This Challenge is open to application until the Friday 6th September 2024 at 5pm.
Support is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Tees Valley Innovation Challenge is delivered by Edge Innovation Ltd and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Tees Valley Business Board.
The Community Transport Association (CTA) is a UK member-based charity that supports transport-related charities, community groups, and social enterprises across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Public transport outside of London has declined significantly over the last 15 years, up to 80% in some parts of the country, resulting in demand for better, more accessible, cost-effective, and carbon-neutral transport options. CTA advocates for its members to deliver innovative and flexible transport solutions, aiming to achieve social change and remove transportation barriers faced by communities.
CTA supports over 2,000 Community Transport Operators of diverse sizes, capacities, and localities with varying needs focused on addressing local transport issues. Operators aim to provide accessible transport for rural communities, considering barriers such as:
These barriers contribute to social isolation and exclusion and hinder access to essential health services, social and employment activities.
CTA
Data Fragmentation: CTA faces challenges due to fragmented data collection practices among its member operators. Variations in data types, collection methods, and definitions hinder CTA's ability to gain a cohesive understanding of community transport needs and impacts.
Limited Evidence: The lack of standardised social value metrics and inconsistent data quality limits CTA's ability to effectively advocate for its members and secure funding based on demonstrable impact.
Strategic Limitations: Without unified data, CTA struggles to strategically campaign for additional resources and influence policy decisions effectively.
Resource Intensiveness: Current data collection processes are resource-intensive and yield limited actionable insights, hampering CTA's operational efficiency and impact assessment capabilities.
Operators
Diverse Data Practices: Operators employ varied data collection systems and methodologies, leading to data inconsistency and compatibility issues for CTA.
Resource Constraints: Operators are faced with increasing costs and shrinking budgets, meaning that many lack the resources and capabilities to collect and analyse comprehensive data on their operations and social impact.
Operational Inefficiencies: Inconsistent data practices contribute to operational inefficiencies and hinder the ability of operators to optimise service delivery and demonstrate their value to stakeholders.
Limited Growth Opportunities: Without standardised data practices, operators face challenges in attracting funding, expanding services, and improving operational sustainability.
Users
Transport Accessibility: Users face barriers such as limited transport options, high costs, and inadequate awareness of available services, particularly in rural areas.
Social Isolation: Poor transport options contribute to social isolation among users, particularly those with reduced mobility or disabilities.
Reduced Quality of Life: Limited transport options and high costs restrict users' access to essential services and opportunities, impacting their quality of life, social and economic participation.
Dependency on Private Vehicles: Inadequate public transport options force users to rely on private vehicles, contributing to environmental concerns, increased costs and traffic congestion.
CTA
Unified Data Framework: Implementing standardised data collection practices will enable CTA to consolidate and analyse data effectively, fostering a unified understanding of community transport needs and impacts.
Advocacy and Funding: Improved data will strengthen CTA's advocacy efforts and enhance its ability to secure funding based on clear evidence of need and social value.
Enhanced Strategic Influence: With better data, CTA can strategically influence policy decisions and funding allocations, maximising impact on community transport initiatives.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlined data collection processes will reduce resource burdens on CTA, allowing for more efficient operations and support to its members.
Operators
Standardised Metrics: Adoption of common metrics will enable operators to measure and demonstrate their social impact consistently.
Access to Resources: Improved data practices will enhance operators' access to funding and resources, supporting sustainable growth and service enhancement.
Improved Service Delivery: Standardised data will enable operators to optimise service offerings, improve reliability, and expand accessibility for users.
Sustainable Growth: Enhanced data capabilities will attract new funding opportunities and partnerships, facilitating long-term sustainability and operational growth for operators.
Users
Enhanced Accessibility: Improved data practices will lead to better transport options, including lower costs, increased reliability, and expanded service coverage.
Reduced Isolation: Users will benefit from improved transport options, reducing social isolation and improving access to essential services and community resources.
Improved Quality of Life: Enhanced transport services will enhance users' quality of life, economic opportunities, and overall well-being.
Environmental Benefits: Increased use of sustainable transport options will contribute to environmental goals, reducing reliance on private vehicles and lowering carbon footprints.
Disparate collation systems: Current varied systems for collecting and understanding social value across operators. While the Social Value toolkit is commonly used, it lacks unification across regions.
Complex data requirements: Varied funding criteria and relationships with local authorities result in diverse data measurements.
Untimely non-evidential reporting: CTA collects data from operators via an annual survey, but there is no common understanding of the definitions used amongst the operators, rendering the responses non-evidential. Additionally, the complexity and length of the current data input method can present a barrier to operators inputting the information required by CTA.
For example, there is no central definition of a single journey: some operators measure each vehicle usage as two journeys (outbound and inbound), while others measure each stop as another trip (home to supermarket, supermarket to work, work to home, etc.).
Standardised collation system: A future with standardised collation and data across operators, including common definitions of metrics, will be piloted before scaling. This will integrate with current social value tracking systems where possible.
Simplified data requirements: The data collected will be easily accessible, protecting operators' confidentiality and IP.
Regular reliable reporting: A simplified system which provides real time or monthly reporting which is consistent and easy to use for operators will ensure reliable robust reporting. Enabling CTA to link impact to funding and initiatives delivered to identify gaps in community transport, increasing operators’ access to funding and enhancing service delivery.
Limiting progress and evidencing need: The current process limits CTA's potential to deliver on its goals due to:
These limitations contribute to the inability to direct funds effectively, ultimately stunting community impact delivery.
Delivering impact and growth: A better evidence base for community impact at both local and national levels will enable operators to access further funding to meet transport needs more effectively and grow their operations.
Reducing inefficiencies will drive sustainability, attract new staff and volunteers, and allow more community members to access essential services.
To access this support, you must be a small or medium-sized business based in Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, or Stockton-On-Tees).
Support is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Tees Valley Innovation Challenge is delivered by Edge Innovation Ltd and Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority, and the Tees Valley Business Board.