ABSTRACT
For groups like the elderly and disabled – the so-called ‘special needs’ groups – the problem of providing access and mobility has increasingly been picked up in the UK by statutory agencies (such as local authority social services departments), voluntary organisations (like local councils for voluntary service) and community groups (such as community transport projects). According to Benwell (1985), these ‘special needs’ groups cover about 10 per cent of the population, and include not just elderly and disabled persons, but also those with mental health conditions, the temporarily disabled, school children and ‘children at risk’. If groups like the long-term unemployed and those on very low incomes are also included, this figure of 10 per cent increases to nearer 30 per cent of the total population. However, although the total population of the transport disadvantaged is quite large, there is little uniformity with respect to particular travel needs. For example, the most appropriate transport ‘solution’ for an individual who is temporarily disabled and requiring out-patient medical care is quite different from the ‘solution’ for getting a young child to school. The paradox and problem from the viewpoint of transport provision is that unless such transport is provided, whole minority groups may be deprived of the opportunity to participate in the full range of activities which are regarded as being part of everyday life. In any event, conventional transport solutions, expressed either in terms of car ownership or use of conventional public transport, are simply not viable options for these groups. What this means is that reliance on traditional policy mechanisms – influencing effective demand for transport – does not address these types of need (Council for Science and Society, 1987).
