The social and economic benefits of community transport in Scotland

An inquiry by the Scottish Parliament Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee launched in 2013 found that there is a lack of evidence on the social and economic benefits of community transport (CT) in Scotland. This paper reports the outcome of research designed to identify the economic, social and health benefits generated by CT. Following a review of available literature on the benefits of CT, a primary research programme was carried out with five case studies from across Scotland. Findings confirm that CT is a critically important service providing cross-cutting benefits across a range of policy areas, including transport, health, social services and leisure, amongst others. It also plays an important role in tackling different types of inequality, an important issue on the policy agenda of many Governments.