To improve social inclusivity and local mobility, EMED Community Care provides digitally accessible and dynamic Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services with flexible schedules to supplement fixed-route public buses.
Mobility challenges
It is thought that around 57% of the British workforce rely on their own vehicle to get to work, which places non-drivers at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to employability and may limit their employment opportunities. Equally, people facing challenges with mobility might find public transport difficult, with long walks to either end of the journey and the long waits that using public transport can involve. Unforeseen delays and the unpredictable nature of public transport add to the frustrations of those who cannot drive or don’t have their own vehicle.
On-demand transport solutions
In response to the demand for sustainable and reliable mobility solutions, the Department of Transport invested £24.4 million alongside an additional £3.65 million from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) to establish the Future Transport Zone (FTZ). The FTZ programme started in July 2020 to trial ‘new interventions to find the best travel solutions’.
As part of this programme, in partnership with WECA, Via and WeMove, EMED provides DRT services under WestLink to increase mobility across the West of England, where people may have difficulty getting around. EMED Community Care has received over 269,000 ride requests and completed over 91,861 journeys since it mobilised its service in April 2023. EMED’s existing infrastructure in the area and experience as a transport provider allow it to operate an efficient and successful service from the outset.
Operating from its Bedminster and Yate sites, EMED has over 30 bright green 16-seater vehicles that provide on-demand transport across the North, South, and FTZ Zones within the West of England from 5am to 10pm, five days a week. Transport can be requested by contacting the call centre or through a booking app, which then provides information about pick-up points and the transport’s estimated arrival time.
Through a bespoke algorithm, the booking app allocates the nearest possible pick-up point and calculates the most efficient journey times based on the passengers’ destinations. The service also operates on a door-to-door basis to accommodate the individual circumstances of the service users, and additional arrangements can be made to improve accessibility.
Service Success
EMED’s DRT services promote social inclusion and interaction among service users and present a more environmentally friendly solution by replacing multiple, single-occupancy car journeys. Further, it provides a cost-effective solution alongside easier access to jobs, leisure, and education by improving mobility in rural, low-density areas at low-demand times for local communities.
EMED Community Care services offer a brilliant alternative – but with all the flexibility – of ‘ride-hailing’ apps like Uber or Bolt, but with the cost-effectiveness of public buses, costing just £1 for a child and £2 for an adult. They have drastically improved mobility to service users in rural areas like the South of Bristol and the service excellent is reflected in the feedback from service users who have awarded the service 4.8/5-star reviews across the board.
In October 2023, the Mayor of the West of England, Dan Norris, announced a free transport service scheme designed for 18 to 21-year-old care leavers living in the region to complement the fixed-route public transport. EMED Group supports this free transport scheme by providing the necessary DRT transport across the West’s 350-plus square mile network – making it one of the largest schemes of its kind in the UK.
