The use of shared taxis on a large scale should be rolled out to help meet the transport needs of rural communities, a government advisory body has recommended.
A new approach to rural public transport, published by the Commission for Integrated Public Transport (CFIT), says the UK would ‘benefit from demand-responsive transport schemes’ in deep rural areas.
It has recommended a county-wide demonstration ‘TaxiPlus’ scheme – where a fleet of small vehicles provides shared transport to passengers who pre-book – as the next step.
In the Netherlands and Switzerland, the service operates both on a fixed route and at a fixed time alongside a door-to-door service. Ticketing is integrated with conventional public transport, and services are designed to connect with buses and trains.
The CFIT concludes that a rural transport network which is more ‘cost-efficient and environmentally-efficient than the current system, and better meets rural people’s needs’ is possible.
The Local Transport Act sets out a framework for sub-regional co-ordination of transport planning, which the CFIT believes ‘may, in future, make it easier to manage demand-responsive transport services on a regional or sub-regional scale – for example, across several counties’.
While CFIT is confident there are no ‘insurmountable regulatory or legislative problems’ which could prevent the scheme, specific issues in relation to taxi licensing and the funding system for rural transport will need to be resolved. Reluctance on the part of local authorities and the taxi trade to take full advantage of the opportunities that are available under current legislation will also need to be tackled.
CFIT recommends that central and local Government consider the licensing of taxi operators at a higher geographical level, either at county or regional level, than currently undertaken. It also recommends a closer relationship with taxi operators to develop new relationships and exploit existing opportunities.
A review of how public subsidy going into rural public transport provision can be best applied to ensure a level playing field among potential operators should also be carried out. Nick Bisson, director of regional local transport policy at the Department for Transport, said he would take the recommendations very seriously.
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