Evaluation study of demand responsive transport services in Wiltshire. Final report.

Introduction: Wiltshire has one of the most established DRT networks in Britain with the first ‘Wigglybus’ scheme being introduced in 1998 under the first tranche of Rural Bus Challenge funding from the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Subsequently, the network has developed such that it now has eight routes made up of ‘Wigglybus’, ‘Hopper’ and taxi-based DRT services. Consequently the County is seen as being a leader in the field of DRT. The Council is, however facing significant financial pressures. In particular, costs in the bus industry are rising at a rate significantly higher than inflation while the available sources of subsidy are either under threat due to a significant reduction in the County’s overall funding through the Annual Settlement Grant, or else disappearing altogether (e.g. Rural Bus Challenge, finance from NHS PCT Trusts). As a result, in March 2006, Wiltshire County Council employed a research team from Loughborough University to evaluate Demand Responsive Transport services in the County and make recommendations as to how the County Council should proceed regarding its DRT services in the future.