12 Oct 2026
A lift to a medical appointment, a journey to college or a trip to meet friends. In rural communities, being able to make that journey can make a significant difference to someone’s independence and opportunities.
This week, Community Transport Week (12–16 October) celebrates the people who make those connections possible. Led by the Community Transport Association (CTA), this year’s theme, Driving Communities Forward, recognises the drivers, volunteers, staff and trustees who keep services running.
For the Rural Services Network, it is an opportunity to recognise their contribution and highlight why rural transport needs lasting support.
When Getting There Is The Barrier
An available appointment or a job vacancy is only useful if someone can reach it.
In rural areas, longer distances and limited public transport can make everyday journeys difficult. For people who cannot drive, do not have access to a car or cannot afford to run one, that can restrict access to healthcare, employment, education and social activities.
The lived experiences gathered in RSN’s recent Rural Realities research describe these challenges clearly. Participants reported reduced services or no public transport at all, reliance on cars to reach essential services, and limited options for younger people travelling to work or education.
Communities often help each other, but participants also recognised that informal support cannot replace reliable transport provision.
The People Keeping Communities Moving
Community transport responds to local needs through services such as community minibuses, accessible vehicles and volunteer car schemes.
Behind each service are people organising bookings, supporting passengers, maintaining vehicles and giving their time to drive. Their work helps people remain independent and involved in community life.
But CTA warns that providers face pressures around funding, rising costs, volunteering, driver recruitment and licensing. This week is therefore also a chance to show decision-makers what services need to keep running.
What Rural Transport Needs
RSN’s asks of Government include:
- Fair funding for rural transport, recognising the cost of serving dispersed communities and supporting socially necessary bus services.
- Larger, sustained funding for community transport, helping schemes serve outlying settlements and connect people with bus and rail routes.
- Measures that recognise social value, alongside passenger numbers, so the importance of a service to the people who depend on it is properly understood.
These asks connect directly with RSN’s recent open letter to the Prime Minister and its six rural priorities for Government.
One of those priorities is to connect rural communities to opportunity. That means looking beyond the number of buses operating and asking whether people can get to work, attend college, see a doctor or access essential services.
It also means considering rural needs when policies are designed, with communities able to shape solutions that work locally.
Help Put Rural Journeys In The Spotlight
During Community Transport Week, organisations can share a passenger or driver story, celebrate their volunteers or invite a local decision-maker to see a service in action.
CTA’s campaign page provides ideas and resources for taking part, using #CTWeek26 and #DrivingCommunitiesForward.
For rural England, the test of a successful transport system is straightforward: can people reach the places, services and opportunities they need?
