MARK HAUENSTEIN
  RURAL AFFAIRS | ACB  / RESEARCH



Our research into rural transport & communication revealed the following issues:

- High dependency on cars in rural areas.
- 1/6th rural households are without a car.
- Rural public transport coverage is limited, often infrequent and inflexible.
- Those unable to drive (elderly and youth) are most dependent. We also looked into the UK government's current public policy for rural transport finding that:
- There is a desire to create and support small-scale, flexible local initiatives which are responsive to people's needs.
- Access to transport interchanges should be increased.
- They want to encourage active participation of communities in shaping and managing their

We identified several public transport schemes which are currently running, seeking to provide a flexible service to those dependent on it: Lincolnshire Dial-a-Ride; Phone & Go services and the Wiltshire Wiggley Bus. With these in mind and the perception that a primary need is the provision of increased funding for transport in rural areas we turned our attention to the following aims:

- Enhance established transport initiatives.
- Enable flexible, adaptive systems.
- Strengthen communities around bus corridors.
- Give the users a voice.
- Examine the experience of the passengers.
- Raise the profile of public transport use.
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