Demand responsive transport : a review of schemes in England and Wales

Local Authority administered Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) schemes are increasingly prevalent in England and Wales, partly as a result of the growth in the availability of Government funding. However insufficient research has been undertaken into the nature of these schemes and their performance making it difficult to predict their future role. In this respect, a survey was undertaken in order to collect data on the background, operation and performance of DRT schemes in England and Wales. It found that DRT schemes are often designed in an attempt to tackle social problems caused by poor accessibility, and that they took time to become established, to achieve their objectives and to reach an acceptable performance in terms of subsidy level. The paper concludes that Local Authority led DRT schemes have a role to play but that lessons learnt from schemes currently in operation must be heeded by those contemplating new scheme development.