Design a community transport service

Things to consider when designing a transport service to meet your community needs.

Designing a successful transport service requires compromise between the needs of different people. The more responses you can get from your community at the planning stage, the easier it will be to design a successful transport service.

Scheduling and timetables

Deciding when to operate your service

  • Which transport needs do you want to fulfil? E.g. shopping trips, medical appointments, farmers’ markets
  • Do you need to provide your service on a particular day or at a particular time?
  • Do you need to coordinate your service with a specific activity, such as a morning surgery?
  • Who is your service for? Have you asked people what times they would prefer to travel?

Consider local circumstances

  • Does your service clash with community activities, such as a coffee morning or lunch club? This can impact who can use your service.
  • Consult with individuals in the community who have a good knowledge of local activities and services.
  • Speak to your local District or Borough Council who can provide advice and support on the best days/times to operate a service.

Designing a timetabled service (taxibus, community bus)

  • Check that you can drive the journey within the time allowed by the timetable. The same journey takes longer in a minibus than in a car.
  • Account for the time it takes to collect and drop off passengers, especially if you run a service for people with limited mobility.
  • Leave enough time to comfortably make any bus or train connections.
  • Allow extra time for heavy traffic at certain times of day.
  • How long do people want to stay out for before making the return journey? Different groups might want different return journey times.
  • Share your draft timetable with the community. Does it meet their needs?
Journey planning

Parking

  • Where will you collect your passengers from?
  • Where will you drop passengers off at the destination?
  • Have you checked that you are allowed to park at the destination?
  • What will you do if parking spaces aren't available at the destination?

Operating on public holidays

  • Will you operate the service on public holidays?
  • If yes, have you checked whether the destination is open on public holidays?
  • If no, will you run an additional service on another day?
Fares and budgeting

Provisional budget

Prepare a provisional budget, including income and expenditure. This will show you if the service will be financially stable, or if additional funding will be required.

  • Do you require "pump-priming" funding to start the service?
  • Do you require capital funding to buy transport or office equipment?
  • What will your operating costs be?
  • How many people do you need to use your service to cover the operating costs? Is achieving those numbers realistic?
  • Do you need a long term funding strategy to subsidise the service if it won't break even?
  • Are other sources of income available? (E.g. hiring out your vehicle, Bus Service Operator's Grant)

Setting fares

  • How much are you going to charge for your service?
  • What are your potential passengers willing to pay for the service?
  • How many passengers do you expect to carry?
  • Will you offer concessionary travel on your service? 

Managing money

It is important to manage your transport scheme's finances effectively. Plan ahead, keep a budget and report on time. A bank account and a book-keeping system are a must.

For further advice visit the KnowHow NonProfit website.