Chapter 21: Specialized Transport

“Specialized transport” can be defined as any form of public passenger transport where eligibility rules apply: people who wish to use such a service have to meet certain criteria for ridership which apply to them and for which that transport is then made available. Such provision embraces a wide range of passenger transport service use (Nutley, 1990), including “school transport” – services to transport children to and from school; “patient transport” – services to transport non-emergency patients to and from hospital or medical-center appointments; “statutory sector transport” – services to transport individuals (typically those with physical disabilities or learning impairments) to and from facilities such as day centers; “socially necessary transport” – where services used by social groups (typically elderly and retired or unemployed people) are subsidized; and “community buses” – services to transport particular individuals and/or social groups (typically those living in communities experiencing social exclusion) to enable them to meet their social and welfare needs. As governments have been trying to tackle problems of social exclusion, the needs of people living in isolated locations or of those who find it difficult for some reason to use conventional public transport have sometimes yielded opportunities for services which are specifically designed to be easy to use. Such services are designed to include people in a way that removes the need for eligibility criteria. Thus conventional public transport is becoming more “specialized” by including in its basic design facilities for people who experience physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities.