efforts of the

groups can be classified as follows:

those who have established successful links: the groups that have been most successful in

this regard are generally those that have established good working relationships with other

public transport providers. Some groups have a Bus Éireann or commercial operator

representative on their Board while others have developed effective on-going co-ordination

with public transport providers. The success of groups in developing effective links with existing

public transport is often dependent on factors outside the control of the RTI, such as the level

of existing public transport available and the demand by RTI passengers to link with other

transport services. A small number of RTI groups have also successfully linked their services to

those of other neighbouring groups.

those who established links that have not proved successful: while the majority of RTI

groups have been proactive in developing links with existing public transport provision, many of

the dedicated links have not been successful. In a number of cases where groups developed

specific services to link with existing bus and rail services, demand has been poor and many of

the services were withdrawn. Groups believe that only a small proportion of their passengers

actually want to travel beyond their local town12. Other factors impacting on the level of

demand for link services is a reluctance amongst passengers to transfer from one service to

another and, in a small number of instances, poor levels of co-operation from existing transport

providers. Another difficulty in linking with existing transport provision has been the ability of

groups to provide return services for passengers. Many groups have scheduled services so that

passengers are brought to a local town in time to link with other outgoing transport services,

but only a small number provide returns links for incoming passengers later in the day.

those who have not developed links with existing public transport: a small number of

groups have not been proactive in developing links with existing public transport providers. In

some cases this appears to be a result of poor levels of co-operation with other providers but in

the majority of cases, groups believe that there is no real demand for linking services.

12 The level of demand for journeys beyond local towns is likely to be lower for the groups targeted by the RTI than for the wider rural population.

50


Links with Public Services Generally

In linking with the public services in areas such as education, training and health, RTI groups have

demonstrated the considerable benefits of a partnership approach to rural transport provision. This is an

area in which groups have invested considerable time and resources and many have been successful in

developing effective linkages in a short period of time. The impact of improving access for rural residents

to existing public services has been considerable and has greatly improved the effectiveness of existing

public expenditure in a variety of areas. In some cases other public service providers have adjusted their

own services in order to link more effectively with RTI projects. Examples of this include health clinics

allocating appointment times around RTI schedules. This issue is therefore explored in more detail in

Section 5.4 which addresses value-for-money.

There are considerable differences in the level of success achieved by individual groups in co-ordinating

with public services. In general, those groups with good statutory agency involvement at board level

have been most successful in this area. Agency representation on boards does not, however, ensure

successful co-ordination and some groups with appropriate board structures have not achieved as much

progress in wider co-ordination with public services as might be expected.

5.4 Cost Effectiveness and Value-for-Money

5.4.1 Introduction

This section examines the level of “cost effectiveness” and “value-for-money” provided by the RTI. The

definitions used here for “cost effectiveness” and “value-for-money” are as follows:

“cost effectiveness”: refers to the relative unit costs associated with the delivery of RTI

services

“value-for-money”: refers to the social and economic impacts of RTI services relative to

the total level of expenditure incurred

Section 5.4.2 reviews the costs and cost effectiveness of the RTI. Section 5.4.3 sets out the main benefits

of RTI assisted services and examines the actual impacts of these benefits. Section 5.4.4 sets out savings

occurring to other organisations as a result of the RTI, while 5.4.5 looks at the improved effectiveness of

existing public service provision due to improved access to these services for rural residents.

51


5.4.2 Cost and Cost Effectiveness of the RTI

This section sets out two measures of unit costs incurred by the RTI in 2003. The first of these is the

average cost of every passenger trip made, while the second looks at the annual cost of providing the

service to beneficiaries. In both cases a difficulty is posed by the fact that 2003 was a start-up year.

The average cost per RTI passenger trip in 2003 was €1313. Figure 5.1 shows passenger numbers and cost

per passenger trip by month for 2003. The costs have been calculated by allocating administration costs

equally across each month and by allocating operational costs pro rata to passenger numbers. It can be

seen that the cost per passenger trip declined substantially during the year as the number of passengers

using RTI services increased. Costs declined from €27 per passenger trip in January 2003 to €9 by the

end of the year. An evaluation of the Rural Transport Fund in Scotland14 has shown that the level of

subsidy provided per passenger ranged from €1.30 in peri-urban areas to over €13 in more remote

areas. Costs incurred under the RTI would therefore not appear to be excessive and are likely to decrease

further as the number of passengers using the services increases.

FIGURE 5.1 PASSENGER NUMBERS AND COST PER PASSENGER TRIP BY MONTH, 2003.

05,000

10,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

No.

Pas

seng

ers

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

Cos

t Per

Pas

seng

er T

rip €

No. Passengers Cost Per Passenger Trip

The average cost per beneficiary refers to the annual cost of providing RTI services to those rural

residents that have availed of them on one or more occasion during 2003 (estimated at 16,000). RTI

passengers are generally regular users of the service and on average travel on RTI services about twice a

month. The total cost per beneficiary of providing RTI services in 2003 is estimated at €250 or €5 per

13 This includes the operational and administration costs of funding provided by the Department of Transport and total funding provided by FÁS and the Department of Social and Family Affairs. 14 Scottish Executive. Evaluation of the Rural Transport Fund. 2001.

52


week. As with costs per passenger trip, the cost per beneficiary also declined during the year from about

€13 per week in January to €4 per week in December.

5.4.3 Project Benefits and Impacts

The RTI has resulted in considerable benefits for a variety of project stakeholders, including passengers,

the wider rural communities, local development groups, transport providers, and other public service

providers. The main benefits and their impact are set out in Table 5.2:

53


TABLE 5.2 BENEFITS AND IMPACTS OF RTI ASSISTED SERVICES Benefits Impact and Value-for-Money

Improved independence: the availability of public

transport for rural residents has provided older

people in particular with greater independence.

They now no longer have to rely exclusively on

others for lifts and can continue to live

independently in their own homes.

Older people using RTI assisted services can now

live independently in their homes for longer than

may otherwise have been possible. This results in

substantial savings for health boards and leads to

reduced costs in the provision of residential care.

Reduced isolation and social interaction: RTI

assisted services have resulted in reduced levels of

isolation for rural residents. Many passengers use

the service on a weekly basis and it provides vital

contact with friends and neighbours.

Medical professionals working with RTI passengers

have noticed significant improvements in health

and well-being since the commencement of

services. A number of these professionals have

written to RTI groups stating that they have

stopped prescribing certain medications since their

patients started using the services. This has again

resulted in considerable cost savings for the health

sector.

Access to services: accessing basic services such

as healthcare, financial services and training has

often been difficult for many rural residents. RTI

assisted services are tailored to meet the specific

needs of passengers. Many services call directly to

local post offices, local health clinics and hospitals.

Many of the RTI projects deliver passengers to

hospitals and health clinics for medical

appointments and day patient care. The

commencement of RTI assisted services has

resulted in reduced transport costs for health

boards.

Capacity Building at local level: as the RTI is a

pilot Initiative it has involved extensive learning

and capacity building at local level. This has

included learning by the groups themselves,

awareness raising and training for transport

providers and capacity building for rural residents

in relation to the use of public transport.

Considerable expertise now exists at local level in

co-ordinating and delivering rural public transport.

Any future initiatives will greatly benefit from this

and will be able to deliver transport services at a

lower cost than would otherwise been the case.

The RTI has identified models of best practice in

transport provision which can make a valuable

contribution to future rural transport policy and

delivery.

5.4.4 Savings for Other Organisations

As a result of transport services provided through the RTI, direct cost savings have been achieved by

other public service providers. The health sector has benefited more than others through savings in

transport provision and in the provision of health care itself. In relation to transport provision, it is

54


estimated that about 18%15 of all RTI passenger trips are for the purpose of accessing medical services.

This equates to about 55,000 passenger trips in 2003. Many health board transport services entail the

use of hackney services and are therefore likely to be high cost. Based on an average trip cost of €30, it

is estimated that the value of RTI assisted services providing access to health services in 2003 was about

€1.6mn. Health boards would have incurred some of this cost directly if RTI services were not provided.

It was shown in Section 5.4.3 that the provision of effective rural transport services can enable older

rural residents to remain living independently in their own homes rather than in full-time residential

care. Some 16,000 rural residents benefited from the services of the RTI in 2003 and about 20% of these

were aged 76 or older. Savings in the provision of residential care are therefore likely to have occurred

for health boards.

The RTI has also resulted in improved well-being and general health for isolated rural residents.

Healthcare professionals have noted that since patients suffering from depression started using RTI

assisted services, their general well being improved considerably. There are documented cases of savings

in medical prescriptions due to the positive impact that improved accessibility and social interaction has

had on the lives of RTI passengers. RTI groups have received numerous letters from healthcare

professionals citing the health benefits and savings in medical prescriptions experienced by older

patients as a result of the positive impact that the RTI has had on their lives.

Other savings for the health sector have been made due to a reduction in missed appointments

occurring as a result of inadequate transport provision. Increased attendances at day care centres for

older people have meant that doctors and nurses can see more patients centrally and deliver services

much more efficiently.

5.4.5 Improved Effectiveness of Existing Public Expenditure

A key strength of the RTI is the extent to which services link directly with other public services. Box 5.2

shows the types of services which RTI transport operated by Kerry Community Transport and County

Sligo LEADER Partnership Company link with. The number of people using services such as day care

centres for older people has increased substantially as a result of links with RTI assisted services. The

operating costs for these centres have remained largely unchanged but due to greater numbers

attending, the impact and overall level of value-for-money achieved has improved substantially.

15 RTI Passenger Survey, 2003.

55


BOX 5.2 RTI LINKS WITH OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES

Kerry Community Transport Kerry Community Transport provide approximately 70 transport services, the purpose of which varies between social, shopping and health activities; training, education and employment; access to day care centres and pension runs. Just over 60% of the services are for social, shopping and health activities. These transport services typically bring rural dwellers into the nearest small/medium town. Around 15% of services support training, education and employment bringing people to centres in Tralee such as National Training and Development Institute (NTDI), Institute of Technology and FAS. This enables rural dwellers in areas served the same education opportunities as people living in urban areas, which is one of the key objectives of the White Paper on Rural Development. Eleven services (18%) bring older people to day care centres. These day care transport services enable older people to access this social outlet as well as assisting day care centres in maximising attendance. The remaining services are pension runs specifically targeted at older people. County Sligo LEADER Partnership Company The twice weekly bus service brings passengers with physical and learning disabilities from remote areas in West Sligo to Sligo town to avail of social and recreational activities provided by the Western Health Board. The service starts in Dromore West, 23 miles from Sligo, collecting approximately 9 passengers along the way. A single journey takes over one hour reflecting the very rural nature of the area served. Passengers are dropped to a club in Sligo for approximately 2 hours where they enjoy social and recreational activity. The club is a great opportunity for people with disabilities to meet others and have a social outlet independent of their families. Passengers are collected from the club at 9.30pm and left home again. A Health Board funded assistant helps passengers as required on the bus and also goes to the club with them. Families are therefore very comfortable that their children with disabilities are well looked after during this time. This well managed service enables people with disabilities living in rural areas the same opportunities to attend social activities as their urban counterparts. Offaly and Kildare Community Transport Offaly and Kildare Community Transport established a daily return service from North Offaly and North West Kildare to NUI Maynooth in order to provide affordable transport for residents in the area to attend college. The need for the service was recognised due to the lower than national average participation rate in third level education in this area. The costs associated with attending college can often be a deterrent to third level education and the Offaly and Kildare Community Transport service hopes that its transport services will increase participation in higher education in the area.

Over 80% of all RTI projects are managed or supported by existing local development organisations.

These organisations primarily became involved in rural transport provision because the rural residents

which they were targeting with their mainstream services were often prevented from accessing these

due to lack of transport. The RTI has improved the effectiveness of rural development and social

inclusion measures provided under the LEADER programmes and the LSIDP. Provision of effective rural

transport under the RTI will greatly improve the impact and value-for-money of expenditure under these

programmes.

A number of training providers have also noted that course attendances and completion rates have

improved since links were developed with RTI assisted services. This again demonstrates the

56


contribution that the RTI is making in improving the effectiveness and value-for-money of services

provided by other public organisations.

5.5 Contribution Towards Government Policy and Objectives

5.5.1 Horizontal Principles of the NDP

The NDP contains four horizontal principles against which all interventions must be proofed. The recent

mid-term evaluations of the five Operational Programmes contained within the NDP have shown that

the level of commitment to the horizontal principles varies considerably between measures. The RTI,

however, has been exceptionally successful in impacting in a very positive manner on each of the four

horizontal principles. Indeed, as can be seen from the following, the RTI has been one of the more

successful measures in the NDP in regard to its impact on the horizontal principles:

Rural Development: the RTI is specifically targeted at rural areas and has successfully

improved access to employment and services for over 16,000 rural residents in its first full year

of operation. Effective access to towns and villages for those living in isolated rural areas is vital

in order to ensure the sustainability of rural areas. The RTI has contributed in this regard and

has strengthened the economic and social fabric of rural areas that have benefited from

services. It has also encouraged rural residents to become involved in local and community

development.

Social Inclusion: the overall objective of the RTI is to address social exclusion in rural Ireland.

Its focus has therefore been to target the most vulnerable groups in rural society and to ensure

that they are provided with effective access to services, social activities and employment. In

this regard the RTI has clearly been successful. The use of free travel passes on RTI assisted

services is central to its success in addressing social exclusion in that it enables equality of

access for those who are less well-off.

Equality: previous research in relation to rural transport needs has identified women, and in

particular older people, as most affected. The fact that over 70% of passengers are female

illustrates the effectiveness of the pilot projects in reaching this target group. The provision of

wheelchair accessible transport services has also had a positive impact from an equality

perspective, although over 60% of vehicles are still not fully accessible and further progress is

required in this area. A number of services have also been developed to target the specific

needs of young people living in rural areas.

Environment: the provision of RTI assisted services has led to a reduction in the number of car

journeys. Based on results from the RTI Passenger Survey it is estimated that in the absence of

RTI assisted services one third of passengers would have made their trips using cars, either as

57


drivers or passengers. It is therefore estimated that RTI assisted services have resulted in a

reduction in car trips of about 10,000. While this is a relatively small number in terms of the

total number of car trips made annually in Ireland, it is nevertheless a positive impact.

5.5.2 Other Government Policy

The RTI has also impacted positively on a number of other important Government policies. These have

included the NSS, the White Paper on Rural Development and wider social inclusion objectives set out in

the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS). In addition to achieving its primary objectives, the RTI has

therefore also contributed to a number of wider policy objectives.

The NSS seeks to ‘link people with places’ though integrated spatial planning. Central to its success is

the ability of identified hubs and gateways to link with their rural hinterlands. This is not possible,

however, without the provision of an effective rural transport system. The provision of transport

services under the RTI has improved the access of rural residents to hubs and gateways where they can

work, shop, avail of services and engage in social activities. Government policy in areas ranging from

post office services to health care provision, entails the provision of more specialised services in key

urban centres. In order for this policy to be successful, however, effective rural transport provision is a

prerequisite.

The contribution of the RTI to the objectives of the White Paper on Rural Development has been very

positive and has been set out in Section 5.3.1 in relation to rural development generally. Its impact on

the NAPS has also been positive through targeting social exclusion and providing those who are less

well-off with improved free access to services and employment.

58


Chapter 6 Conclusions and Recommendations

6.1 Introduction

This final chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation. Section 6.2 sets out

the evaluation’s principal findings and conclusions in relation to the main achievements of the RTI to

date; difficulties and barriers experienced; continuing challenges; value-for-money; and programme

management. The evaluation’s recommendations are presented in Section 6.3.

6.2 Conclusions

6.2.1 Achievements of the RTI to Date

The performance of the RTI to date must be viewed in the context of the following:

as a pilot Initiative the focus is about exploring new approaches and providing learning and

lessons for future policy – while these are important, the RTI can therefore not be assessed on

financial and physical indicators alone and the more qualitative benefits of the RTI set out in

Chapter 5 should be taken into account

many RTI groups commenced service delivery in the late Spring and Summer of 2003 and have

therefore not yet been operational for a full year. This is also means that limited data and

experience are available on the full operational as opposed to the start-up phase

Notwithstanding the two issues above, it is clear that the RTI has achieved good progress since its

inception. In quantitative terms it has:

established the provision of rural transport services in 34 rural areas across 25 counties

involved the provision of 305,000 passenger trips in 2003

improved access to services, social activities and employment for the 16,000 rural residents

that regularly use RTI assisted services

provided direct employment for 90 people and supported an additional 200 bus drivers.

The main qualitative achievements of the RTI have been:

increased levels of independence and reduced isolation for mostly excluded rural residents who

use its services

improved access for users to other important public services such as healthcare, training and

education

59


higher quality standards in rural public transport provision through the use of passenger

assistants, improved vehicle accessibility and higher vehicle standards

learning and capacity-building at local level regarding local transport provision, planning and

management and awareness raising amongst the community and statutory sectors of the

transport needs of rural dwellers

improved co-ordination in rural public transport provision, and between transport and other

public services.

6.2.2 Difficulties and Barriers Faced

As is inherent in a pilot learning-oriented Initiative, difficulties and barriers were experienced by RTI

Groups. Some of these occurred prior to commencement of services and resulted in later than planned

commencement of service delivery, while others impacted on the on-going effectiveness of the RTI.

The main difficulties experienced by groups prior to service start-up included recruitment of staff;

tendering processes; service planning; engaging suitable commercial operators; and legislative and

insurance issues. These difficulties were largely overcome through the commitment of group staff,

volunteers and ADM staff.

The main difficulties groups have experienced since commencement of services include problems in

linking with other public service providers; lack of availability of fully accessible vehicles; and lower than

anticipated demand for commuter services. In relation to the latter, this is a problem perceived by

Groups, but it is not a specified RTI objective. Uncertainty in relation to funding for the RTI has also

caused difficulty for Groups.

From a programme management and administration perspective there were also a number of difficulties

at the outset of programme delivery. Given the varying levels of programme delivery experience across

groups, ADM was required to provide considerable assistance to many groups. This involved the

provision of development and financial staff, including a full-time financial trainer.

6.2.3 Continuing Challenges Ahead

While Groups’ and ADM staff have made considerable progress in overcoming the difficulties and

barriers faced by the RTI to date, a number of significant challenges continue to impact on its overall

effectiveness. The most important of these are:

achieving economies of scale: smaller groups delivering RTI assisted services without the

support of existing local development agencies have experienced particular difficulties in

relation to reporting and administration requirements. In many cases volunteers are required to

make a considerable input to the management and administration of the Initiative. Groups with

60


smaller budgets generally only employ part-time co-ordinators, but administrative

requirements are largely the same as for the larger groups. The proportion of total staff time

spent on administration is therefore much greater for smaller groups and this limits the ability

of their co-ordinators to strategically manage the project. The smaller Groups, however, have

achieved greater levels of penetration in service provision at local level.

developing links with other public service providers: the perceived lack of support from

some (non-transport related) public service providers remains a significant obstacle for the RTI.

The effective integration of rural transport and wider public service provision is a central

objective of the RTI and some groups have been successful in achieving this. Many have not

been so successful, however, and in some cases there is considerable need for improvement in

this area. While the onus remains on the Groups to be proactive, a number of factors outside of

their control have also limited their success. The lack of certainty in relation to the future of the

RTI means that other organisations are reluctant to enter into formal arrangements with

groups. The level of co-operation received from statutory agencies also varies considerably

between counties and regions and often depends on the willingness of individuals to engage

with the RTI process.

better use of existing vehicles: the RTI has not been successful in utilising the existing

vehicles of other local organisations such as community groups, health boards, and disability

groups. The reasons for lack of success in relation to vehicle brokerage have largely been

outside the control of groups themselves. The most significant obstacles remain the complex

insurance implications of brokerage and the lack of certainty over the future of RTI activities.

While spare vehicle capacity is not available in all parts of rural Ireland, further efficiencies in

rural transport provision could be achieved if the remaining difficulties in relation to vehicle

brokerage were resolved.

administration costs: the proportion of total RTI expenditure allocated to administration costs

is high compared to the delivery of local development programmes generally. It is recognised,

however, that administration costs include all development work and capacity building

undertaken by RTI staff during the start-up year. Administration costs accounted for over 40%

of total RTI expenditure in 2003. There was a considerable variation in administration costs

between groups with some allocating up to 66% of their total budgets to administration, while

for others administration accounted for about 20% of expenditure. In almost half of all groups,

administration costs accounted for more than the operational costs of service delivery. The

relatively high level of administration costs incurred in the first year of operation can be partly

explained by the fact that many groups did not actually commence service delivery until the

second quarter of the year but yet incurred administration costs for all or most of the year.

Administration costs are also likely to be higher in the first year of programme delivery as

reporting systems needed to be put in place and a greater amount of development

work/capacity building was required.

61


vehicle accessibility and service standards: while the RTI has clearly resulted in improved

standards in rural public transport, further progress is required in relation to improving the

accessibility of vehicles and the training levels of drivers. While it is acknowledged that it will

take a number of years before the entire RTI fleet could be expected to reach full wheelchair

accessibility, requisite driver training standards should be achievable in a shorter timeframe

6.2.4 Value-for-Money

This evaluation has demonstrated a number of positive aspects in relation to the level of value-for-

money delivered by the RTI. The most significant of these are:

it has been in a start-up phase, so some one-off costs will not need to be repeated, and average

unit costs are likely to continue to fall

it has provided considerable social benefits and resulted in a real improvement in the quality of

life for some 16,000 rural dwellers for relatively small levels of investment

it has resulted in substantial cost savings for other public service providers, particularly in the

area of health care. These have included reduced transport costs, savings as a result of older

people being able to continue to live independently in their own homes, reductions in missed

medical appointments and savings in medical prescriptions as a result of improved general

health and well-being of passengers

it has improved the effectiveness of public expenditure in areas such as health, education and

local development. Rural residents now have improved access to public services and training

and public expenditure in these areas is benefiting a greater number of people and providing

improved levels of value-for-money

it is providing services targeted at isolated persons in rural areas where costs are inevitably

relatively high as against more urban areas.

It is still early days, however, and more time in fully operational mode is needed before more definitive

conclusions can be drawn. Key issues will be:

how to achieve greater economies of scale especially in the cases of small stand-alone

Groups

establishing whether the various RTI models are ultimately the most cost effective ones

relative to alternatives.

Neither of these issues, however, are likely to affect the overall assessment that the ratio between RTI

benefits and costs is likely to be high, they raise the issue of whether it could be higher still.

62


6.2.5 Role of ADM

The RTI has experienced a successful first year of operation and has made a visible and tangible impact

on the rural communities it has served. While transport services are ultimately delivered by 34 individual

groups, the Initiative could not have been as successful without the support and commitment provided

by ADM and its staff.

RTI groups required considerable assistance at the early stages of programme delivery, in particular, and

a steep learning curve was experienced by group and ADM staff. ADM has clearly delivered its support

services in areas such as financial reporting and training; monitoring and evaluation; and on-going

technical assistance in a professional and dedicated manner and the RTI groups have benefited greatly

from the assistance provided.

The level of capacity-building achieved in RTI groups through the support of ADM staff is a major

benefit of the Initiative. This will greatly strengthen the ability of these rural areas to participate in

future local and rural development initiatives. ADM has also ensured, through on-going monitoring,

auditing and provision of financial training, that the Initiative has been delivered in a highly transparent

and accountable manner.

6.3 Recommendations

6.3.1 Introduction

This final section presents the evaluation’s recommendations. Section 6.3.2 sets out the overall

recommendations for the RTI while Section 6.3.3 presents further specific actions to be delivered by the

key stakeholders involved in the Initiative.

6.3.2 Overall Recommendations

the RTI period should be extended until the end of 2006: it has been demonstrated in this

evaluation that the RTI has had a significant and tangible impact on those using the service and

on rural communities generally. It is clear that the benefits associated with the Initiative are

high relative to the costs, and it should therefore continue to receive funding.

The commitment of funding to the end of 2006 (the end of the current NDP period) will

provide greater certainty to RTI groups and should improve the overall effectiveness of the

63


Initiative, and will give a longer pilot period during which the full lessons of RTI models can

emerge.

continued focus on inclusion: Groups should retain the core RTI focus on promoting social

inclusion and avoid over-extending their resources into wider commuter services. The majority

of RTI-operated rural transport services are not commercially viable and will therefore require

on-going financial assistance. It is therefore important that there are clear objectives in relation

to target groups most in need of transport services and the types of services to be delivered

role of community and voluntary sector: RTI assisted services have been most successful

where they have incorporated good community structures, with volunteers and community

leaders involved in the local promotion of services. The RTI groups have demonstrated that the

community and voluntary sector can successfully deliver rural transport services. The sector has

been particularly effective in targeting those most at need and providing personal, high quality

services to meet local requirements in a flexible manner. Targeting isolated rural dwellers most

in need of rural transport is a complex process that requires detailed local knowledge. This

sector has developed considerable expertise in the co-ordination and delivery of rural transport

services. Future rural transport policy initiatives should therefore build on the experience of the

community and voluntary sector.

new strategies should be developed for the remainder of the RTI period: clear objectives

and targets should be established at programme and project level for the remainder of the RTI

period. This should involve the development of a revised strategy for the RTI by ADM and the

submission of individual strategies, including financial plans, by the RTI groups

facilitate extension of services: where possible the existing RTI projects should be extended

to new geographical areas currently not serviced. Groups should be encouraged to engage with

neighbouring RTI groups and other rural transport interest groups. In particular the extension of

services to counties or large sub-county areas currently without RTI services should be

promoted. In general, it is believed that greater efficiencies in service delivery can be achieved if

the scale of project areas is increased

experiment with additional forms of delivery: a key lesson emerging from the experiences of

the RTI to date is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to selecting the most appropriate

model for rural transport provision in Ireland. Each of the models reviewed have their

advantages and disadvantages and their overall suitability is largely dependent on particular

circumstances. Notwithstanding this, however, the following observations can be made:

o the use of commercial operators to deliver rural transport services has been successful

and is well suited to the requirements of a pilot initiative. For the delivery of semi-

scheduled services during off-peak times it is likely that this model of transport is most

appropriate and cost effective

o the purchase of new vehicles is not the optimum solution and should be a last resort

within the context of a pilot initiative. It has, however, been necessary for some groups

64


to do this due to inadequate local availability of suitable vehicles. There may also be

scope to explore joint contracts across a number of Groups in order to increase

interest of potential suppliers/commercial operators.

o effective vehicle brokerage has many advantages and is likely to be the most cost

effective model of rural transport delivery. This model cannot be successfully

developed, however, until the current difficulties surrounding insurance are overcome

o the car-sharing scheme has proved an effective method in providing access to essential

services for isolated rural residents. The main difficultly with the model as operated in

the RTI, however is that as mileage costs are paid to drivers, long distance trips are

expensive and the average number of passengers per trip is low

We recommend that the pilot value of the RTI should continue and Groups should maintain a

focus on exploring new models of delivery, such as voluntary car schemes, including fully

voluntary schemes where no expenses are paid.

review transport service types: door-to-door semi-scheduled services have been most

effective in addressing the unmet transport needs of rural residents. This type of service has

proved cost effective and has been particularly successful in meeting the needs of key target

groups such as older people and those with disabilities. Scheduled hail and ride services are

most cost effective as they require no co-ordination and services themselves are less expensive

to operate. These services do not effectively meet the needs of older people or those with

disabilities, however. Fully demand responsive services are most effective in meeting passenger

transport needs but are unlikely to be sustainable on cost grounds.

It is therefore believed, that while some room for experimentation in service types should

remain, semi-scheduled door-to-door services are likely to provide the optimum solution to

rural transport provision for the target groups involved.

improved local level co-ordination: in order for the RTI to achieve its full potential in relation

to delivering effective value-for-money, improved co-ordination is required with local public

service providers. It is hoped that the extension of the Initiative for a further two years should

further promote local level co-ordination

central policy co-ordination: in order to enable the development of fully integrated rural

transport services, greater levels of policy co-ordination and support are required at central

level. Responses from locally based publicly funded organisations to the RTI differ between

regions and largely depend on the willingness of individuals to co-operate. This may be

explained by the pilot nature of the RTI projects. While the community nature of the RTI

projects demands that many of the difficulties that arise must be resolved locally through

mechanisms such as better integration with existing services and better co-operation with

other local, regional and voluntary organisations, the process does throw up issues which need

65


to be dealt with at a central level if major improvements are to be made to rural transport

provision.

6.3.3 Specific Recommendations for Key Stakeholders

Department of Transport

provision of continued funding: the Department of Transport should continue to provide

annual funding for the RTI until the end of 2006. At that stage a full review of the Initiative

should be carried out. In order to facilitate the extension of services it is likely that an

increased level of funding would need to be allocated by the Department

ADM

development of new strategies: ADM should develop an overall strategy for the

remainder of the RTI period including detailed targets and objectives for the Initiative. ADM

should also request all existing RTI groups to submit revised strategies for the newly agreed

programme period

reinforce and revise principles of RTI: ADM should reinforce the existing RTI principles

and in some cases revise them in order to take account of the main lessons emerging from

this evaluation. The main issues to be addressed are:

o the benefits associated with the provision of rural transport are greatest where

services target those experiencing social exclusion. ADM should reinforce this

principle for the remainder of the RTI and ensure that groups remain firmly

focused on addressing social exclusion

o the purchase of new vehicles should not be encouraged within the RTI and should

only be permitted where clear and documented evidence of having explored all

other options is presented

o the development of voluntary car sharing schemes should be explored and

encouraged. Voluntary car sharing schemes have been successfully operated in the

UK and could provide effective rural transport solutions in many parts of Ireland

o RTI groups not currently engaged in the provision of door-to-door services should

be encouraged to develop them. This service type has proved most successful

within the RTI and has been particularly effective in addressing the needs of those

experiencing social exclusion

o the extension of the RTI to geographic areas currently not serviced should be

encouraged. Groups should be asked to submit proposals, including detailed

financial plans, in this regard as part of their revised strategy statements for the

remaining RTI period

66


o it is a clear principle of the RTI that services should not overlap or duplicate

existing services provided by the commercial or public sector. ADM, in conjunction

with the Department of Transport, should continue to enforce this in the strictest

manner

review the administration costs of RTI groups: the proportion of total RTI expenditure

allocated to administration in 2003 is not sustainable for the remainder of the programme

period. While it is acknowledged that a number of factors resulted in relatively high

administration costs in the first year of operation, ADM should ensure that administration

costs are reduced over the remainder of the RTI. This could be done by establishing a clear

definition for the RTI groups of what constitutes administration costs and by setting a

target for these costs based on those incurred in other similar programmes managed by

ADM.

establish criteria for funding allocations to end 2006: ADM should develop a detailed

set of criteria that could be used to determine funding allocations for individual RTI groups

for 2005/06. These criteria should include the following:

o the capacity of groups to provide services to new areas

o the performance of groups to date

o the ability of groups to leverage funding from other sources

o the proportion of planned expenditure accounted for by administration costs

o the degree of linkages developed with other public service providers

o degree of continued experimentation

o effectiveness of Board structures, including the degree to which Boards are

involved in management and decision-making functions

review of €40,000 minimum budget: while the logic for the introduction of a minimum

funding level for RTI projects is understandable, and indeed the issue of minimum scale is

endorsed in this report, the current system, which allocates a minimum of €40,000 to all

groups, may be leading to poor value-for-money in a small number of cases. If some of the

smaller groups do not need this level of funding they should not be allocated it.

explore legislative concerns of RTI Groups: there are two main legislative difficulties

impacting on the RTI. The first of these concerns route licensing for RTI assisted services.

Groups would like to see a simplification of the legislative process and it is hoped that the

forthcoming Bus Regulatory legislation would address this issue. The second area of

difficulty relates to the classification of RTI vehicles by the Revenue Commissioner. RTI

vehicles are not classified as use for charitable purposes and are therefore not exempt from

VRT or VAT on fuel. Although special exemptions have been made in a small number of

cases, RTI vehicles are not eligible for the same tax benefits as charitable organisations

providing services exclusively to people with disabilities or older people. ADM should liase

with the Department of Transport and the Revenue Commissioners in relation to these

issues.

67


RTI Groups

submit revised strategies: all RTI groups should submit revised strategies for the period

2005/06. These strategies should set out an overall vision for rural transport service

provision and a detailed operational plan for the period. Groups should explore the option

of providing services to new areas and should consult with neighbouring RTI projects or

other rural transport interest groups.

review Board representation: RTI groups should review their Board representation and

consider whether it could be improved for the remainder of the period. In particular groups

with inadequate statutory representation should seek to address this issue. Smaller groups

should explore the option of establishing regionally based RTI representative groups in

order to encourage statutory agencies to engage with the RTI. All groups should ensure

that effective Board structures are in place and that Boards are fully involved in

management and decision-making functions

improve linkages with other service providers: a significant shortcoming of the RTI to

date has been the failure of many groups to develop effective linkages with other service

providers. Improved Board structures as advocated above would help to address this issue.

RTI groups should also be proactive in nurturing relationships with other local service

providers

improve linkages with local authorities: improved use of the existing county level co-

ordination structures of the CDBs could greatly improve links between the RTI and other

public service providers. Local level co-ordination could also be improved through the

endorsement in each county of RTI plans by CDBs. RTI groups should therefore seek the

mandatory endorsement of their 2005/06 strategies from the CDBs in their counties

leverage increased funds from other sources: only a small number of groups have been

successful in leveraging funds from other sources for the RTI. This evaluation has shown

that the RTI results in considerable benefits for other organisations, particular those in the

health and education sectors. RTI groups should therefore target a range of local statutory

and private commercial organisations in order to raise additional funding for service

provision.

Department of Social and Family Affairs

continue contribution of free-travel funding: the Department of Social and Family Affairs

has made an important contribution to the RTI to date through the allocation of free-travel

funding. In order to enable RTI groups to maintain current service levels and to promote public

transport use for the less well off and the elderly it is important that the Department continues

to provide funding for the Initiative.

Documents

RTI External Evaluation - Final Report - · PDF file3.4 MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF RTI ... To describe and analyse the experience of the Rural Transport Initiatives pilot projects