Accessible Transport & Social Inclusion

National Transport Strategy Conference

30 May 2006

Dunblane

• Poverty & Social Inclusion in Scotland –

current trends

• Why Accessibility Matters

• Social Inclusion and Transport

• Challenges for the NTS

Access to Transport & Social Inclusion

• Children: around 1/4 of Scottish children live in

relative poverty, around 240,000 (2004/05)

• Lone parents: 44% live in poverty (2003/04)

• Pensioners: between 16% and 23% are in low

income households (140,000 – 170,000)

• People from minority ethic groups and disabled

people – strong links to labour market exclusion

Who is in Poverty?

Scottish Poverty StatisticsAbsolute & Relative Child Poverty, Scotland,

1996/97 - 2004/05

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Relative

Absolute

Source: Households Below Average Incomes, DWP, 2006

Adult households without children 1996/97 2003/04

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Single Couples

Scottish Poverty Statistics

• Showed overall poverty rate was ‘flat’ – but not

necessarily a sign of policy failure

• Problems of in work poverty are increasing – 2/5 of all

working age H/H in low income contain someone in paid

employment

• Not all of the poor live in disadvantaged area places: 40%

of people with low incomes live in the 15% most deprived

data zones in SMID

• Health indicators significantly worse than England & Wales

(particularly dental health, drug misuse, premature death)

Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2004

There are a range of questions we should ask about the

accessibility of transport:

• Can people get to key services at reasonable cost, in

reasonable time and with reasonable ease?

• To meet these criteria:

• transport must exist between people and services

• transport must be reliable, safe and physically

accessible

• people must be financially able to access transport

• Accessibility can be addressed by changes in transport

provision, but also by changes to the location of goods and

services

Some key questions on accessibility

•People on low incomes are less likely to have access to a

car – 63% of households with incomes of less than £10K do

not.

•Employment lead anti-poverty strategies are dependent on

accessible transport systems

•40% of jobseekers state transport is a barrier to getting a

job. Will reinforce problems of access to childcare

• Accessing services such as healthcare, education and

food shops is often dependent on good public transport -

31% of people without a car have difficulty visiting

hospitals.

• Transport can be both a cause and a consequence of

social exclusion

Social Exclusion & Transport : What is the problem?

• Availability and physical accessibility – bus services in

disadvantaged areas are often minimal, poor rural services

have a particular on young and older people on low incomes.

• Cost of transport – often cited as the key barrier

• Location of services and jobs – more out of town

developments, housing schemes etc

• Safety and security – 53% of women feel unsafe waiting

on a train platform after dark

• Travel horizons – people from disadvantaged areas are

less likely to travel longer distances

Five key accessibility barriers

•Overall reductions in income poverty for some key groups

– families with children, lone parents and older people

•Free bus travel for older people and disabled people

appears to have had an immediate impact

• Rural Community Transport Initiative & Rural Public

Passenger Transport Scheme (more 150 schemes

supported, 400 new bus routes)

• Improvements to the provision of buses in disadvantaged

areas – the Bus Route Development Grant Scheme

Social Inclusion and Transport: Progress so far

What are the challenges for the NTS in promoting an

accessible Scotland?

•Genuinely balance economic and social transport

needs – how to ‘poverty proof’ the new strategy

•Ensuring that all those on low incomes are not

excluded from public transport. Need to recognise the

nature of low income in Scotland – how to extend

eligibility to all those affected by poverty?

• Tackle the physical exclusion of disabled people –

ensuring compliance with DDA

Accessibility Challenges for the NTS

• Accessibility planning – how best to ensure that

people with experience of poverty and exclusion are

involved

•Support for infrastructure – station facilities,

buildings all impact on accessibility

• Real integration of services – how to make variety of

schemes and providers work together for the most

disadvantaged

•Making the change from a ‘car culture’ to one where

public transport is for all rather than for the poor

Accessibility Challenges for the NTS