Community transport is the backbone of many local communities, providing essential services to those who might otherwise be isolated or unable to access necessary resources. As someone deeply involved in community initiatives, I’ve seen first-hand how vital this support can be. My work with the Derwent Valley Car Club has given me unique insights into the challenges and opportunities within community transport, particularly when it comes to data collection and evidencing impact in local communities.
My Experience with Community Transport
My journey with community transport began over 20 years’ ago while working within the charitable sector for a rural advocacy organisation and then for a local authority supporting Dial a Ride schemes in rural Lincolnshire. Although varied schemes were involved they all provided crucial transportation for residents in remote areas, ensuring they had access to essential services, employment and social opportunities. This experience highlighted the importance of community transport and set the foundation for my interest and support for such schemes.
Years later, following a move back up north, I became involved with the creation of a community car club in my neighbouring village. Utilising funding from the National Lottery Village SOS funds we created a bespoke car club designed not only to provide affordable and flexible transportation options for drivers but also a driver scheme for residents unable to drive. The initiative aimed to reduce social isolation, improve access to essential services and promote sustainable net-zero travel. Being a part of this initiative and driving its development locally and into other communities I saw, and still see today, the profound impact that accessible transport has on individuals and the broader community. The impact not only of the users but also the volunteer drivers is substantial, with feedback including this recent quote from one of our valued volunteers:
“As a volunteer driver, I can see the difference the car club makes to non drivers. It gives them freedom to be human again and become part of society instead of looking from their windows at the world passing them by. I did not release the impact this has had on our non driver members and I'm humble that in a small way I'm able to help some of these people which has without a doubt helped me too. Without this I would be that person looking out of the window on the world. Joining as a volunteer has given me purpose again.”
Through the Car Club, we are able to gather anecdotal evidence of its benefits – stories of residents who can now attend medical appointments, ring the ‘bell’ following cancer treatments, families who can participate in community events, and individuals who have found new employment opportunities thanks to improved mobility.
To me this qualitative data is the ‘gold dust’, it is the stories behind the statistics, it’s the ‘why’ behind the schemes. But what about the quantitative data? To truly measure impact and improve services, robust systematic data collection is required to evidence and quantify the impact.
Understanding the Challenge
The Car Club is an example of one of the schemes that the Community Transport Association (CTA) supports. CTA plays a crucial role in supporting local community transport operators to offer better and more tailored services. However, collecting valuable information about member activities and their impact on local communities remains a significant challenge. 15% of Community Transport Operators (CTOs) are large organisations with active data collection processes and in contrast, over 30% are smaller organisations with fewer resources to collect information, and where they do it may not be in a digitised, compatible format.
This disparity creates a gap in understanding of the varied needs of different operators and a wider lack of understanding of areas which are not being supported currently. While data is available, issues such as quality and lack of standardisation hinder CTA's ability to grow its understanding and support for different operators.
The Data Collection Dilemma
I recall many years ago being introduced to the 80/20 rule, or Pareto Principle, which suggests that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. It highlights that a small number of inputs often lead to the majority of results. It can be used as a strategy or principle to prioritise efforts, improve efficiency, and focus on what matters most. While the direct delivery is without a doubt what matters most, using the 80/20 principle we should without doubt prioritise the time to monitor the impact of the work we do and promote that even as small organisations with very limited resources.
As with many other voluntary sector organisations with limited resources most processes are manual, leading to laborious data gathering exercises and inconsistencies and gaps in data. This makes it difficult to demonstrate full impact to funders and stakeholders or to identify areas for improvement.
The CTA’s annual survey is the current route to pull together operators’ data, but the lengthy process is often off-putting to small organisations who are already stretched managing day-to-day operations. The need for more frequent and efficient data collection is apparent if operators are to adapt to changing local needs and provide evidence-based support which the CTA can share with policymakers to drive further delivery and improvements.
Moving Forward: Monthly Data Collection
To address these challenges, the CTA aims to shift from an annual survey to monthly data collection. This approach would provide a more dynamic and accurate picture of local trends, needs and impacts. For organisations like the car club, it means a more manageable and continuous process, allowing operators to adjust services in real-time and better demonstrate value to funders.
Empowering Local SMEs
This shift also opens up opportunities for local businesses to get involved, particularly small and medium-sized ones (SMEs). By developing innovative solutions to streamline data collection and standardisation, SMEs can play a crucial role in enhancing community transport services. The CTA is actively seeking partnerships with Tees Valley-based SMEs to tackle these challenges.
Tees Valley Innovation Challenge
The Tees Valley Innovation Challenge aims to harness the power of innovation to foster business growth in our region. The programme focuses on ground-breaking ideas with real-world impact, promoting innovation across various sectors, including technology, sustainability, education, and transport. The goal is to cultivate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship led by innovation specialists and business support providers Edge Innovation and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Tees Valley Business Board.
Business opportunities
The Tees Valley Innovation Challenge offers businesses the opportunity to enhance their innovation capabilities, through challenge-led collaboration opportunities, specialist one-to-one support, training, and events to capitalise on growth opportunities within the vibrant innovative Tees Valley economy.
Innovation Challenges
Innovation challenges are a relatively new concept. They connect large organisations (challenge holders) with small and medium-sized businesses (solution developers) to solve priority industry cluster challenges. This approach stimulates creative problem-solving and fosters the development of new ideas, products, or processes.
This is where the magic happens, by connecting the challenges facing the Community Transport Association and Community Transport Operators with dynamic and innovative businesses we can create new and improved solutions to support businesses and the voluntary and community sectors.
Businesses in Tees Valley have the opportunity to apply to the Innovation Challenge programme and successful applicants will have the chance to present their solutions to the CTA and create impactful collaborations and new supply chains.
Tees Valley businesses can apply for an initial grant of £1,000 to scope their solution, with the potential of securing a further £10,000 to develop it, through ten innovation challenges including with CTA.
Conclusion
My experience with the Car Club initiative and my earlier work with Dial a Ride and other local schemes has shown me the transformative power of community transport and the importance of robust data collection. As we move towards more frequent and efficient data collection methods, we can better understand and meet the needs of local communities. I encourage local SMEs to join us in this mission, leveraging their expertise to drive innovation and support the growth of community transport services. Together, we can create a more connected, inclusive, resilient community in the Tees Valley and beyond.
To find out more about the programme go to www.bit.ly/TV-IC or if you would like to apply for the Community Transport – Driving Impact Through Data Challenge go to www.bit.ly/TVIC-CTA-APPLY
Thanks for reading
Susan
Head of Projects
Edge Innovation Ltd