HCT Group impact report 2018hctgroup.org/uploaded/hct-group-impact-report-2018.pdf · contents...

impact report 2018bolder vision, broader impact

welcome to our impact report

Dear colleague

At HCT Group, social impact is the beginning and the end of what we do; the reason we exist. We believe that understanding our impact, measuring it rigorously and then sharing what we have found is an indivisible part of the impact itself. This report, through our data, our research and our stories, aims to show the difference we have been making in our communities over the past 12 months.

HCT Group is often held up as an example of social entrepreneurship – we are applauded for our growth to scale, our impact and our innovation. I welcome the recognition that this gives to our teams up and down the country, each working ceaselessly to make a difference to people’s lives. If we can also inspire others to create change – or use any of the influence we might have gained in support of the broader community transport or social enterprise movements – then we are always willing to stand at the front.

And yet, speaking personally, I cannot shake a sense of the most urgent disquiet. We live in a world where loneliness and social isolation blights the lives of older and disabled people, where people in our communities are left behind in poverty and unemployment, where ex-offenders are more likely to re-offend than to get a job and lead happy and productive lives. The list goes on, with vulnerable and marginalised people unable to lead the lives they want.

Even though each service we provide makes a real and vital difference to people’s lives, it is not enough, not nearly enough. We are in the merest foothills of where we need to be. We must ask ourselves, always, what more is it in our power to do? This, I think, is the very heart of social entrepreneurship.

Our purpose holds to create new expectations of what good business means. I have talked and written at length about moving on from the ‘Robin Hood’ model of social enterprise, whose impact rests on profit reinvestment alone. We have talked of an idea of ‘total impact’ – our long-held ambition to re-imagine the services where we earn our revenues, using these as engines of social change in and of themselves – public services delivered for public benefit.

For the first time, we have made sufficient progress in this endeavour to share our achievements in our impact report. We will talk in this report of our work using a Social Impact Bond to free children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN) from a lifetime dependent on specialist transport. We will talk about our pioneering project that trains ex-offenders as London red bus drivers. We will talk about a merger strategy with other community transport operators that makes both business sense and preserves these organisations’ crucial social impact.

Though we may only be in the foothills of where we need to be, by focussing relentlessly on increasing our social impact in each and every dimension of our work, I believe we are moving in the right direction.

Best wishes

Dai Powell OBEChief ExecutiveHCT Group

2

we must ask ourselves, always, what more is it in our power to do?

contents

Welcome to our impact report 2

Measuring impact 3

Our year in business 5

Our social mission 9

What we do 12

Access to local facilities 15

Physical and mental health 21

Family, friends and relationships 25

Citizenship and community 29

Employment, training and education 33

A focus on total impact 39

Broadening impact 42

Income and financial inclusion 45

Conservation of the natural environment 49

Promoting safety 51

Staying accountable 53

Our social impact scorecard 54

3

measuring impact

As a social enterprise, HCT Group exists to make a difference in our communities through transport and training. We deliver a wide range of transport contracts, reinvesting profits into community services in line with our mission. We also provide contracted services for work that is, in and of itself, socially beneficial.

We believe that it is not enough to simply assert that we have made a difference. We have a clear responsibility to prove that this is true. We do this each year by measuring and reporting our social impact – the positive change made to people’s lives as a result of what we do.

creating change

To understand the difference we make, we conduct detailed research with our service users – seeking to understand the outcomes of our work – what might have changed in their lives as a result of our services.

To measure these outcomes in a rigorous manner, our research applies the Big Society Capital (BSC) outcomes matrix – a model of how to look with clarity at complex social impacts in a way that establishes some shared approaches for their measurement.

continuous improvement

Good practice in social impact measurement is constantly evolving. As a consequence, we continuously review our approach to ensure an ever better window onto the change we have made. Each year, we revise our methods in three ways:

pp exploring what new practice in impact reporting we can usefully implement

pp ongoing work to improve our data accuracy across all regions and services

pp applying what we have learned to improve our research questions.

our year in business

At HCT Group, we understand that all of our social impact is made possible by being a vibrant, successful business – the ‘enterprise’ part of social enterprise. Whilst the rest of this report explores the delivery of our social mission, this section sets out the commercial performance that enables it – our year in business.

about our business

HCT Group is in the transport business. We compete successfully in the market for transport contracts, often against the global giants of the bus industry. We operate a fleet of 732 vehicles from 13 depots with 1514 staff and safely deliver over 30 million passenger journeys on our buses every year. Our track record spans:

red bus servicesWe deliver 13 London red bus routes under contract to TfL.

mainstream bus servicesWe deliver the bus services in Jersey and Guernsey and contract bus services in Bristol, Leeds and Manchester.

school/college transportWe deliver both mainstream and special educational needs (SEN) school transport up and down the country.

We also deliver contracts for services closely aligned to our social mission:

adult social care transportWe have a strong track record in delivering adult social care transport of all types.

Dial-a-RideWe deliver a range of contracts providing demand-responsive transport for local authorities.

travel trainingWe provide training to enable young people with SEN to travel independently on public transport.

innovation and novel solutionsWe provide a huge range of novel and bespoke transport solutions to meet the needs of specific commissioners.

our business in 2017/18

HCT Group has seen dynamic growth in 2017/18, with turnover increasing from £49.57m in 2016/17 to £62.90m, growth of 26.9% – expansion by over a quarter in the past year. This growth has been driven by the full-year impact of new Transport for London (TfL) red bus routes – Routes W11, W16 and 397, the full-year impact of our SEN transport contract for the London Borough of Wandsworth, the start of our SEN transport contract in the London Borough of Hammersmith, the part-year impact of our merger with Manchester Community Transport (MCT) and growth in our operations in both Yorkshire and Bristol.

increasing profit

HCT Group has also seen a significant growth in profit, recording a trading surplus of £705k 1 in 2017/18 as compared to £457k in 2016/17 – a 54.3% increase in our profit.

In a highly positive development, our growth in profit is close to double the rate of our increase in turnover. This is due to increasing the effectiveness of our operations and the emerging benefits of our growth – increasing economies of scale.

5

HCT Group turnover grew by 26.9% in 2017/18

26.9%

HCT Group profit grew by 54.3% in 2017/18

54.3%

HCT Group provided 30.1 million passenger trips in 2017/18

30.1m

1 As our published accounts show, our merger with Manchester Community Transport brought an additional, largely technical, P&L benefit. However this has been cancelled out by exceptional items and turnaround costs associated with the merger.

2016/17

2017/18

number of HCT Group employees grew by 25.0% in 2017/18

1211

1514

2016/17

2017/18

HCT Group fleet grew by 17.6% in 2017/18

625

732

set for the future

HCT Group’s main business is in the delivery of longer-term transport contracts won by competitive tender. This has the advantage of giving good visibility of the year ahead. We have again posted a very strong business development performance in 2017/18 that indicates significant, profitable growth in 2018/19.

In a genuinely exciting development, we have been named as the operator of the m1 route on Bristol’s new Metrobus network, operating the service as a subcontractor to First West of England from January 2019. This is a significant development beyond the security it provides for our Bristol operation – this type of subcontract is a landmark agreement for the bus industry, highlighting HCT Group’s ability to work effectively in partnership.

We have also successfully tendered for three additional TfL red bus routes – Routes D6, N550 and N551. Each contract starts in September 2018 and runs for up to seven years, providing a strong platform for future growth.

We will also see the impact of our community transport mergers – in both financial and social mission terms. This includes the full-year impact of the MCT merger in October 2017 and the impact of our merger with CT4TC (now Derbyshire Community Transport) in the first days of the 2018/19 financial year.

A further exciting development in 2018/19 is the full rollout of phase 1 of our Social Impact Bond for Independent Travel Training, with two projects already underway in Lambeth and Norfolk and another, in Surrey, recently commissioned.

new horizons

In June 2018, HCT Group successfully completed a new landmark fundraising round, raising a £17.8m investment to finance the next phase of our growth. The deal not only provides the working capital needed to enable growth, but also supports a bolder set of options.

Building on our extensive track record of mergers with community transport operators, HCT Group is currently actively pursuing acquisitions of commercial bus operators – buying bus companies with a view to turning them into social enterprises. This will enable us to move beyond the confines of organic growth for the first time, quickening our rate of expansion.

Our focus on continued growth comes at a time of expanding opportunities. With the Bus Services Act passed into law, commissioners have a much broader set of options to improve services for public benefit. Whilst Manchester is setting the pace in terms of bus franchising – which places our merger with MCT in its strategic context – we are also seeing early signs of other authorities now emboldened to look at the kind of partnerships at which HCT Group excels.

As phase 1 of our Social Impact Bond for Independent Travel Training is rolled out, we are already at work on phase 2, exploring participation with a number of authorities. With each authority that signs up, this contention is confirmed that our approach is high impact, entirely scalable and financially sustainable for our commissioners, our social investors and ourselves.

As we combine strong current growth with excellent future prospects, we believe that we can continue to expand our enterprise – and with it our social impact.

6

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

HCT Group turnover in £m

44.0

49.6

62.9

HCT Group profit in £000k

2015

/16

2016

/17

2017

/18

44

0

45

7

70

5

our scale of operation

341single decker buses

91double decker buses

267minibuses

1514employees

28cars and vans

5coaches

99

our social mission

HCT Group exists for an explicit social purpose. Our mission is:

To enhance people’s lives, provide opportunities and bring people and communities together through transport and training.

We are relentless in pursuit of our social mission. It shapes everything we do – from our strategic approach to our day-to-day concerns – seeking to maximise the good that we do.

transport makes a difference

We believe in the power of transport to take down the barriers to access for the most vulnerable in our society. This is no overstatement – transport is the means by which the most marginalised can access jobs, education, healthcare – or even the simple freedom of getting out and about. This is a truth too often overlooked, something many take for granted, yet central to our quality of everyday life.

not just transport

We also believe in the impact of access to opportunity – providing training for people who are long-term unemployed and creating jobs in areas of high economic and social deprivation.

access matters

We live in a world where the more vulnerable you are, the greater the barriers to access you face. A disabled person travels just over half (57%) the distance per person per year when compared to a non-disabled person – 4,245 miles versus 7,670 miles.1 A full quarter (25%) of people with disabilities report difficulties with any type of trip.2

These figures represent a substantial diminishment of disabled people’s lives – opportunities missed, friendships eroded, leisure foregone, horizons closed off.

According to Age UK, there are 1.2 million chronically lonely older people in the UK.3 A shocking 85% of disabled adults aged 18–34 also feel lonely.4 We know more each year about the health impacts of loneliness and isolation, with proven links to heart disease, blood pressure, stroke, dementia and depression. Loneliness is lethal, but supporting people to get out and about saves lives.

Poor access to employment also blights lives. Young unemployed people are twice as likely to suffer mental ill health compared to younger people in work.5

So access matters. By providing transport for older and disabled people and training for people who are long-term unemployed, we can make a real difference.

Each journey we provide for an older or disabled person is a positive change – an opportunity to see friends or family, feel part of a community, to access services, retain a sense of freedom and independence or just to get out of the house. We can use transport to connect people with others. Each Learning Centre graduate who finds work, escaping long-term unemployment, gains not just a livelihood but also health and esteem benefits and better life chances.

This is why we do what we do. Transport and training are rarely the whole answer, but they are vital components of how we address our most pressing social issues.

1 Department for Transport (2016) National travel survey: disability and travel: 2007–2014 factsheet, ONS2 Department for Transport (2017) Disabled people’s travel behaviour and attitudes to travel3 www.ageuk.org.uk4 www.scope.org.uk5 Henderson M (2017) Economic activity and health – initial findings from the Next Steps Age 25 Sweep, Centre for Longitudinal Studies

miles travelled

disabled people travel 45% fewer miles per year than non-disabled people 1

4,2

45

7,67

0

mental ill health

young unemployed people are twice as likely to suffer mental ill health when compared to younger people in work 4

unemployed

2

1.2 million older people report suffering from chronic loneliness 3

1.2m

planning for impact

To plan our services and understand our impact, we systematically examine our approach using our theory of change, first introduced in 2014. This involves exploring the link between:

pp an activity we doeg providing a community bus for older people

ppwith our outputseg passenger trips to a local supermarket

pp to our desired outcomeseg people can access the services they need to live as independently as possible.

To make this assessment of our impact as rigorous as possible, we use the comprehensive outcomes matrix developed by Big Society Capital. In this system – and as set out in our theory of change opposite – the key areas of impact we are seeking are:

access to local facilitiesThe extent to which our services are supporting their users to live as independently as possible and to have the ongoing support needed to maintain their independence.

physical and mental healthThe extent to which our services are supporting their users to maintain a sense of physical and mental wellbeing.

family, friends and relationshipsThe extent to which our services are supporting their users to have a positive social network that provides love, belonging and emotional and practical support.

citizenship and communityThe extent to which our services are supporting their users to be active citizens and feel a part of their community.

employment, training and educationThe extent to which our Learning Centre supports its learners into employment, education or further training.

income and financial inclusionThe extent to which our actions as an employer and purchaser have an impact in their own right.

conservation of the natural environmentThe extent to which our actions as a provider of public transport have had a positive environmental impact.

how we measure our impact

The passenger trips that provide our outputs are tracked through our booking and logistics systems and collated to monitor our impact every month. Each year, we review our data collection methods to improve our accuracy. Our outcomes are measured using a rolling annual cycle of focus groups and user surveys, with survey questions continually under review to gain a deeper insight into our impact.

Our Learning Centre data is gathered for returns to our partners such as the Education and Skills Funding Agency, colleges and others.

Environmental data is collected and analysed as part of our day-to-day transport operations and economic data is generated by a monthly analysis of payroll and supplier information.

10

our theory of change

activity output

mission

enhance people’s lives, provide opportunities and bring people and communities together through transport and training

outcome

access to local facilitiesService users are able to live as independently as possible, and have the ongoing support to maintain their independence.

physical and mental healthService users have a sense of physical and mental wellbeing.

family, friends and relationshipsService users have a positive social network that provides love, belonging and emotional practical support.

citizenship and communityService users are active citizens and feel part of the community.

employment, training and educationLearning Centre alumni are in employment, education or further training.

income and financial inclusionOur actions as an employer and purchaser have an impact in their own right.

conservation of the natural environmentOur actions as a provider of public transport have had a positive environmental impact.

individual transport

group transport

travel training

organisational behaviour

Learning Centre

1111

suppliersSpend with suppliers in disadvantaged areas.

friends and familyService users meet regularly with friends and family.

facilitiesService users have access to local facilities including shops, post office, bank, council services.

soft skillsLearning Centre students develop the necessary soft skills and attitude through education and training.

qualificationsLearning Centre students gain professional qualifications through education and training.

non-health servicesService users have access to non-health support services (eg day centres).

health servicesService users have access to local health services (eg doctor, hospital, chemist).

employment and educationService users have access to employment, training and education.

community activitiesService users attend cultural, sport, recreational and faith-based events and activities.

CO2e emissionsReduced by individuals trained to drive in an environmentally friendly manner.

employeesJob creation and remuneration in areas of disadvantage.

car journeys savedThrough group transport member travelling together.

what we do

In addition to our commercial work, HCT Group provides high social impact services across the country.

12 13

passenger trips in 2017/18

Capital Call connects people with mobility difficulties to quality-assured minicabs in those parts of London where regular black taxis are scarce. It was developed in partnership with Transport for London as a means of supplementing the London-wide Taxicard scheme.

London

Capital Call

18,674


We provide the complete Dial-a-Ride service for the city of Bristol, ensuring that older and disabled people can get out and about around the city. We also deliver Dial-a-Ride services on behalf of Transport for London from two London depots, making use of everything we have learned about accessible transport to meet the needs of more people in our communities.

Bristol and London

Dial-a-Ride

132,460


Route 812 is a timetabled ‘hail and ride’ bus route in Islington focussed on the needs of older and disabled people – but open to all – connecting them with the key services, shops, doctors’ surgeries and day centres that they identify as important. Described as a ‘lifeline’ by its service users, Route 812 is funded by the London Borough of Islington, Transport for London and by profit reinvestment from our commercial contracts.

London

community bus Route 812

18,978 unemployed people who successfully gained jobs in academic year 2016/17

Our Learning Centre’s primary goal is to support people who are unemployed in building the skills and confidence to move into sustainable employment, creating a step change in their life chances.

London

Learning Centre

178


We provide a variety of community car services across our regions, each designed to meet a particular community need. Bristol Community Transport provides a self-drive car club service, ensuring wheelchair users and their families can get out and about – as well as a regular community car service for trips in and around the city.

In Leeds, we provide YourCar – an accessible community car service aimed at those who find public transport difficult to use. In south London, we provide a community car service for disabled post-16 learners, taking them to college.

London, Bristol and Leeds

community car schemes

2,964passenger trips in 2017/18

We have been providing subsidised, accessible minibuses for community groups since our inception in 1982 – our group transport service. The community groups that travel with us are wonderfully diverse, each with a story to tell, each creating their own social impact through their work – providing services and bringing people together.

By providing transport, we are a part of these stories, contributing to their social impact and supporting them to make a difference. Most of the groups we serve have little or no other means of getting their members out and about.

In 2017/18 we have continued our joinbookdrive project in Bristol, Leeds and London. In a UK first for group transport, minibuses are parked on-street in convenient locations for community groups, booked online and opened with smartcards.

Bristol, Leeds, London and Manchester

group transport

121,604


Bristol Community Transport provides a range of community bus services. These connect older and disabled people in different parts of the city with a variety of essential local services. The routes are flexible, collecting service users from their doors and varying drop-off points – really meeting individual needs.

Bristol

Bristol community bus

30,334

Capital Call

community bus Route 812

Dial-a-Ride

group transport

Learning Centre

ScootAbility

London


Mobility scooters and powerchairs provide users with greater independence, improving their quality of life – but they are expensive and often impractical to store at home. ScootAbility, developed in partnership with the London Boroughs of Camden and Islington, enables members to borrow scooters or powerchairs for free – and we deliver and collect the vehicles directly to and from service users’ homes.

London

ScootAbility

921

group transport


Leeds

group transport

Manchester


Bristol community bus

group transport

Bristol

Dial-a-Ride


access to local facilities

access matters

All too often, we take our ability to access services for granted. Getting to the shops, the post office, the doctors’ surgery or the hospital are all a part of living modern life. Yet many older and disabled people face significant barriers to doing the things we do every day – two thirds of wheelchair users say they have been overcharged for a taxi or private hire vehicle because of their wheelchair.1

This goes far beyond mere inconvenience. An issue with transport is the second most common reason for a disabled person to state they have an unmet heath need – and a severely disabled person is 4.3 times more likely to say that they have an unmet need due to issues with transport than a non-disabled person.2 Amongst older people, almost a quarter (24%) felt that there was no form of public transport which would get them or a loved one to their hospital appointments on time.3 You can have the best public services possible, but it makes no difference if people can’t get to them.

It’s also not just about healthcare. Among the over 80s, less than 55% report finding it easy to travel to a post office, a supermarket or a hospital.4 Poor access to transport is cited by the APPG on Hunger 5 as a significant factor in the plight of up to 1.3 million older people estimated to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

Providing transport that enables vulnerable or marginalised people to access essential services can help to address these issues.

what we do

HCT Group provides a huge range of transport options to connect people with the services they need.

We provide community buses, Dial-a-Ride services and community cars, all aimed at the most vulnerable in our society who find public transport difficult to use.

We also provide minibuses for community groups that share these objectives. The groups we work with provide access to a enormous variety of activities – from encouraging youth participation in sport to providing high quality day centres for older people.

15

unmet transport need

a severely disabled person is 4.3 times more likely to say they have an unmet need due to issues with transport than a non-disabled person 2

4.3

overcharged for taxi

two out of three wheelchair users say they have been overcharged for a taxi or private hire vehicle because of their wheelchair 1

why service users who completed our survey said they use us

2%

going to shops, post office, bank, council, etc

attending day centre, lunch club, etc

going to cultural/sport/recreational/other activities

accessing health services

meeting with friends and family


group transport

all services

35%

45%

24%

28%

23%

15%

41%

7%

8%

10%

7%

9%

0%

2%

our impact

We explore our impact with service users using booking data, focus groups and surveys. In 2018 our survey data revealed that accessing basic services that most people take for granted – going to the shops, post office and so on – was the single most common use of our transport, representing 35% of all trips. This figure rises to 45% for users of our individual transport services, showing how important these are for providing access for vulnerable people.

A further 24% of survey respondents use our transport to access services at day centres, with 8% of individual transport users directly accessing healthcare.

Our services have made a real difference. Survey data shows that 54% of our service users who completed the survey feel that their access to shops, healthcare, culture, sport, and recreation activities has improved – a figure that jumps to 61% of individual transport users. This translates into positive changes to people’s lives, with 60% of individual transport users saying their independence had improved and 57% saying their confidence had improved as a result of using our services.

16

access to shops, culture, religion, doctors % improved

independence % improved

confidence % improved


group transport

all services

54%

27%

61%

52%

19%

60%

49%

17%

57%

outcomes reported by service users who completed our survey

1 Papworth Trust (2018) Facts and figures 2018, disability in the United Kingdom2 Sakellariou D, Rotarou ES (2017) Access to healthcare for men and women with disabilities in the UK: secondary analysis of cross-sectional data, BMJ Open3 Age UK (2017) Painful journeys: in-depth policy report4 ILC–UK (2015) The future of transport in an ageing society5 APPG on Hunger (2018) Hidden hunger and malnutrition in the elderly

improved access

61% of HCT Group individual transport users who completed our survey said their ability to access local facilities had improved

61%

more independence

60% of HCT Group individual transport users said their independence had improved

60%

confidence improved

57% of HCT Group individual transport users said their confidence had improved

57%

17

getting to college with our Dial-a-Ride service in Bristol

Tracey has been using a wheelchair since she was six years old as a result of cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus. Her early years were spent in a number of boarding schools for disabled young people which she found frustrating and left without any qualifications. For the last two and a half years Tracey has been using the Bristol Dial-a-Ride services to attend City of Bristol College where she is studying for a level 2 qualification in British Sign Language, having already achieved level 1.

‘I got into learning late in life,’ explains Tracey. ‘I’d even escaped in my wheelchair from one of the boarding schools I was sent to when I was younger.

‘If I had to get public transport to the campus it would mean taking two buses each way and a total of four hours travelling. Dial-a-Ride means I get a door-to-door service which takes 20 minutes each way.

‘It’s also a social thing, I’ve met other people on the minibus who I have become friendly with and it’s also lovely to hear about the driver’s news… we have a real laugh on the bus.

‘Going to my course gives me freedom and independence, as well as giving me the opportunity to get to know a wide range of students. Tuesday is college day and it provides me with a routine and structure and I feel I’ve achieved a lot from going. My tutor said to me “You are much better than you think you are” and this makes me feel positive and has improved my self-esteem.’

access to shops, culture, religion, doctors % improved

independence % improved

confidence % improved


group transport

all services

54%

27%

61%

52%

19%

60%

49%

17%

57%

Tracey’s story

going to my course gives me freedom and independence as well as giving me the opportunity to get to know a wide range of students

18

from tea dances to Tai Chi for older people in Leeds

‘You don’t want age or disability to be a barrier to living your life,’ said Rebecca Durrant, Transport Worker at Bramley Elderly Action. ‘Our focus is on tackling social isolation and loneliness amongst older people.

‘Bramley Elderly Action and our partner organisation, Older Wiser Local Seniors (OWLS), provide access to a huge variety of services. Our members go to lunch clubs, exercise classes, tea dances, outings and trips, social activities – there’s even Tai Chi. They also attend particular groups – for example, we have a men’s day that aims to recreate the social contact of a pub, but without the alcohol – darts and dominos and so on.

‘You can see the impact that these services have on people, it’s so important to still feel part of everything, not to be isolated and stuck in your home. For our wheelchair users, you can see how important it is just to go out, even just the drive, speaking to someone new, it just lifts them up.

‘Access to gentle exercise is also really important, not only for people’s health, but also the positive change it makes to people’s outlook.’

Bramley Elderly Action, which supports older people in Bramley, Swinnow and parts of Stanningley in West Leeds and OWLS, which supports older people in Headingley, Hyde Park and parts of Kirkstall in North West Leeds, use joinbookdrive minibuses from Leeds Alternative Travel (LAT) to transport their members to their wide variety of activities. They are among the 35 Neighbourhood Network Schemes that support older people throughout Leeds.

‘OWLS originally had their own transport,’ explains Rebecca. ‘But when their bus was damaged by flooding two years ago, they turned to LAT to make sure their members could still have access to services. We rely on LAT to get the older people of Headingley to their groups.’

Bramley Elderly Action

our members go to lunch clubs, exercise classes, tea dances, outings and trips, social activities – there’s even Tai Chi

21

physical and mental health

access matters

Loneliness and social isolation are now recognised as significant issues with a profoundly negative impact on physical and mental health. A lack of transport can exacerbate this – with 29% of people who have limited access to transport saying that they always or often feel lonely.1

Helping people to get out and about makes a difference. Amongst older people, just getting out of the house every day has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of an early death,2 yet 9% of older people feel trapped in their own home.3

Older people are not the only group to face the health issues caused by isolation. Nearly half (45%) of all working age disabled people are chronically lonely.4 As a consequence, a significant proportion of these chronically lonely disabled people report health issues: depression (62%), anxiety (58%) and stress (49%).5

what we do

Each one of our individual transport services – from community buses to scooter loan schemes – aims to help people get out and about, bringing them together. These help to address social isolation, tackling some of the underlying causes of poor health and wellbeing.

Our group transport service also plays its part, providing transport for community groups that seek to address these issues – either directly through access to healthy living activities, sport and exercise, or indirectly through addressing isolation and loneliness.

our impact

In 2018, our impact research has shown that a clear majority (53%) of our service users feel that their ability to get out and about has improved, rising to 59% of our individual transport users. Our individual transport services are also having a genuine impact on users’ health and wellbeing – with 53% saying they felt heathier as a result, with half (50%) saying they felt more satisfied with life and 47% felt better able to cope with life’s ups and downs – a reasonable proxy for asking about people’s resilience and mental health.

1 Kantar Public (2016) by Co-Op and British Red Cross, Trapped in a bubble: an investigation into triggers for loneliness in the UK2 Jacobs JM et al (2018) Frequency of leaving the house and mortality from Age 70 to 95, J Am Geriatr Soc, 66

get out and about % improved

feeling healthy % improved

life satisfaction % improved

coping with life’s ups and downs % improved


group transport

all services

53%

31%

59%

48%

28%

53%

45%

25%

50%

42%

21%

47%


feeling healthier

53% of HCT Group individual transport users who completed our survey said they felt heathier as a result

53%

lonely disabled people

chronically lonely working age disabled people report mental health consequences 5

stre

ss

anxi

ety

dep

ress

ion

+49

%

+5

8%

+6

2%

3 Age UK (2014) Evidence review: loneliness in later life4 www.scope.org.uk5 ibid

22

One Trust

LaSCoT brings service users from their homes to the centre

‘We exist to give our service users a better day,’ explains Julia Rocks, Complex Needs Manager at One Trust. ‘We offer fun, engaging and personalised day services for adults with learning disabilities.

‘At our centre, we can provide a huge range of activities and essential services – music, physiotherapy and access to healthcare; there’s a great sensory room too. Equally important are our trips and excursions. We have a strong independence agenda and we want our service users to be able to access the community – mainstream services like leisure centres, museums and other venues.

‘For everything we do, we ask ourselves “Will this improve our service users’ wellbeing and quality of life?” Each one of our service users has a person-centred plan, developed with them and their advocates – people need to be in control. Each plan is tailored to the individual, focussed on setting goals around improving wellbeing and quality of life – with access to the community, to healthcare, to opportunities and to meaningful activities.

‘We measure our impact and we know that this approach makes a real difference to people’s lives. Without the service, our service users would be stuck at home, under-stimulated, with all of the negatives that brings.’

LaSCoT, HCT Group’s operation in south London, provides transport for One Trust, bringing service users from their homes to the centre – and providing the transport for trips out into the community.

‘Transport is a vital component of the service we provide,’ continues Julia. ‘Without it, it would be very difficult to run our service at all.’

we ask ourselves ‘will this improve our service users’ wellbeing and quality of life?

23

Marion’s story

accessing healthcare with Bristol Dial-a-Ride

Marion has been using the Dial-a-Ride service from Bristol Community Transport for the past two years to attend hospital and dental appointments. She also uses the service to shop at the local supermarkets. Getting a taxi to her monthly or twice monthly appointments at Southmead Hospital was costing Marion £60 for a round trip.

‘In March 2016 my husband Derek died after a short illness,’ explains Marion. ‘We had a good life – holidays, trips out in our car, shopping, visiting friends and so on, but when he died all that died with him. My grandsons helped by taking me shopping at weekends, but that wasn’t fair on them or me.

‘Then searching online I found Dial-a-Ride – I could request rides to hospital for appointments, shopping trips and going into town to meet friends… I can say in all honesty it transformed my life. Not only has it given me back my independence, but has made me so much better off financially – I cannot access public transport so my alternative would be taxis.

‘One of the biggest benefits of Dial-a-Ride is that it helps to ease the loneliness many elderly people feel by taking them back into the community. I also belong to the personal car scheme and have used that twice to go to family weddings.’

searching online I found Dial-a-Ride… I can say in all honesty it transformed my life

25

family, friends and relationships

access matters

Keeping in touch with our friends and family makes a real difference to our wellbeing. Research has shown that the stronger your friendships, the longer you are likely to live – with friendships becoming ever more impactful on health as we age.1 This means access to friends and family goes far beyond a simple measure of quality of life, yet half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend every day alone, with nearly half a million more usually going at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all.2

Younger disabled people are also cut off from the social lives they want. Almost half (45%) of learning disabled adults aged 18–35 do not think they spend enough time with friends – and almost 1 in 3 (30%) spend less than one hour outside their home on a typical Saturday.3 Almost all (92%) parents of disabled children felt that their child did not have the same opportunities to play as their non-disabled peers.4

what we do

HCT Group provides services that bring people together, supporting our passengers to visit those who matter most to them. Individual transport, like our community buses, provides both a way to reach old friends and a place to meet new ones. Our group transport service enables community groups working to address social isolation and loneliness to help people feel connected to others. Independent Travel Training enables young people with SEN to do more than just get to school – it helps them to catch up with friends and lead active social lives.

our impact

Our impact research has shown the extent to which we are connecting friends and family. In 2018, 47% of all service users who completed our survey said that their ability to be sociable – able to physically meet with friends and family, go out for coffee, etc – had improved as a result of using our transport. This figure rises to 53% for users of our individual transport services.

If we are bringing people together, have we seen the broader outcomes for vulnerable people from that? Our research reveals that exactly half (50%) of our service users said that their feelings of connectedness to others had improved as a result of our transport. Most importantly, 45% of service users said that they now felt less lonely, rising to 51% of individual transport users. Our services are directly helping to tackle loneliness and isolation, making a real difference.

being sociable % improved

feeling connected to others % improved

feeling less lonely % improved


group transport

all services

47%

27%

53%

50%

28%

55%

45%

20%

51%


1 Chopik W (2017) Associations among relational values, support, health, and well-being across the adult lifespan, Personal Relationships, 24:408–4222 TNS polling for Age UK, November 2016, Sample of 2,241 people aged 60+ in the UK

3 Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness (2016) ‘Someone cares if I’m not there’, addressing loneliness in disabled people4 Sense UK (2016) Making the case for play: findings of the Sense Public Inquiry

less lonely

51% of HCT Group individual transport users who completed our survey said their loneliness had decreased

51%

over 60 and alone

half a million people over the age of 60 usually spend every day alone, with nearly half a million more usually going at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all 2

Mon

Tues

Wed

sTh

urs

Fri

Sat

Sun

0.5m

0.5m

26

Morley Blind

taking visually impaired people to catch up with their friends

Morley Blind has been supporting people with a visual impairment since its foundation in 1941. Every Thursday, visually impaired people come together for activities – normally bingo or excursions. Leeds Alternative Travel collects Morley Blind’s service users from their homes, bringing them to their venue or out on their trips.

‘It’s not really about the bingo,’ explains Shirley, who has been a volunteer at Morley Blind for over 40 years. ‘They come for bingo, but that’s just an occasion, it’s really about coming for a natter with their friends.

‘When we go for trips, it’s the same. It’s not so much the destination, but the opportunity for a “run out” and to get out and about with the group.

‘Bringing people here is so important, it’s their one chance of the week to speak to different people and, for some people, to get out of the house. It’s a chance to meet up with their friends.

‘I cannot go out on my own, I fall a lot,’ explains Phyllis, who regularly attends on Thursdays. ‘So this is the only time I can get out.’

‘I look forward to talking with other members… finding out a lot of things,’ said Helen, another regular at the group. ‘You soon get to know people.‘

it’s really about coming for a natter with their friends

2727

the ‘Wednesday Club’

four friends meet up for shopping and social

Delphine, Stephanie, Elizabeth (Liz) and Mary take Bristol Community Transport’s Dial-a-Ride service most Wednesdays to the Kellaway Avenue Tesco’s in Bristol.

For the ‘Wednesday Club’, the service not only provides an essential connection to a supermarket – they can no longer use public transport – but, just as importantly, the chance to socialise and catch up with each other. Some, like Delphine, have been using Dial-a-Ride for years. Others, like Mary, have only recently started to use the service, but have found a real welcome and become fast friends with the group.

‘It’s a lifeline, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to shop and it’s nice to have a coffee and chat with friends afterwards,’ explains Delphine. ‘It makes you feel isolated if you’ve got no transport.’

‘We pull the driver’s leg and they will pull ours which makes the journey fun. They also help us off the bus and get us a trolley which helps us stand up and feel stable when we get off the bus,’ said Stephanie.

Liz adds ‘The drivers also help carrying the shopping which makes a huge difference to us. We don’t know what we would do without it… we would probably have to use a taxi.’

‘Dial-a-Ride is just wonderful for me. It makes my day and we have a laugh as well as meeting other people who sometimes travel on the same minibus or who we see every week in Tesco – I wouldn’t see many people otherwise,’ explains Mary.

it makes my day and we have a laugh as well as meeting other people

29

citizenship and community

access matters

Taking part and being engaged in your community is at the heart of social inclusion. The things that help us to belong can be as active as formal volunteering and activism or as informal as simply knowing your neighbours to say ‘hello’ to. People who feel a sense of belonging to their neighbourhood ‘not at all strongly’ are five times more likely to also report chronic loneliness 1 when compared to people with a strong connection – with all the negative outcomes that this entails.

Older and disabled people make a huge contribution to our communities. Close to a third (31%) of older people aged 65–74 2 and a quarter (25%)3 of disabled people volunteer at least monthly. This also has a beneficial impact on their wellbeing, with study after study showing beneficial health effects.4 Almost all (94%) volunteers aged over 65 in a particular study 5 said that volunteering helped them to have a sense of purpose and 63% of disabled volunteers hoped to improve their health and wellbeing through volunteering.6

what we do

HCT Group aims to help our service users connect with their communities, feeling that they have a stake and can take part. Individual transport services such as our community car schemes and community bus services help older and disabled people get to volunteering opportunities – or just out into their communities to build personal connections.

Our group transport services support the work of community groups that engage with all sections of our community, enabling people to volunteer, participate, campaign and make a difference to the issues that matter to them. Independent Travel Training enables young people with SEN to get out and about on their own, meeting friends, neighbours and taking part in community life.

our impact

Our impact research shows that our services are helping people to take part. According to our survey data, just under half (46%) of our users who completed our survey feel that they are better connected to their community as a consequence of our transport – a figure rising to 51% of our individual transport users. Our group transport service comes into its own supporting more direct participation, with close to a quarter (24%) of group transport users saying that their ability to be active in the community, including volunteering, had improved.

feeling a part of community % improved

active in community eg volunteering % improved


group transport

all services

46%

29%

51%

15%

24%

12%


1 ONS (2018) Loneliness – what characteristics and circumstances are associated with feeling lonely?2 NCVO UK civil society almanac 20183 NCVO (2017) Getting involved: how people make a difference

4 NCVO (2018) Impactful volunteering: understanding the impact of volunteering on volunteers5 Volunteering Matters summer survey 20166 ibid

part of community

51% of HCT Group individual transport users – over half – who completed our survey said they felt more a part of their community

active in community

24% of group transport users – nearly three in ten – said they had become more active in their community

chronic loneliness

people who don’t feel they belong to their neighbourhood are five times more likely to also report chronic loneliness 1

5don’t feel they belong

30

Theatre Troupe

making sure excluded young people can take part in theatre

‘It’s for children and young people who have been excluded from everything else,’ explains Emily Hunka, the founder of Theatre Troupe.

‘The idea is to help improve the lives of young people who experience emotional and social difficulties and mental health problems. We work with 24 children and young people from Southwark and Lambeth each year, aged between 9 and 19 year’s old, providing drama groups and art groups in a supportive environment.

‘The children and young people at Theatre Troupe are extremely vulnerable. Their behavioural difficulties and mental health problems are often acute and frequently stem from significant trauma, neglect or abuse. Often, their behavioural difficulties mean they have been excluded not just from school, but other group activities – they don’t get to participate.

‘By creating the right environment and support, Theatre Troupe provides the opportunity to take part in art and drama, allowing people to express themselves. For some young people, being able to feel like they are taking part in something, to get up on stage, perform and receive a round of applause – often for the first time ever – it can work miracles. It can help people heal.’

LaSCoT, HCT Group’s community transport operation in south London provides transport for the group, collecting participants from their school or home and returning them home at the end of the session.

‘The impact of transport has been amazing,’ continues Emily. ‘Many of our children and young people have extremely complex or challenging home lives, so the ability to provide transport has transformed attendance from as low as 20% to around 90%. Without it, we couldn’t run our group.’

for some young people … taking part in something … it can work miracles

31

getting to the slopes with our group transport service

Snow-Camp is a youth charity whose mission is to engage disaffected inner-city young people through snow sports. The aim is to raise the aspirations of participants, help them identify and develop their natural talents, increase their confidence and promote physical and mental wellbeing. It also provides life skills training, with the opportunity to progress onto nationally recognised qualifications and work experience, potentially leading to employment in the snow sports industry.

The Bristol programme started in 2017, initially providing 75 young people with the opportunity to experience skiing and snowboarding at the Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre, activities that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to access. Bristol Community Transport’s group transport scheme has provided reliable, affordable transport throughout the Snow-Camp programme to make sure that the group can travel to the facilities.

From this first group, fifteen young people were motivated to move on to the programme’s next phase – a range of vocational training courses aimed at working in the snow sports industry. Seven of these have now completed the programme, and are now qualified Snow Sport England Instructors.

Joe, a programme participant said ‘Being involved with Snow-Camp has helped me personally by improving my confidence, and showing that I can do things that I wouldn't have thought I could do before.

‘It’s been amazing to see young people grow and develop,’ explains Andrew Kimber, Bristol Programme Manager. ‘Not only in slope skills, but also in the life skills of perseverance, determination, self-esteem and confidence, which are vital for employment.’

Snow-Camp

it’s been amazing to see young people grow and develop

33

employment, training and education

our Learning Centre

The Learning Centre’s primary goal is to support people who are unemployed in building the skills and confidence to move into sustainable employment, creating a step change in their life chances.

what we do

The Learning Centre’s programmes are based on the employment and skills needs of the communities where we work, covering a wide range of subjects – in fact we now run more non-transport related programmes than transport related ones.

We work with a wide variety of agencies, partners and funders to deliver a continuous programme of accredited courses to people who are unemployed or classified as economically inactive. The courses are designed explicitly to achieve employment outcomes.

We also deliver commercial training in road passenger transport and, where appropriate, support the skills development of HCT Group as a whole.

a new approach

The Learning Centre is constantly seeking new ways to support harder-to-reach learners into employment. In the most recent academic year (2016/17), we have introduced a range of non-accredited community learning programmes – including Emergency First Aid, Personal Behaviour for Success and Employability Skills.

These bite-sized programmes are aimed at harder-to-reach learners for whom a full course is not yet appropriate, helping to develop their confidence and readiness to move onto further learning.

addressing unemployment

For many of our learners, long periods of unemployment or other personal circumstances have sapped their confidence and self-esteem, eroded the skills and qualities needed to succeed at work and created real barriers to accessing the labour market.

Our range of courses and programmes not only helps learners to achieve qualifications or progression onto further learning, but also embeds the day-to-day skills needed to thrive in employment – by mentoring for confidence, by providing information, advice and guidance to highlight choices and options, and by ongoing job search support.

We also work closely with employers to ensure our programmes are job-relevant, provide great placement opportunities and open up job vacancies for our learners.

a wide reach

The Learning Centre aims to increase the participation of learners from a wider community and, during academic year 2016/17, provided programmes in 14 London boroughs: Bexley, Brent, Croydon, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Haringey, Hayes and Harlington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth.

The Learning Centre also aims to remove the barriers to participation for the hardest-to-reach. We seek out learning environments that will boost confidence and participation, avoiding traditional classroom settings. From a bus depot in Hackney, to a community centre where hard-to-reach learners already take their children for after-school activities.

2015/16

2016/17

unemployed people after training and education with HCT Group

gained qualifications

gained jobs

582

139

376

178

85.9%

90.3%

level 2 achievement rate

Learning Centre versus national average achievement rates

Learning Centre

national average

89.2%

80.3%

level 3 achievement rate

the whole journey

We want to support our learners from wherever they start out on their journey to employment. In the 2016/17 academic year, we have focussed on opportunities for progression within the Learning Centre, putting in place a coherent path, with support all the way, for people who are long-term unemployed to get and keep a job.

For the hardest-to-reach, our new bite-sized community learning programmes act as a starting point, re-engaging them with learning and providing an opportunity for guidance. For some learners they can also provide a ‘missing piece’ in their skill set, enabling them to progress onto full employment straightaway.

For other learners, the next step maybe another bite-sized programme, further building their confidence. For yet more, the natural next step may be progression onto a level 1, 2 or 3 course – joining the many learners who enrol straight onto one of these programmes.

To give further opportunities for progression we have introduced additional programmes at level 3 for the 2016/17 academic year – including Health and Social Care, Children and Young People’s Workforce and Business. Learners either join these from other Learning Centre programmes – or directly if this is the right place for them to start.

34

I feel positive about my learning

I am developing confidence in speaking

I am developing confidence in writing

I am developing my ICT skills

I am developing confidence in maths skills

I feel able to express myself and be listened to

I feel able to set goals for myself

I am more aware of equality and diversity

I am more aware of safety issues and reporting

I am more aware of common values and preventing radicalisation

% agree

2015/16

2016/17

96%

93%

82%

84%

86%

84%

80%

76%

72%

89%

94%

94%

92%

96%

—

97%

—

95%

outcomes reported by learners who completed our survey

NA

NA

NA

95%

Learning Centre results

The 2017/18 impact report makes a change over previous years. Rather than presenting a ‘best estimate’ of the results for financial years, as the Learning Centre operates on academic years, we have chosen, for the sake of accuracy, to report on the basis of the last full academic year – in this case 2016/17.

In the academic year 2016/17, the Learning Centre supported 506 unemployed learners to achieve a total of 729 learning outcomes of all types – from completion of a bite size course to achieving a level 3 qualification. The system of progression developed during the year has also proved effective, with 65% of all participants on community learning programmes progressing onto a level 1, 2 or 3 programme.

Working with some of the hardest-to-reach groups in education, 95% of the Learning Centre’s learners at level 2 and 3 attained qualifications – reflecting our high standards of teaching and learning. In fact, retention and achievement on the Learning Centre’s different courses was close to or higher than the national averages.

We celebrate our learners’ achievements on these programmes, but the final outcomes are the true measure of success. In 2016/17, 178 learners found work as a consequence of their time with the Learning Centre – 35% of all learners.

35

the progression effect

pp 506 unemployed learnerspp729 learning outcomespp 35% of all learners gained jobspp 95% of level 2/3 learners gained qualifications

bite-sized adult and community learning programme

second programme

103 learners

level 1, 2 or 3 programmes

178learners with jobs

163 learners

Learning Centre

250unemployed learners

256unemployed learners

376 qualifications

36

Deanna has achieved her ambition of working with young people with SEN

‘I always wanted to work with young people,’ explains Deanna, as she describes her Learning Centre journey. ‘I have a real interest in young people with special educational needs – my sister has Asperger’s, which means I grew up with a genuine understanding. I thought I could make a real difference.

‘I started my family quite young, after my apprenticeship. To be with my two children, I became a stay at home mum. When the time came to get back into work, I thought I’d focus on work with young people – which could also be child friendly.

‘I started on the level 2 Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools programme at the Learning Centre. After that, I progressed onto the level 3 Diploma course, where you can choose a specialism – in my case, working with SEN.

‘The Learning Centre was great – on the first course, there was a crèche, which was what enabled me to participate. It was also a much more grown-up environment than school or college – there were ground rules and the learners had respect for each other.

‘On the level 3 programme, even though no crèche was available, our tutor, Janeth, was there for us – understanding and supportive when our children were ill; whenever there was a barrier, working around it. The learners also helped each other with a WhatsApp group.

‘After the level 2 programme, I volunteered at a local primary school and also started my level 3 – I wanted to develop and better myself and the Learning Centre gave us the opportunity to progress and develop our skills. Whilst I was studying for my level 3, I moved onto Shooters Hill College as a volunteer. After a few months, I was taken on as an employee with the right hours to fit around my young family – and the job was working with older learners with SEN, which has been great.

‘I’ve always loved learning, but this has really brought it out. One day, maybe I’ll return to the Learning Centre as an assessor!’

I’ve always loved learning, but this has really brought it out. One day, maybe I’ll return to the Learning Centre as an assessor!

Deanna’s story

39

a focus on total impact

HCT Group’s focus on increasing its social impact is relentless. We take every opportunity to have a positive social impact, in everything that we do, to maximise the good that we do. To be a meaningful concern, this focus must include a constant challenge to our fundamental ways of working as a social enterprise.

one goal, many paths

Across the UK, social enterprises tend to create their impact through one of three models – although there are many variations on these themes. In the first model, social enterprises make a difference through how they work – like training kitchens that support long-term unemployed people into the restaurant trade. In the second, it’s in what they sell or the service they provide that makes the difference – like social enterprise sports centres improving people’s health. In the third, the ‘Robin Hood’ model, it’s about what happens with the money made through trade – either reinvested into the mission, like HCT Group, or donated to a mission-focussed third party.

total impact

What if we could find a way to combine all three models? If we could make a real difference through the way we ran our business? If we could find a way to earn our revenues in ways that were explicitly impactful? If we could still do these things whilst reinvesting profit to provide essential services? We think that this is not just possible, but a logical outcome of our social mission. We call it Total Impact.

first steps

The idea of Total Impact has been set as a challenge to the team at HCT Group for several years– seeking to gain extra impact from the way we work and how our services perform. Across our operations, local teams have been testing small-scale projects that increase our impact in innovative ways.

We have been reporting these initiatives – from scooter rescue services in Leeds to disabled transport for local stadia in Bristol – since 2016 in our ‘Broadening impact’ section. As shown on pages 42–43, this continues to be a source of positive impact and only touches the surface of what we do across our operation.

significant progress

For the first time, we believe we have made sufficient progress on Total Impact to report separately on three entirely scalable projects that take us far beyond the confines of the ‘Robin Hood’ approach. This section will explore how we are:

pp successfully training ex-offenders as a mainstay of our recruitment for London red bus services

pp using pioneering social finance to provide life-changing travel training to children and young people with SEN

pp combining business strategy with the preservation of community transport services in Manchester.

just the beginning

Even as we welcome this broadening of our social impact, we know that the final goal is still elusive; we are only in the foothills of where we need to be. We want to provide a model of transport based around the needs of a whole place – where all the barriers to access we remove by our current work are designed out of the system at a structural level. We will continue to speak, lobby and pitch for this kind of work over the months and years ahead.

we want to provide a model of transport based around the needs of a whole place

40

Travel Training

impact meets financial innovation

life chances wasted

If children and young people with SEN are not given the opportunity to become independent travellers, this can create a lifetime of dependency on specialist transport, hampering access to everything needed to lead a full and independent life.

On average, specialist transport for these young people already costs local authorities about £6,000 per child per year – which means that in the UK we are spending around half a billion pounds a year actively disabling some of our young people with SEN. This is obviously crazy – we must do better.

an unstoppable force

Independent Travel Training gives children and young people with SEN the skills and confidence to travel independently on public transport. By reducing young people’s dependence on specialist transport, we can open up a world of possibilities – going on to college, employment or just being able to get out and about with friends.

an immovable object

HCT Group has tested Travel Training programmes in Leeds and Camden, training around 500 people over the last six years. However, there are significant barriers to the kind of uptake that could change a large number of young people’s lives. The most significant is cost – Travel Training that works is resource-intensive, restricting commissioning authorities even though they could save money by removing costly specialist transport.

Drive On

building the social impact of our red bus contracts

a significant issue

Within twelve months of release, 60% of offenders will have re-offended. This has an estimated cost to the UK each year of £13 billion – and an incalculable waste of human potential. Having a job is the single biggest factor in reducing re-offending, yet 75% of prisoners are released to unemployment.1

At HCT Group, we want to be a part of the solution. Our new project – Drive On – aims to create a path to sustainable employment for ex-offenders as bus drivers. It also has the intentional effect of dramatically increasing the social impact of our contract work in London. The project is a partnership between HCT Group and Blue Sky, part of The Forward Trust, an award-winning social enterprise.

how it works

Blue Sky recruits and selects the participants, ensuring that they are appropriate for the programme. The HCT Group Learning Centre, with its extensive experience of working with some of the hardest-to-reach learners in education, provides the theory and practical elements of bus driver training, leading to the participants gaining their full licence.

After their training, participants then take part in the standard induction and review period of any other new driver recruit – albeit with ongoing management support and guidance from Blue Sky. At the end of their three-month review period, they are confirmed in post as London red bus drivers.

impact so far

A total of 17 candidates have been referred to the Learning Centre following initial recruitment and selection by Blue Sky. Of the 16 that completed theory training and case study training, 15 passed the assessment, 13 went on to complete practical training, of which 11 passed the assessment. These retention and achievement rates are significantly better than the national average for bus driver training.

In total, ten candidates moved into the induction phase of the project, driving buses on the road. All drivers were placed on exactly the same induction as ordinary drivers and they all successfully completed their probation. Eight remain employed to date – half the level of turnover of a non-offender cohort.

No driver who came through the project has re-offended.

the future

As a direct consequence of this success, we have set a target that 30% of our recruitment requirement for London red bus drivers for 2018/19 will be met through the Drive On programme – and that pilots in other regions of our operation should be explored.

1 Source: The Forward Trust

60% of offenders re-offend within 12 months of release 1

60%

the UK spends around half a billion pounds a year on specialist transport for young people with SEN

£0.5bn

4141

Travel Training

impact meets financial innovation

a new approach

In a UK first, HCT Group is now providing Travel Training on an outcomes basis using a Social Impact Bond – payment by results. Authorities only pay for travel training once independence outcomes for children and young people with SEN are achieved. The upfront funding requirement is met by The Bridges Social Impact Bond Fund, managed by specialist sustainable and impact investor Bridges Fund Management, with additional funding from the Big Lottery’s Commissioning Better Outcomes Fund.

We are now operating in Lambeth and Norfolk and mobilising for delivery in Surrey in 2018. A new phase 2 programme with different authorities is currently in development.

impact through what we do

Travel Training has an amazing social impact, yet HCT Group can operate contracts commercially while helping resource-constrained commissioning authorities make significant savings without the need for upfront investment.

Through Travel Training, we are increasing our impact through what we do, not how we reinvest – broadening our impact and making it ever more sustainable.

Manchester Community Transport

commercial strategy meets community impact

a structural change

The introduction of the Bus Services Act in 2017 has the potential to change everything – at least in those areas with both the permission and the courage to make best use of the new law. HCT Group has been an active campaigner for the Act, highlighting the potential of bus franchising to redefine public transport as a public service for public benefit.

The Mayoral Authority furthest along the road to franchising is Greater Manchester, where significant change in the interest of its residents is a strong possibility. The challenge for any operator, HCT Group included, was how to get involved.

a challenge

Manchester Community Transport (MCT) have been serving the community of Greater Manchester since their foundation in 1980 as Wythenshawe Mobile. For many years, they have worked on the same model as HCT Group, operating commercial bus contracts to support essential community transport.

In 2017, MCT found themselves at a crossroads – they faced significant commercial challenges, but their community services remained essential. They were out of time and resources to grow their way out of difficulty and so approached HCT Group with a view to joining in a merger.

an opportunity

The ‘Robin Hood’ model holds against turnaround projects – profits are for reinvestment in impact services, not to address commercial issues. This is to miss two important points. The first is commercial – with MCT, we are a part of Manchester, with access to community insight as it considers franchising. The second is social, without our intervention, the good that MCT does would go forever, unlikely to return.

Through seeking ways to make our business strategy more perfectly aligned with our social impact, we are confident that MCT will thrive and that its commercial success will enable its community impact.

769,455passenger trips potentially foregone if Manchester Community Transport had closed in 2017

HCT Group is constantly seeking new ways to make a difference and maximise impact. From projects that increase the social impact of our everyday work to new services that help our communities, every area of our operation aims for innovation. We capture the learning from each new project – whether a success or a failure, sharing the lessons across HCT Group and beyond.

4342

broadening impact

In June 2017, 11 HCT Group employees and seven external volunteers planned and delivered the Disabled Access Minibus Service at the Glastonbury Music Festival. The service provided transportation around the festival site for disabled music fans and their families. Four routes were operated across the festival site. Volunteers worked a total of 972 hours over the weekend providing transport to over 1,000 service users, delivering 3,000 individual passenger trips. The service makes a real difference to festivalgoers, with one commenting: ‘Without you all I couldn't come to Glastonbury, it just wouldn't be possible.’

accessible transport at Glastonbury

The Jersey Heart Awards recognise islanders who play an outstanding role in the fight against cardiovascular disease. Last September, Paul Melia, a driver for LibertyBus, saw the aftermath of an accident where a 70 year old driver had a heart attack. Paul immediately rushed to help, giving the man CPR whilst the emergency services waited for back-up crew. Sadly, despite Paul’s best efforts, the driver died. Paul was awarded the Local Life Saver Award at the British Heart Foundation Jersey Heart Awards in recognition for his quick thinking, his knowledge of CPR and bravery.

Jersey Heart Awards

Jersey

Guernsey

Age UK Veterans Outreach driver training

Our team in London has formed a partnership with Age UK and Veterans Outreach Support in Portsmouth, providing free MiDAS training for their volunteers. This enables the volunteers to take socially isolated veterans to doctor’s appointments, interviews, and social events – as well as providing mobility for the Veterans Information Point in Portsmouth. To date, we have trained three volunteers and we hope to expand the programme, helping to ensure that veterans and older people can access the services they need.

Our Ash Grove depot in Hackney opened its doors to the community last April, raising over £2,000 for St Joseph’s Hospice – a nearby user group that cares for and supports people affected by serious illness. We had over 800 visitors coming to meet our staff, ride heritage buses, view a display of current and historic vehicles – and even ride a bus through the bus wash! The open day was put on in partnership with Transport for London and Arriva (with which we share the depot) and attended by the Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville.

Ash Grove open day

HCT Group is running a project to tackle the issue of harsh acceleration, following a successful bid to the Transport for London Bus Safety Innovation Fund. Harsh acceleration is where a bus moves off from a stationary position too quickly, increasing the risk of passenger injuries, particularly for more vulnerable people. We are using our on-bus telematics to establish safe levels of acceleration. Once established, we will then limit our buses’ rate of acceleration to ensure that risks to passengers are minimised. The project will also look at other issues that increase the risk of on-bus falls, such as cornering speeds and acceleration over speed bumps.

harsh acceleration project

The Leeds Academy provides learning for non-English speaking refugee students. These students were finding navigating their way from the city centre to the Academy challenging, leading some to get lost. Working directly with the local authority and the Academy, our Leeds team has developed the Leeds Refugee Service – a bus service to take these students to and from college.

To make sure the service would meet the students’ needs, drivers and vehicles were sent to the Academy to familiarise the students with the service, the service was made easily identifiable and we consulted carefully on the right times to run it. When the service started, we assigned patient, welcoming drivers with outstanding interpersonal skills – ensuring that this group of otherwise vulnerable students can get to college easily and on time.

Leeds refugee service

Leeds refugee service

The Amazing Journey: Puffin Explores Guernsey

by Bus

harsh acceleration project

Age UK Veterans Outreach driver training

Walthamstow community inclusion

Ash Grove open day

accessible transport at Glastonbury

Jersey Heart Awards

London

Leeds

Bristol

When CT Plus opened a depot on Walthamstow Avenue, we joined Walthamstow Stadium Area Residents Community Association, a vital local group working with the community and businesses in the area. They asked us to help support a local resident whose parents had been unable to visit her due to a lack of accessible transport. Regardless of the fact that the Walthamstow depot is not a community transport operation, it had vehicles, trained staff and the group ethos, so was happy to help. The team provided transport for the parents, who were thrilled with the surprise, with the daughter saying it was a ‘dream come true’.

Walthamstow community inclusion

To engage children with the bus service in Guernsey, Jon Ozanne, our Marketing and PR Officer, has written a book called The Amazing Journey: Puffin Explores Guernsey by Bus, illustrated by Trudie Shannon. It follows the adventures of a puffin as he takes his first independent journey by bus.

The book, produced with support from the Active Travel Unit at the States of Guernsey, was an entry in the Guernsey Literary Festival 2018. A reading to a group of local children, introduced by Deputy Hansmann Rouxel, was held at the Guille-Allez Library. The book is raising money for Autism Guernsey – as although using the bus can be daunting for those on the autistic spectrum, it gives young people an enormous sense of self-reliance.

The Amazing Journey: Puffin Explores Guernsey by Bus

45

income and financial inclusion

If we are to achieve our aim of creating greater social impact with everything we do, then our actions as an economic entity – an employer and a purchaser – can have a genuine effect. Each year, as we reach new heights of scale, our potential to make a real difference to income and financial inclusion increases. This potential is reinforced as close to half our operations – six out of thirteen – are in areas of high deprivation.1

To achieve this potential, we think about where our supply chain works, how we conduct our recruitment and, even, whether suppliers share our social aims.

economic impact

We direct our expenditure to suppliers that are local to our operations or are in areas of high deprivation – or both – whenever this is a practical, affordable approach. We explicitly measure our spending in areas of deprivation.2 In 2017/18, roughly one fifth (19%) of our expenditure with suppliers was in areas of deprivation, representing a total spend of £3.6m.3

As we grow, we focus our expansion where we can do the greatest good. By concentrating on areas of high deprivation, we can provide livelihoods in ever greater numbers. In 2017/18, well over half (56%) of our employees lived in deprived areas, ensuring that our day-to-day payroll helps with regeneration.

sharing our knowledge

As HCT Group has grown to be a social enterprise at an increasingly national level, we have not forgotten where we came from – starting out as Hackney Community Transport, a small community transport charity.

We have learned a great deal from our race to scale – competing in tough markets, managing growth and building social impact. We have a clear responsibility to support our peers in the social enterprise and community transport movements – raising their profile, sharing what we know and campaigning to improve the landscape. In 2017/18 this involved:

ppDai Powell, our chief executive – and other members of our executive and senior management teams – speaking at a wide range of events and conferences, plus participating on the boards of Big Society Capital, Power to Change and the Community Transport Association amongst others.

ppActively campaigning to protect the rights of community transport operators as their ability to work is threatened by ill-considered Section 19 regulatory change.

pp Providing management and coaching support for community transport operators as they work to improve their commercial performance and sustainability.

1 Most deprived 25% of Lower-layer Super Output Areas (LSOA) based on the 2011 Census in the index of multiple deprivation 2015.2 This calculation excludes supplier spend in the Channel Islands as there is no equivalent dataset to the IMD for comparison.3 Figure includes a projection of, rather than actual spend, for Q4 2017/18.

total spend in areas of deprivation

19% of total spend by HCT Group in 2017/18 was in areas of deprivation

19%

HCT Group paid £3.6m in 2017/18 to suppliers or subcontractors in areas of deprivation

£3.6m

buying social

We believe that by buying social, our spending can have a further social impact. In 2017/18, identifying and procuring from social sector suppliers has been very much a part of our formal procurement practice.

We continue to seek out social enterprises, B Corps, cooperatives and the broader social sector, building supplier relationships wherever possible with organisations that share our values. We are close to our goal of 50 supplier relationships and are confident of achieving this in 2018/19.

The social sector provides us with a wide range of goods and services, from website building to events, from recruitment to finance. We are also focussed on increasing the scale of our trade as well as the number of suppliers – cooperatives provide our telecommunications and our energy, a B Corp provides our legal advice and a fellow social enterprise provides our largest staff development programme. We will be continuing our search for cost-effective, high quality suppliers that share our values over the year ahead – and continue to monitor our progress and work towards our targets.

46

40+social sector suppliers

HCT Group works with more than 40 social sector suppliers 4

employees in areas of deprivation

56% of total employees at HCT Group in 2017/18 live in areas of deprivation

4 This calculation excludes supplier spend in the Channel Islands as there is no equivalent dataset to the IMD for comparison.

social sector suppliers

conservation of the natural environment

caring for the environment

Our responsibilities to the natural environment as a bus operator are redoubled by our commitment to positive impact as a social enterprise. We have been running a structured programme – Caring for the Environment – since 2009. The programme is comprised of three distinct but complementary strands of work, each of which enable us to reduce the negative impact we make on the environment.

measuring our environmental impact

As both a social enterprise and a transport operator, we believe that we have a genuine responsibility to the natural environment.

We operate a fleet of 732 buses, minibuses and community cars across the country – a number that is growing all the time. This makes understanding the impact we have on the environment very important, as it enables us to work on actively reducing it.

We measure the organisation’s annual carbon footprint, allowing us to work out the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent 1 (CO2e) per kilometre driven and per passenger journey. Measuring and monitoring these allows us to take action to reduce our footprint and establish if we have succeeded.

We have continued working towards Green Mark accreditation, carrying out environmental audits in our depots and implementing an Environmental Management System for HCT Group. This is in line with the objectives of ISOs 14001; 2004 (environmental management systems), 14031 (environmental performance evaluation) and 19011 (environmental auditing).

maximising our positive impact

Choosing to take the bus instead of the car is an environmentally friendly choice. Where we operate mainstream bus services, we actively make the case to the travelling public to make the switch, supporting modal shift.

Since we took over Jersey’s bus service in 2013, we have grown the annual ridership by 42% to 4.5 million passenger trips each year. This has begun to make an impact on congestion, with States of Jersey figures showing a 5.1% decline in traffic on the main routes into the capital, St Helier, in the morning peak. We have continued to make real progress in Guernsey, with growth of 32% over the past four years, up to 1.8 million trips per year.

Our community transport services also help the environment. One of the key activities we deliver as a social enterprise is group transport – accessible minibuses for a wide range of community groups. We deliver this in five London boroughs plus Leeds, Bristol and Manchester. Enabling community groups to travel together saved over 45,000 car journeys in 2017/18.

49

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

HCT Group emissions in kg CO2 equivalent

per passenger journey

per km driven

0.580

0.778

0.550

0.866

0.532

0.858

1 To take into account the emission of other greenhouse gases when calculating the level of greenhouse gas emissions, scientists have devised an equivalent measure – CO2e (which literally means carbon dioxide equivalent).

HCT Group carbon footprint in tonnes CO2 equivalent

2015

/16

2016

/17

2017

/18

11,7

82

13,0

77 16

,05

4

50 making change happen

Our transport has a major part to play in reducing the emissions we make as a society, yet they still burn fossil fuels. We have a significant number of rolling programmes, policies and projects, each aimed at proving incremental positive changes to our work as a bus operator. These include purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles, using ultra-low-sulphur fuels, a recycling project that avoids waste going to landfill, a maintenance schedule that maximises fuel efficiency and a policy of keeping our fleet age well below the industry average.

Over the course of 2017/18, we have taken a variety of additional steps, each aimed at improving our environmental performance. We have expanded our fleet of hybrid vehicles from 38 to 52, each applying stop–start control to reduce emissions.

We lease all of our tyres – in a scheme that ensures worn tyres are repeatedly re-treaded and re-cut by the manufacturer for re-use – extending the life of a tyre by several years, significantly reducing waste.

In London we now operate 41 single deck vehicles that meet the exacting Low Carbon Emission Buses (LCEB) standard. These use smarter, battery powered vehicle systems instead of components known as ‘parasitic ancillaries’ – energy hungry systems that use power taken directly from the engine. An LCEB-rated bus reduces ‘well-to-wheel’ 2 emissions by over 30%.

The overall environmental standard of our fleet remains very high, with a clear majority (61%) at the Euro V emissions standard or better. Four out of every ten (40%) of our vehicles are at the exacting Euro VI standard and we continue to phase out older, more polluting vehicles.

As technology changes, we change with it. This year we have piloted our first electric bus on an in-service route – an Irizar single deck electric vehicle on route 153 in London. The idea behind the pilot was to learn about the operation and maintenance of electric vehicles.

In 2017/18, we have made substantial progress on the roll-out of our group-wide approach to telematics. The equipment is now installed on almost all our vehicles and training is being rolled out across the Group. Telematics provides drivers with a real-time display that shows the environmental impact of their driving – and managers with data to help with training and coaching. This feedback helps to reduce harsh braking or accelerating, overrevving and so on, leading to a reduction in emissions.

our environmental performance

Key performance indicators for our environmental impact in 2017/18 show that our overall carbon footprint has increased by 23% since 2017. However this increase is less than the organisation’s overall rate of growth in scale (turnover growth of 26.6%). Our carbon intensity in terms of CO2e per kilometre driven has also marginally decreased by 1% as has our carbon intensity in terms of CO2e per passenger journey (3.3% decrease), showing an improvement in emissions performance as we grow in scale.

average age of HCT Group fleet in years

2015

/16

2016

/17

2017

/18

12.0

6.7 7.

4

HCT Group 2018 fleet by Euro emissions standard

Euro VI

Euro V

Euro IV

Euro III or lower

39%

24%

19%

40%

21%

21%

17%

2 Well-to-wheel (WTW) is a value that includes all the emissions involved in the process of extraction/creation, processing and use of fuel in a vehicle to gauge the total carbon impact of that vehicle in operation.

51

promoting safety

The safety of our passengers, service users, staff and the public at large is a particular priority for HCT Group. At the heart of our approach is an organisation-wide safety management system. This covers the full range of safety practices across HCT Group, including policies and procedures, ensuring that all areas work consistently to the same high standard.

rigorous practice, continuous improvement

We ensure that health and safety practices at work are consistent and rigorously monitored. We work hard to communicate the complete range of safety practices and policies to all staff – from induction, through regular update briefings by supervisors, to sharing new practices when there is a change to ways of working.

The practices are supported by a structured programme of reviewing and improving systems of work, risk assessment and maintenance of equipment and plant. Our approach to continuous improvement includes our externally accredited SAFEcontractor status and continued the use of external health and safety audits, gaining further insights into how we can improve our performance.

We also subscribe to CIRAS – the confidential safety reporting system in London. We are members of the British Safety Council, helping us to benchmark HCT Group against other industries and ensure we are fully up to date with best practice.

building a safety culture

Safety practice is at its most impactful when it is an indivisible part of working culture. During 2017/18 we have taken a number of steps to further embed a safety culture across HCT Group. We have maintained our practice where each operating region has at least one manager holding or working towards the globally recognised NEBOSH Diploma.

We have also maintained our practice of regular ‘toolbox talks’ across HCT Group. These are an ongoing programme of bite-sized training sessions, each covering a different aspect of the system and safe working practices.

We have also piloted a major internal safety culture campaign – The Safety Seven vs The Risky Racoons. Trialled at our Ash Grove depot and in our Yorkshire region as an eight-week poster campaign, the idea was to use irreverent or even gallows humour – in addition to serious commentary – as a means to cut through the barriers to traditional safety messaging.

recognition earned

CT Plus, our principle operations arm, became one of the founding members the DVSA’s new Earned Recognition scheme in 2017/18. The scheme works by sharing information about systems and data with the DVSA. Organisations that show they are the most focussed on ensuring that their fleets – and the people who drive them – are safe and compliant at all times gain both public recognition and a lower regulatory burden. This is a significant safety achievement – we are one of just thirteen PCV operators to be founder members.

our safety performance

In 2017/18 our rate of collisions has seen a significant improvement over last year, declining by 13.8% from 91.7 collisions per million miles to 79.0 collisions per million miles. This reduction is very welcome – and a testament of a group-wide endeavour. However, we recognise we still have more to do to reduce the rate still further – and will continue to work on our safety practices.

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

number of collisions involving HCT Group vehicles per million miles

91.3

91.7

79.0

the number of collisions involving HCT Group vehicles reduced by 13.8% in 2017/18

13.8%

53

staying accountable

In order to deliver the greatest possible long-term impact, we must be accountable to our beneficiaries, our service users, our employees and stakeholders. We do this not only to ensure that we continue to meet their needs, but also because it is the right thing to do. As a social enterprise, it is our duty to ensure we are as transparent as we can be – using this in the relentless pursuit of our social mission, operational excellence and financial discipline.

Board of Trustees

HCT Group has put in place an experienced Board with a very broad range of sector- and profession-specific skills. The Board meets regularly and has a maximum of 12 members, each on a three-year rolling cycle of membership.

To further strengthen our governance, in 2017/18 we have applied the full UK Charity Governance Code for larger charities – a voluntary standard that provides a set of principles and recommended practice for good governance.

direct stakeholder outreach

In order to keep the social mission at the forefront of our business decisions, we have a rolling programme of direct stakeholder outreach in each of our operating regions. We meet regularly with local community leaders, elected officials and heads of community groups to understand local priorities. To further support this, our community operation in Bristol also has a local Board of Trustees.

We also conduct direct outreach with service users to better understand their needs – through surveys, focus groups and open service user or passenger meetings. These enable us to remain accountable, take feedback, listen to concerns and explore new ideas.

asking our staff

HCT Group conducts an annual staff satisfaction survey, giving our colleagues a stronger voice. The survey explores how employees feel about their role, the organisation and how communication and dialogue might be improved. The results for 2018 have been shared across the organisation, with regions developing action plans to follow up on staff feedback.

Social Enterprise Champions

Effective two-way engagement with staff about our mission is vital if we are to achieve our potential as a social enterprise. Our Social Enterprise Champions programme works with a cross section of our staff who learn all about social enterprise, HCT Group’s social impact and why it’s a good idea. Our fifth intake of champions started their programme in spring 2018 and will join previous intakes in getting the message about our social mission across to colleagues.

external accountability

As well as remaining accountable to ourselves, our employees and our service users, we must also remain accountable to our social investors, commercial customers and grantmakers. Regular performance measurement for both operational activity and social impact has been built into our systems to monitor our progress in delivering our mission, to better inform our management decisions, to help us improve our performance and to provide information to our partners.

my job gives me a feeling of personal satisfaction

17%

13%

70%

I enjoy undertaking my role with company

12%

77%

11%

my job makes a difference in people’s lives

results of HCT Group staff satisfaction survey

agree

neither agree nor disagree

disagree

9%

82%

9%

our social impact scorecard

54 social impact 2016/17 2017/18

Community transport Passenger trips provided to community groups 97,322 1 121,604

Passenger trips provided to disadvantaged individuals 230,804 1 224,993

Access to local facilities Access to shops, culture, religion, doctors % improved 48% 54%

Independence % improved 45% 52%

Confidence % improved 43% 49%

Physical and mental health

Transport service has enhanced ability to get out and about % agreed 82% 53%

Feeling healthy % improved 64% 48%

Life satisfaction % improved 59% 45%

Ability to cope with life’s ups and downs % improved 51% 42%

Family, friends and relationships

Being sociable % improved 56% 47%

Feeling connected to others % improved 72% 50%

Feeling less lonely % improved 59% 45%

Citizenship and community

Feeling like a part of your own community % improved 79% 46%

Became more active in community, including volunteering or helping out % agreed 41% 15%

Travel Training Individuals trained to travel independently 68 20

Education and training 2 Individuals not working for HCT Group gaining qualifications at our Learning Centre 446 —

Those who were previously unemployed 376 —

Those who were previously employed 70 —

Learners developing soft skills 2

I feel positive about my learning 96% —

I am developing confidence in speaking 82% —

I am developing confidence in writing 86% —

I am developing my ICT skills 80% —

I am developing confidence in maths skills 72% —

I feel able to express myself and be listened to 89% —

I feel able to set goals for myself 94% —

I am more aware of equality and diversity 96% —

I am more aware of safety issues and reporting 97% —

I am more aware of common values and preventing radicalisation 95% —

External job creation 2 Unemployed people who obtained jobs outside HCT Group as a result of training and support provided by HCT Group

178 —

55economic impact 2016/17 2017/18

Financial performance Current turnover £m 49.6 62.9

Operating profit £m 0.5 0.7

Employment Number of employees 3 1211 1514

Remuneration to employees 3 £m 30.3 37.7

% of employees in areas of deprivation 4 58% 56%

Job creation Full-time equivalent jobs created at HCT Group 3 19 23

% of those created in areas of deprivation 4 32% 30%

Suppliers Payments made to suppliers or subcontractors 5 £m 14.4 18.9

% of total spend in areas of deprivation 4 23% 1 19%

environmental impact 2016/17 2017/18

General Car journeys saved through the use of community group transport 36,496 1 45,602

Individuals trained to drive in an environmentally friendly manner 482 541

Average age of fleet years 6.7 7.4

Emissions 6 GHG emissions tonnes of CO2e 13,077 16,054

CO2e per passenger journey kg/journey 0.550 0.532

CO2e per km driven kg/km 0.866 0.858

diversity monitoring 2016/17 2017/18

Management diversity Proportion female 41% 36%

Proportion ethnic minority 20% 15%

Employee diversity Proportion female 25% 24%

1 2016/17 restated in line with improved methodologies.2 The Learning Centre now reports its results on an academic year basis. The most recent complete academic year is 2016/17, to which this data refers.3 Includes Channel Islands.4 Areas of deprivation defined as lowest 25% neighbourhoods (IMD 2015), excluding Channel Islands.5 April–December data is pro rata-ed for full year due to finance system integration. Excludes spend and suppliers in Channel Islands.6 Building emissions are included for the depots where data is available.

about HCT Group

HCT Group is a social enterprise in the transport industry, safely providing over 30 million passenger trips on our buses every year. We deliver a range of transport services – from London red buses to social services transport, from school transport to whole bus networks, from community transport to education and training.

We reinvest the profits from our commercial work into high social impact transport services or projects in the communities we serve, and into providing training opportunities for people who are long-term unemployed – making a real difference to people’s lives.

For more information, please see www.hctgroup.org

HCT Group1st floor141 Curtain RoadLondon EC2A 3BX

tel020 7275 [email protected]

HCT Group is a company registered in England and Wales. Company number 1747483. Registered charity number 1091318. VAT number 805311274. Our registered and main correspondence address is: 1st floor, 141 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3BX

Written by Frank Villeneuve-Smith and Susannah Davis

Edited by Tracey Vickers

Designed by David Shaw

Cover illustration: collage of an original artwork by Society Media © 2009

Photography: © Barbora Jancíková (page 2), © Alex Grace (pages 3, 4, 8, 19, 20, 22, 24, 28, 32, 37, 38, 44, 48, 52), © Chris Bahn (pages 14, 27), © HCT Group (pages 17, 23, 24, 36, 42, 43), © Mindy Goose, BEA volunteer (pages 18, 26), © Theatre Troupe (page 30), © Snow-Camp (page 31), © Transport for London (page 43), © British Heart Foundation (page 43)

Printed by Tradewinds Ltd

© HCT Group 2018. All rights reserved

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