Guidance

Demand responsive transport: local authority toolkit

Published 13 April 2022

Demand responsive transport (DRT) is a flexible service that provides shared transport to users who specify their desired location and time of pick-up and drop-off.

DRT can complement fixed route public transport services and improve mobility in low-density areas and at low-demand times of day.

While many DRT services are implemented primarily to improve social inclusivity and access to services, DRT can also contribute to decarbonisation by replacing private car journeys and facilitating multi-modal travel (for example, linking users to a train station or fixed route bus service). It is important that DRT services are integrated into the local transport network to be effective.

To reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions emitted per passenger per kilometre from a DRT service, operators can optimise routes using the latest technology, select vehicles with lower or zero tailpipe emissions and increase passenger occupancy levels.

While drawing on examples from outside England, this document is based on policy applicable to England.

What demand responsive transport (DRT) means

DRT services run without a set timetable and typically use smaller vehicles than fixed route bus services. Dial-a-ride services scheduled through advance bookings are a traditional example.

DRT schemes may also include:

  • flexible bus services (registered bus routes that are able to deviate from fixed routes)
  • community transport minibuses
  • licensed taxis or private hire vehicles (PHVs)
  • social services transport
  • non-emergency patient transport

Dynamic DRT (D-DRT) refers to schemes where routes are adjusted in real time to accommodate new pick-up requests, often made minutes in advance (as defined in the government’s Future of Mobility Strategy). CoMoUK gives an overview of D-DRT on its website, together with reports looking at the sector across the UK and in Scotland,

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published its interim report and process of the D-DRT pilots funded through the Rural mobility fund. The report sets out initial findings from the monitoring and evaluation study based on data collected in the first 18 months of the funded period from March 2021 to September 2022.

Types of DRT service

DRT schemes can have a range of purposes.

Addressing suppressed travel demand

Providing the opportunity for individuals to access a destination or service, such as for employment, education, healthcare or retail, or to connect to a transport hub to complete their journey. DRT can fill the gap where journeys cannot be walked or cycled and users do not have access to public transport or a car. Examples include MK Connect in Milton Keynes and Callconnect in Lincolnshire.

Transferring existing bus users to a DRT service

Providing a flexible service in place of a conventional fixed service, such as Fflecsi Wales. Transport Focus has published research on the Fflecsi project.

Acting as a feeder service to existing bus services or rail

This could include connecting rural areas with a fixed bus route, such as Bwcabus and Connecting Communities in Suffolk. Arup explored the potential of this option for the UK.

Consolidating existing bus services

Enabling one service to meet multiple needs, such as home to school, home to healthcare and home to work journeys, as piloted through the Total Transport projects.

Providing an alternative to private car journeys

Encouraging non-users to use shared transport by providing a more flexible, attractive service. ‘Hop on, hop off’ services can also serve tourists, for example, to provide access to rural walks, attractions or services. Examples include Tees Flex, Essex DaRT and Connect2 Wiltshire.

Two main groups of DRT users were identified by Knowledgebase on Sustainable Urban Land use and Transport (KonSULT), a project led by the University of Leeds. They are:

  • captive users: people who do not have a car (or other transport options) available for their journey. A DRT service targeting this group tends to have accessibility and social inclusion objectives

  • choice users: people who use DRT even though they have a car available. Attracting these users is more likely to relieve congestion and contribute to decarbonisation.

The purpose and intended users will determine many aspects of a DRT scheme, such as the type and number of vehicles deployed, trip patterns, booking processes and the revenue generated.

Implementing DRT: Connecting Communities in Suffolk

Suffolk County Council is working in partnership with Community Transport operators on the provision of countywide rural transport services through Connecting Communities.

Where there is no public transport available locally, Connecting Communities connects residents to an appropriate bus or train link for onward travel. For journeys where there is no appropriate connection to other services, end-to-end journeys may be possible.

The countywide services operate Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm and seats can be booked by phone up to a week in advance. Journeys are charged as a standard bus fare or may be charged at 45p per mile if the trip is undertaken by volunteer car.

Benefits of DRT

While the numerous social and economic benefits often prompt the introduction of a DRT service, it can also assist with decarbonising travel.

How DRT can reduce CO2 emissions

Substitute car journeys

A DRT service can replace multiple, single occupancy car journeys. For example, in a commuting area where there is not sufficient demand for a fixed route bus service or to serve those working shifts or flexibly.

Switching from a private petrol or diesel car to an electric DRT vehicle would enhance the emission reduction.

Encourage active travel

As outlined in Bus Back Better: national bus strategy for England, there is potential for bus and DRT services to better integrate with active travel, making non-car based, multi-modal journeys easier.

This can be facilitated by allowing bikes on board or on external racks and providing secure cycle storage at stops or common destinations. Some DRT booking services can decline very short trips that can be walked unless there is an overriding need, for example, due to a mobility impairment.

Replace a fixed route, diesel-fuelled bus service

As a DRT service runs only when there is demand and on an optimised route, it may travel fewer miles overall than a fixed route service, reducing fuel consumption.

The size of the vehicle can be optimised to suit the anticipated number of passengers, lowering the CO2 emissions per passenger, per kilometre travelled, known as carbon efficiency.

More trips may be made where a DRT service is aimed at unlocking suppressed travel demand to enhance social inclusivity and rural mobility.

To balance these objectives with decarbonisation, the emphasis should be on reducing the fuel consumption and tailpipe CO2 emissions of DRT vehicles and increasing passenger numbers to reduce the emissions per passenger per kilometre.

The KonSULT project has more detail on this issue, but does not consider vehicle electrification as a further measure.

Further information on the potential reductions in carbon emissions from electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses can be found in the Zero emission buses: local authority toolkit.

Additional benefits of DRT

Introducing a DRT service can enable individuals to access education, employment and services in places where demand is dispersed, or the distances involved make it challenging to provide conventional services that meet the diverse needs of residents.

KonSULT compared the impact of DRT on various policy objectives, concluding that the greatest possible positive contribution is likely to be to equity and social inclusion.

Financing is the greatest drawback due to the level of subsidy many services require.

Benefits for local authorities

DRT has the potential to deliver against multiple policy objectives, such as:

  • reducing congestion through modal shift to shared transport from private cars
  • increasing connectivity for rural communities, for example, by extending public transport into areas where population densities and usage do not support a timetabled service
  • supporting health and wellbeing by enabling easier access to services, facilities, social networks and community initiatives
  • economic benefits through increased access to employment, leisure and for visitors
  • supporting the promotion of active travel as DRT reduces reliance on cars and may help to grow receptivity to alternatives to single occupancy vehicles
  • promoting community cohesion through providing more opportunities for people to interact
  • forming part of land use planning strategies, DRT services are increasingly used to provide access to new developments, such as employment sites and housing developments

Benefits to users

For users, DRT may be able to:

  • provide access to a wider range of destinations, increasing personal mobility and reducing social isolation
  • enable travel at a more convenient time compared to a fixed timetable with limited frequency
  • provide an almost door-to-door service that can support individuals with limited mobility and cost less than other similar services, such as a taxi or PHV
  • act as a feeder service to connect to high frequency bus or rail corridors, or even remove need to interchange, reducing journey length and time, depending on the service
  • help individuals and communities to access job opportunities through a direct service or services better suited to shift patterns

Implementing DRT: Bwcabus

Bwcabus in Wales was originally introduced to replace an existing bus service that had become unviable as traditional fixed route timetable based operations.

Since then, it has evolved to provide a feeder service to 3 Trawscymru strategic services as well as a zone of DRT provision within rural mid Wales.

It provides both fixed route and demand responsive bus routes that can be booked up to a month in advance. Fares are based on journey distance but can connect to other bus operators. Discounted tickets are also available, as are bus passes and some ‘rover’ tickets are valid on most bus services across 3 counties in Wales.

Benefits for the bus service provider or operator

Providing a DRT service in place of a fixed route service can benefit bus operators by:

  • enhancing data collection to aid understanding of demand for services
  • enabling operators to run services only when there is known demand, reducing fuel costs (and empty running)
  • providing access to a greater choice of ultra-low or zero emission vehicles, such as electric minibuses, which may have lower upfront costs than zero emission buses (ZEBs)
  • enabling adaptation of poorer performing conventional bus routes to maintain coverage

Actions for local authorities

When establishing and procuring a DRT service, there are many decisions for a local authority to make. DRT services will be most effective when integrated with a mainstream network and are not the right solution in all circumstances. For example, there are unlikely to be benefits from replacing frequent urban and inter-urban routes.

This toolkit outlines the most important actions and considerations, ranging from defining the zone of operation to specifying vehicles which meet operational, environmental and accessibility requirements and implementing a communication strategy.

Bus, taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) policy is devolved within the UK. Authorities should refer to the relevant devolved administration website for further information on policy applicable in each part of the UK.

For additional guidance and case studies on demand responsive transport, see the Bus Centre of Excellence (BCoE) website. BCoE provides access to resources to help people within and around the bus sector develop skills and knowledge and build their understanding to deliver excellent services across the country. Created as a result of the National Bus Strategy, it is funded and co-sponsored by DfT.

Local authorities with examples of good practice on demand responsive transport that could be shared with others should email the BCoE team at BCoE@ciht.org.uk.

1. Devise a demand responsive transport scheme

After deciding the main aims for a new or extended DRT service, the next steps for a local authority are to define the zone of operation and gauge the likely number of users.

This will enable the development of a business case and procurement documentation and assist in assessing potential carbon emission reductions. It will also inform decisions on which type of vehicles would be most suitable, allowing the regulatory implications to be considered.

Defining the zone of operation

The area that a DRT service covers is known as a zone. The size of the zone can vary widely between services, reflecting:

  • the purpose of the scheme
  • the density of the population
  • fleet size
  • maximum wait times or journey times
  • various other factors

Once a service is operational, the zone may need to be refined based on demand.

To define an appropriate zone, local authorities should consider:

  • the main residential areas to be served
  • significant destinations, such as employment zones, large employers, town centres, hospitals and healthcare sites, leisure attractions, transport interchanges
  • existing passenger transport services

At the planning stage, local authorities should ensure that DRT is considered within the context of a bus service improvement plan (BSIP) or local transport plan.

Approaches adopted by DRT providers include specifically using DRT as a feeder to existing fixed route services.

Care should be taken not to give an advantage to certain existing services over others and local authorities must satisfy themselves that the introduction of a DRT service will not result in a breach of competition law or subsidy control rules.

Implementing DRT: Breng Flex, Netherlands

A 2018 academic study of an urban DRT service, Breng Flex, in the Netherlands by Alonso-Gonzalez et al explored whether it was complementing or conflicting with other modes. They found:

  • 0.1% of DRT trips could have been expected to be walked
  • 16.5% of the DRT trips could have been expected to be cycled
  • up to 20% of rides connected to a train station

For over 50% of the analysed trips, the generalised journey time (GJT) of DRT was at least half the time of a fixed route alternative. With various weightings applied, the GJT accounts for:

  • time spent walking to a pick-up location
  • time spent waiting and in-transit
  • the number of transfers,

It indicated that, in this case, DRT considerably improved mobility and it was generally used where there were poor alternative connections, not as a substitute or ‘premium’ service due to the higher comfort levels that DRT is perceived to provide.

The study recommends that the price of DRT service reflects the availability and practicality (for example, journey times) of fixed route services.

The approach or principles could be applied elsewhere to analyse service performance and identify spatial patterns.

Estimating demand for a DRT service

Data on demographic characteristics, travel behaviour and destinations within the proposed DRT zone can be used to estimate what the likely uptake of the service will be.

There are numerous approaches, as highlighted by the case studies drawing on academic research. Estimating demand will allow calculation of the costs and CO2 emissions associated with the service.

Helpful data sources can include:

  • latest available census data (2011, 2021)
  • National Travel Survey and localised travel survey data
  • nomis – UK labour market statistics from Office for National Statistics (ONS)
  • council transport modelling and knowledge within your local highway and planning authority
  • public bodies, such as NHS trusts and the education sector
  • local plan allocations
  • recent major planning applications
  • data from subnational transport bodies (Transport for North, Transport East, Transport for the South East, Midlands Connect, England’s Economic Heartland and Western Gateway)
  • major employment locations

The approach or principles could be applied elsewhere to analyse service performance and identify spatial patterns.

Implementing DRT: Melbourne, Australia

Census and travel survey data was modelled by Jain et al (2017) to predict the likelihood of residents in different areas of Metropolitan Melbourne to use a DRT model, based on population characteristics, trip patterns and existing transport options.

Through a review of international academic literature, they identified 11 factors which increased the likelihood of an individual using DRT.

The factors were:

  • being 15 to 24
  • being 55 years or more
  • being female (more likely to use DRT)
  • not being in the workforce
  • not having a driving licence
  • low household vehicle ownership
  • low household income, single person household
  • lack of a nearby train station
  • proportion of shopping and social trips
  • higher trip waiting time
  • higher trip walking time to access public transport

The analysis could be used when developing zones for a new service. A better understanding of the essential factors driving demand and how these vary across a city can also allow services and communications to be tailored.

Regulation

DRT schemes can include flexible bus services (registered local bus services able to deviate from a fixed route), taxi or PHV-based services and dial-a-ride services.

They can be provided by:

  • public service vehicles
  • taxis or PHVs
  • community transport operators
  • hospital transport (non-emergency patient transport)
  • social services transport

Local authorities will need to decide the vehicles they intend to use, what type of service they want to provide and consider the regulatory implications of their choice.

Each approach has its own regulatory framework, including driver licensing and local authorities will need to ensure that any scheme meets the relevant regulations.

For example, specifying a ‘flexible bus service’ will require it to be registered with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

For further information on the regulation of flexible bus services, see the overview in the Future of Transport Regulatory Review.

Funding for DRT schemes

Most DRT services are currently subsidised by local transport authorities.

Relying on short-term, external funding can be problematic if it leads to service withdrawal at the end of the funding period, resulting in users losing trust in alternative or future mobility schemes.

In England, local authorities may wish to explore the following options:

Section 106 funding

This can be secured as part of a new housing development to ensure residential areas are linked to important facilities and services.

Community infrastructure levy

The community infrastructure levy is a charge that can be levied by local authorities on new developments in their area to help them deliver the infrastructure needed to support development.

Local economic partnership (LEP) funding

LEP funding is generally used to stimulate economic growth, it may be appropriate for DRT schemes targeting employment locations.

Bus Service Operators Grant

Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG): this is a grant paid to operators of eligible bus services and community transport organisations to help them recover some of their fuel costs.

In Bus Back Better, the government committed to review BSOG to ensure that it is aligned with wider priorities to benefit the environment. The Transport Decarbonisation Plan commits to increasing the BSOG green incentive for ZEBs to 22p per kilometre, ahead of a wider review.

Existing local authority bus funding

This may be appropriate where DRT could offer a more effective public transport solution than existing or conventional services.

Local business or employers

Contributions from local businesses or major employers may be appropriate where the scheme serves a commercial area not well served by public transport.

Central government grants

There are no schemes currently open but in recent years, English local authorities have been awarded funding through the Rural Mobility Fund and to pilot Total Transport solutions.

Implementing DRT: Essex DaRT

Essex DaRT operates 6 flexible services in rural areas across Essex where conventional bus services proved unviable.

One route is commercially viable and has been running without subsidy for over 10 years following an initial period of local authority funding. The other 5 services have been run by Essex County Council since 2016 and benefit from subsidies.

The service groups passengers making similar bookings together and only operates where there is sufficient demand. Fares are based on the distance travelled. Trips must be booked 2 hours beforehand and block and individual bookings can be made up to three months in advance.

In 2022, Essex launched its ‘DigiGo’ DRT scheme in the rural area around Braintree, supported by the Department for Transport’s Rural Mobility Fund. The scheme uses 6 fully electric minibuses which use the nearby ‘Gridserve’ facility to recharge.

2. Undertake procurement

When tendering a DRT service, the local authority should consider including the following in their specification:

Zones

As outlined in action 1, local authorities should define the operational area for the launch of the service and identify significant destinations, such as employment, education, healthcare, retail sites and leisure facilities.

DRT zones should complement other public transport services, either spatially or at different times of day. Zones may be tendered as lots, with the option for an operator to bid for one or more.

Hours of operation

To avoid competition with other services, it may be appropriate to only run DRT services in the evenings and weekends. Depending on the service, the minimum hours of operation could be specified and operators able to offer a more extensive (or frequent) service scored more highly.

Criteria for stops

To provide a safe, accessible service and avoid undermining other services, authorities can set out where vehicles can collect or drop-off passengers.

This may affect the cost of the service if investment is needed to upgrade bus stops, for example to provide hard-standing and wheelchair access.

Vehicle specification

This may include the vehicle type, seating capacity, fuel type or emissions.

Technology requirements

The platform could be procured jointly or separately from the vehicles, learning from the Rural Mobility Fund pilots can inform this.

Technology requirements for integrated ticketing and booking systems with fixed route services should not be overly restrictive to prevent innovation or unfairly advantage certain operators.

Authorities should look to avoid being locked into a single provider for a long contract duration. For more information on booking systems, see action 3.

Accessibility

Local authorities should include provision to ensure services are accessible and inclusive, at all stages of the journey, including booking process, vehicles, stops, customer service and announcements.

In Bus Back Better, the government set out its expectation that DRT services are provided by accessible vehicles, including provision for wheelchair users.

Service performance

Local authorities may wish to specify (or include as quality criteria) indicators, such as time parameters from booking to pick-up, target maximum journey times and user satisfaction.

As outlined in Arup’s report Going the Distance, it should be recognised that there are trade-offs when operating a DRT service between:

  • driver costs (salaries)
  • vehicle size
  • fleet size (coverage within the zone)
  • service standards (for example, response times or journey times)

The optimum balance is likely to be determined by funding availability and passenger expectations.

When creating a specification, local authorities will need to consider including provision for varying requirements over the life of the contract.

Experience from various projects has shown that to make the most of the flexible nature of DRT, schemes usually require some adaptation after launch as new travel opportunities arise and demand changes.

For example, this might include changes to the operating area, different hours of operation, changes to stopping places or deploying vehicles differently.

To help inform operational decisions, such as requiring a 20-minute wait window or real-time passenger updates, local authorities may wish to consider the views expressed by stakeholders in the Future of Transport Regulatory Review regarding flexible bus services.

In due course, learnings are expected to be available from the Rural Mobility Fund pilots.

For a general overview of tendering bus services, see the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Tendering road passenger transport contracts: best practice guidance (2013).

Implementing DRT: HertsLynx

Through the Intalink Enhanced Partnership, Hertfordshire County Council and partners launched the HertsLynx DRT service, an on-demand service to improve connections between rural areas and town centres. As well as local journeys within a large rural zone, passengers can use the service to travel to and from 6 hub towns in north and east Hertfordshire.

The service operates daily, with a reduced timetable on Sundays. Trips can be booked by app or online up to 30 days in advance or 3 minutes before departure. Vehicles can be tracked via the app or text message and will wait for up to one minute at the stop and contact the passenger before moving on.

Fares are based on the distance travelled, with the most expensive trips of 10 miles or more. To promote the service, introductory rates were offered during the first month of operation.

Vehicle specifications

While there are many factors to consider when developing a vehicle specification, local authorities may wish to consider the government’s commitment in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan to make quantifiable carbon reductions a fundamental part of local transport planning and funding.

As stated in Bus Back Better, local transport authorities have been asked to set out actions in their BSIPs to transition the bus fleet to zero emission. Further information on implementing ZEB services can be found in the Zero emission buses: local authority toolkit.

The government held an initial consultation in spring 2021 on a phase out date for new diesel buses.

A public consultation setting out proposals to end the sale of new, non-zero emission buses and a call for evidence on ending the sale of new, non-zero emission coaches and minibuses was launched in March 2022.

In terms of decarbonisation, local authorities can specify or include as evaluation criteria the fuel type (powertrain) of the vehicles, for example, electric, hybrid or diesel.

This could be specified as a minimum proportion of all fleet vehicles, increasing over time in line with market developments, government policy and as journey patterns become clearer.

For an existing service being retendered or extended, it could be linked to the current fleet replacement cycle or age limits could be introduced to accelerate fleet turnover.

Alternatively, local authorities could specify the maximum permitted tailpipe emissions of the vehicles, in terms of maximum grams of CO2 per kilometre.

Specifying a minimum Euro emissions standard for petrol or diesel vehicles would help to reduce the vehicles’ contribution to air pollution, but not to greenhouse gas emissions.

Local authorities will need to contract a specialist business to convert vehicles (of any fuel type and size) to be wheelchair accessible and to convert all EVs above 3.5 tonnes to minibuses.

If they wish, local authorities can procure this through Crown Commercial Service:

Local authorities should carefully specify the minimum seating capacity, including wheelchair spaces, as this will strongly affect the feasibility of using electric minibuses due to the current market maturity and model availability.

Seating capacity also affects which regulatory frameworks apply, see action 1.

3. Use technology to support a DRT service

Local authorities may decide to procure a technology solution jointly or separately from the vehicles.

Investing in a technology platform, either an ‘off the shelf’ or bespoke system, can improve the efficiency and user experience of DRT services by:

  • optimising journeys and efficiency
  • maximising the number of passengers
  • making booking by users quicker, often online or app-based
  • tracking key performance indicators (KPIs)
  • tracking vehicle locations

Online booking is more likely to attract younger people than booking by phone and optimised routes are more time efficient for users. This can encourage greater uptake and modal shift from private vehicles, leading to reduced carbon emissions and cost savings for operators.

Where technology costs are particularly high, local authorities could explore sharing the cost with neighbouring authorities or other appropriate services.

To ensure inclusiveness, local authorities or operators should strive to offer multiple booking options as relying on IT skills, smartphone access and good mobile phone signal to make bookings may exclude some user groups.

Many schemes continue to provide a telephone booking service as an alternative to online booking.

Certain platforms allow operators with local knowledge to overwrite automatically calculated routes if needed.

Implementing DRT: Go2now Sevenoaks

Go2now Sevenoaks demonstrates how technology is supporting users with the booking and usage of DRT. During the COVID-19 pandemic, local bus services were replaced with demand responsive services, which improved access to buses through a new app.

The service continues to operate on Mondays to Saturdays and offers concessionary pricing for off-peak trips.

4. Implement a communications strategy

Attracting a sufficient number of passengers is crucial to the viability and success of any DRT service, both financially and to improve the carbon efficiency.

Communications and ongoing engagement will be needed to increase understanding of any DRT service, encourage improvement and build confidence that the service is reliable and sustainable.

Suggested actions for communications and engagement include:

Have a clear communications strategy

Working with the DRT provider and other stakeholders (such as, significant destinations, employers, community groups), local authorities should develop a communications strategy to publicise the launch of the service and to continually attract new users in the relevant target groups.

Promotions held at different times of the year can reach different types of users. For example, a Christmas campaign can reach shoppers while an autumn campaign might target students starting their academic year.

Organise face-to-face events, if possible

Events can help to engage new users and give prospective users the opportunity to ask questions or hear about the experience of existing users.

CallConnect in Lincolnshire hire a pitch on market days to enable potential users to board the bus and speak to the team.

Produce online and printed materials

Any materials should clearly explain how the service works, particularly the booking process, zones and fares and any constraints. This will help to give users confidence, provide reassurance and set realistic expectations about using the service.

HertsLynx uses an animated video to explain the service, supported by a dedicated webpage and comprehensive frequently asked questions (FAQs) section.

Communicate the benefits of a flexible service

While some users may need to plan their travel further in advance compared to using a fixed service, for others a DRT scheme may be more convenient.

Investing in a sophisticated booking system can enable a reactive and dynamic service to be delivered, facilitating more spontaneous journeys.

Consider ticketing solutions

Fare structures should be transparent. In Bus Back Better, the government stated that it wants local transport authorities to work towards simplified and integrated multi-modal ticketing, which has been shown to increase uptake of public transport.

Where possible, local authorities should work with operators to avoid users needing to purchase multiple tickets, with consequent higher journey costs. Introductory offers can help to generate interest and encourage people to try the service.

Encourage feedback and adapt communications or operations

Authorities should regularly ask for the views of users (and non-users, where possible) and take action to refine the service and address any concerns or confusion.

Government funding awarded

Rural Mobility Fund

In 2021, government awarded £20 million in funding to local authorities in England for 17 pilot DRT schemes through the Rural Mobility Fund. These schemes will further develop our understanding of how DRT works in practice in rural and suburban settings and how it can meet the needs of local communities in areas where demand is more dispersed.

Total Transport

In 2016, the government allocated £7.6 million to 36 local authorities in England to pilot Total Transport solutions in rural areas, including some demand responsive services.

Total Transport aims to find ways of commissioning public sector funded transport so that passengers receive a better service with less duplication of resources. This can include services like non-emergency patient transport, adult social care transport and home to school transport. These are all similar, serve the same geographical area and often carry the same passengers at different times. The Total Transport: Feasibility report and pilot review considers the results achieved.

For information on potential funding sources for new or expanding DRT schemes, read about funding for DRT schemes.