Users’ Responses to the Implementation of an Innovative Accessible Bus Service in a Remote Rural Area

People living in remote rural areas are often dependent on access to a private car in order to lead a full and independent life. However, many people in rural areas are unable to afford such access. People on low incomes or who are becoming too old to drive a car are therefore excluded from a society that is designed around the assumption that everyone has access to a car. One reason for this dependence is the absence of accessible public transport. Another is that as the more wealthy people use their car to travel to work, shops and facilities far away from home, local facilities such as the village shop close down for lack of customers. This makes the problem even worse for people without access to a car as the lack of public transport prevents them from making even simple shopping trips without having to ask a neighbor or family member for a lift. This has impacts on elderly and disabled people and young people living in rural areas. This paper describes the outcomes of a research project � Accessible Public Transport in Rural Areas (APTRA) � in which these issues were explored. APTRA worked with the local communities in a remote area of England to specify, design and operate an accessible bus service that would respond to the needs of local people. The bus service operates on a fixed route and schedule, reaches the heart of every village along the route, and operates every three hours on 6 days per week. The bus had to be specially designed as there was no vehicle available that was small enough to travel along narrow country lanes yet large enough to accommodate a reasonable number of passengers including wheelchairs. The service started in April 1999. As part of the APTRA project, a questionnaire survey was carried out of the bus users in May and June 2000. This supplements the regular monitoring of usage. The questionnaire sought to find out how users had altered the travel habits as a result of the introduction of the bus service. The paper describes the outcomes of this survey, including information about transfers from car (as ex car passenger or car driver), use of the bus, effects of the accessibility measures incorporated in the bus service, reasons for travel and the nature of journey purposes. These outcomes carry serious messages for the development of rural policy � not only in transport but also with respect to rural development and the relationship between the local community and the control of their transport services.