CfIT Study, Social Inclusion and Collective Taxis

Professor Corrine Mulley is the new Chair for Public Transport at the Institute for Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS). She presented a public seminar at ITLS today on a study by the UK Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) which compared various local transport schemes in Europe and the UK and assessed them for value for money and effectiveness. The seminar provided an opportunity for discussion about the use of "collective taxis" and the possibilities for this type of idea being used in NSW for rural and outer metropolitan areas to improve social inclusion through improved local transport options.

WSPTU has been working with many local groups in Western Sydney and has identified 'local transport' as a key issue in the wake of the Bus Network Review -which has mainly been focussed on improving commuter transport, or 'mass transit' as some call it. So this information is important in our advocacy to improve local public transport in Western Sydney. It was also noted how the current 'institutional framework' - the Legislations, Regulations and organisational arrangements which govern public transport in NSW - may limit the possibilities for finding alternative solutions to improving local transport.

Click on this link to get to the CfIT website and the report "A New Approach to Rural Public Transport" http://www.cfit.gov.uk/docs/2008/rpt/index.htm .