A comparative study of special transport for disabled people in Britain

There has been an appreciable growth in the special transport services for non car owning low income elderly and disabled people unable to use public transport. The aims of this report are to: a) investigate the nature of these services and the factors which have influenced their development; b) examine the nature and distribution of benefits derived by users, potential users, and other bodies; c) assess the relative cost effectiveness of the different schemes; and d) provide and overall assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of the different schemes and types of service, with some guidelines for future development. The main types of service identified are: a) directly provided demand responsive schemes. These offer the best quality of service in theory, but in practice are costly and resource limitations have resulted in severe restrictions on the level and type of service offered. b) user side subsidized schemes. These are demand responsive and also have the advantage of being part of the public transport service; c) fixed route of schedule led services. These offer a more restricted service but can cater for more people at lower unit cost. The final choice of service is likely to be one of service mix.