Find the right transport solutions for your community

Options to consider following your assessment of community transport needs.

Inform people of existing services

A common problem is lack of awareness of existing transport services. People may be unaware of the frequency of services or the destinations served. They may assume rural public transport is slow or unreliable.

Produce an information leaflet

A local travel information leaflet can raise awareness of local services, timetables and destinations.

How to produce an information leaflet

Deal with problems

People may be deterred from using existing transport services by other factors, such as:

  • broken street lighting
  • overgrown hedges
  • large puddles at bus stops

Timely reporting of problems allows them to be addressed. To report an issue, see the report a problem page.

Expand an existing transport service to meet local needs

Commercial operators

A commercial operator may be able to divert bus services at certain times of day to include a rural community.

  • Can you show evidence of demand for such a service?
  • Would the change fit with the operator's other priorities?

Community transport operators

Hampshire community transport operators run services which cater for specific needs. For example, a Dial a Ride service offers on-demand transport for those physically unable to use a conventional service.

Hampshire community transport services

Setting up a new service can be expensive. Is it possible to contribute towards expanding an existing service so it can be used by more of your residents?

  • Work with the Dial a Ride operator to convert this to a Call and Go service. This extends the service to those without appropriate bus links.
  • An annual contribution of up to £3,000 can ensure extra weekly travel opportunities for your residents.
  • Contribute towards cost of a moped to be used by young people in your parish.

Hampshire County Council

Hampshire County Council pays for the majority of taxishare schemes operating in the county. It may be cheaper to extend an existing taxishare scheme for your community than setting up a new scheme.

Provide transport links to an existing service

Consider your community in the context of a larger transport network. It may be more cost effective to design your transport service to connect with an existing service. For example, provide transport to a local train station or main road bus stop.

  • provides access to many destinations
  • reduces the running costs of your service

If you create a linking service to a bus route, speak to the operator of the bus service. They can keep you informed of changes to the route or timetable. Keeping a reliable schedule is essential for any linking service.

Promote other modes of travel

Promote cycling or walking for short journeys by:

  • increasing awareness of local cycle routes
  • improving footpaths
  • investing in cycle storage or other infrastructure

Hampshire County Council resources

Maps and leaflets of walking and cycling routes. Report problems with footpaths and cycle tracks.

Other resources

Bring key services to your community

If there is a need for transport to a specific service, it might be more cost effective to bring that service to your parish. Key services could include:

  • supermarket deliveries
  • keep fit classes
  • mobile libraries
  • postal services
  • community shops

Examples

A fitness instructor may run a class in your parish if:

  • they can hire a venue at a reasonable rate
  • enough people commit to the class by pre-paying

A local butcher who attends farmers markets may be prepared to visit once a fortnight to sell his products if:

  • the community is committed to supporting their outlet
  • the Parish Council supports their application for a street vendor's licence

Resources

Work with medical services to coordinate transport provision

If there is poor transport provision for medical services, discuss these difficulties with the service provider.

  • Some hospital services (such as blood tests) operate on a first come first served basis. It may be possible to give priority to patients who might miss their return transport.
  • Priority for appointments on certain days may be given to those who are only able to travel once a week.
Work with other parishes to provide a transport service

Do neighbouring parishes have similar needs to your parish? Working together to set up a service may be more cost effective and a better use of resources.