Hampshire BSIP+ Independent Travel Training Grant

About the grant

This grant stream is open to a wide variety of Hampshire based organisations, including charities, not-for-profit community organisations, district and borough councils and HCC departments, to enable the delivery of independent travel training to adults who find it difficult to engage with public transport information or to use local bus services, to develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence to travel independently on local bus services.

Local bus services connect the places where people live to employment, shopping, education and healthcare, helping people to live safe, healthy, independent lives. The grant’s purpose is to help organisations expand their existing offerings to include the provision of independent travel training with a particular focus on, but not limited to, the Hampshire bus network.

Previous travel training initiatives have struggled to identify and engage effectively with those adults who could most benefit from receiving travel training, which is why this grant stream is seeking to fund organisations who are already embedded within local communities and already have a pre-existing relationship with adults who are socially isolated or have learning differences, mental health or physical disabilities. (Please note this is not an exhaustive list)

Hampshire County Council has been awarded Bus Service Improvement Plan Phase 2 (BSIP+) funding by the Department for Transport (DfT), a proportion of which has been allocated to fund this community-based independent travel training grant stream. The BSIP+ funding has a two stage spend, which will allow us to make an initial funding award in Sept / Oct 2024 to organisations / groups to trial the delivery of Independent Travel Training with their client group for an initial 6 month period, which may then lead to a further allocation of funding to extend the project with the opportunity to incorporate lessons learnt.

Several factors will influence the grant sum received by an organisation. These will include the project scope, specific needs associated with the client group, and the anticipated impact or outcomes of the initiative. The grant is unable to fund the provision of existing Independent Travel Training schemes.

Who can apply

Hampshire organisations or community groups who are already embedded within local communities and already have a pre-existing relationship with adults who are socially isolated or have learning differences, mental health difficulties or physical disabilities. Organisations should demonstrate that their services are accessible to the entire eligible community, rather than being limited to a restricted membership group (for example, without being dependant on acceptance into a specific school or college placement).

How to apply

Organisations/groups applying for a grant must complete the grant application form in full and provide the supporting documentation.

Grant applications must be submitted by Tuesday 15 October 2024.

Contact us

If you have any specific questions or need further information, please email the team at [email protected]