Attitudes of disabled people to community transport:
Research study (carried out Nov - Dec 2002)

Knowledge about Community Transport

How much do disabled people know about community transport?

The questionnaire began by asking respondents what they thought the term 'community transport' meant. This question was open-ended, meaning respondents wrote in their spontaneous responses without being prompted by a list of possible answers.

The results suggest that disabled people do not have a detailed knowledge of community transport. The most common answers are very general: the top response among those giving an answer is a 'transport service for the community', mentioned by 26%. This is followed by 'all types of public transport', and 'transport services for the disabled' (18% and 17% respectively). Of note, one third of all respondents say they 'don't know' what the term community transport means.

Q 1: Please write in, what you think the term 'Community transport' means?

Source: MORI

Respondents were then asked how familiar they are with various forms of community transport. Very few respondents know a lot about community transport, with only one in seven (14%) saying they know a lot about any of the forms of community transport mentioned.

The types of community transport that are most well-known about are Dial-a-ride and Shopmobility; around half of disabled people know at least a little about them (54% and 51% respectively). Transport provided by social services is also reasonably well known (46% know at least a little). Least well known is PlusBus, with 81% saying they have never heard of it.

• Awareness of Dial-a-ride and Community buses is particularly high in London, whereas awareness of PlusBus is lower in the Capital than in the rest of the country.
• Awareness of all forms of community transport is low among wheelchair users. The one exception to this is Shopmobility, which they are significantly more likely to know about.

Published: 28 June 2004

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