Community transport in Greater Manchester doing more with less

Community transport groups in Greater Manchester are doing more work despite receiving less funding, according to a new report.
The Greater Manchester Community Transport Operators’ Forum (GMCTOF) report shows that members in the 10 local authority districts are producing more while receiving nearly 50 per cent less in grants.
Community transport (CT) in Greater Manchester provides services for many sections of the community – from taking sick children to hospital appointments to running bus services.
Despite difficult economic circumstances, the CT sector in Greater Manchester created or maintained 159 full time jobs – an increase of over 19 per cent on the previous year.
Volunteering continues to play an important role in delivering services to local communities; the contribution of volunteers is estimated as being worth £243,000.
The number of passenger trips delivered by the sector rose by 11.11 per cent to 930,379. This increase was achieved with a 1.7 per cent reduction in overall fleet mileage.
By encouraging people to travel together, CT in Greater Manchester is estimated to have saved a minimum of 44,000 car journeys in the year in question.
John Perry, chair of GMCTOF, said: “Once again we see that the CT sector in Greater Manchester is punching above its weight, and taking a national lead in being able to quantify its impact. We’re particularly proud of the sector being able to deliver improved performance indicators, while at the same time decreasing its dependence on grant support.”
He also identified the important and unique role of GMCTOF, and its strategic partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester:
“The importance of the Operators’ Forum in developing robust monitoring, reporting and quality frameworks cannot be overestimated. Without the Forum and the commitment of its members and partners to transparency and quality standards, none of this would have been possible”.

For further information on ‘The impact of community transport in Greater Manchester 2010-2011 – a summary of findings’, contact Anthony Travis, 0794 144 5579, tony@gmctof.org.uk.