New Insurance Solution Secures the Future of Community Car Clubs Across the UK

Recently, SRITC had the opportunity to submit its response to the Scottish Government's Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP). For the island communities of Scotland issues associated with the ferries have been very well known for a long time. And so with the Scottish Government setting out its plan, we thought it best to provide our view based on our contacts from and knowledge of the islands.

To summarise the ICP, it aims to enhance the transport links for island communities, replacing the current Ferries Plan with a broader scope that includes ferries, aviation, fixed links, and connecting travel. The plan focuses on modernising the ferry fleet, reducing the average age of vessels, and increasing the standardisation of vessels and ports to improve reliability and resilience​.

Key actions include:

• Modernising the fleet: Reducing the average age of ferries to around 15 years old by the end of the decade.
• Resilience building: Standardising vessels and ports to ensure consistent service.
• Community needs assessments: Conducting updated assessments for communities served by the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services to tailor transport solutions​
• Fixed link appraisals: Evaluating fixed link proposals for routes such as the Sound of Harris and Sound of Barra​.

The plan also emphasises sustainability, aiming to reduce carbon emissions and integrate ferry services with other modes of transport to support health, well-being, and economic growth. It includes a financial sustainability strategy to address rising costs and ensure long-term viability. The Scottish Government is committed to making these services reliable, affordable, and inclusive to enhance the quality of life for island residents and promote economic development.

There were many questions for us to answer, and we did our best to answer them all. But we thought we would give a flavour of the main issues that we have raised.

The first issue that we covered in our response is the importance of a reliable and regular ferry service. We stated that restoring these services to a reliable and regular operation needs to be the top priority of the plan. We know how important these services are for the island communities of Scotland. People take the ferries to education, health appointments, seeing friends and family, and they provide a critical economic link for these islands.

The second issue is one that is regularly discussed at our cafes, namely the accessibility and affordability of ferry services. The cost of travelling to and from the islands are a significant barrier to their economic development. This is not just a personal cost to islanders either. Economic sectors where island communities can lead upon, such as renewable energy generation, face additional costs as a result of these remote connections. We also made a suggestion that accessibility standards need to be written into contracts for services so that operators can be judged by them, and sanctioned where they fall short.

We also raised a number of areas of improvement, particularly in relation to integrated and public transport, which SRITC strongly advocates for.

The reality is that the whole journey needs to be seamless, including steps of the journey some distance from the crossing itself. But from our evidence, we have identified a number of factors specifically relating to the crossings and the immediate trips that, when developed with the close engagement of the community, could have a significant impact on the number of people using sustainable transport:

Close working with local sustainable tourism initiatives. There is significant potential for many islands to be at the forefront of sustainable and ecotourism, with sustainable travel being a bit part of that. Local tourism initiatives, such as Visit Arran, often have close links with smaller businesses and communities undertaking such work. Simply by promoting this work as part of trips to, from, and between islands, more people can travel by public transport, walking, and cycling.

Reviewing operational procedures in the event of delays. In instances where an operational delay significantly disrupts passengers who are not using a private car, alternative transport and potentially overnight accommodation must be provided by the party responsible for the delay. This needs to be written into the contracts and performance agreements of all future operators with public sector contracts.

Development of mobility hubs at ferry ports. Ferry ports need to be developed in a manner that ensures that access by public transport, walking, and cycling to ferry services is safe and convenient. 

Facilities for active travel on ferries. Current facilities for active travel on many ferry services are somewhat basic, in some cases with bicycles being stored in a corner of the car deck. Facilities for cycling on ferries need to be dedicated and be more than simple areas to store bicycles.

Considering island crossings as a holistic whole. While ferry crossings are the most popular way of travelling to, from, and between islands, other options like air services exist. But these need to be booked separately. If passengers were able to book trips to, from, and between islands, on tickets that are valid on multiple services (subject to pre-booking) as well as local public transport, this is a more attractive offer to potential public transport users.

Underpinning all of this is meaningful community engagement in the improvement and development of services. While investment is welcome, it cannot be done so in a way where island communities feel as though a solution is being done to them as opposed to being developed with them.

Not least because they have an excellent understanding of their own needs, and consequently what solutions are likely to work. We have made a suggestion that representatives of island communities be present on boards with the responsibility for decision making.

Whether this be the Boards making decisions on ferry services, as part of tender exercises for new projects and services, or on specific project boards for individual projects. We would expect this as the absolute minimum for engaging with island communities.

All of this is but a flavour of the comments that we submitted to the Scottish Government. We hope that the ICP is a step in the right direction for improving connectivity to these remote corners of Scotland, and ones that are often overlooked by decision makers. We await the Scottish Government’s response with interest.

Last month, I was lucky enough to escape the UK and extend my summer with a trip out to Jamaica. Best known for its beautiful beaches & resorts, jerk dishes, rum and of course Bob Marley - I’m sure it's not a nation that you’d expect to end up on a Scottish Rural & Islands transport blog but alas…here we are.

Whenever I travel I’ve made a personal habit of throwing myself into the deep end of local public transport and refusing to rent a car, much to the frustration of whoever I travel with. So far it’s led to countless unforgettable experiences (for better and for worse!). And so I headed to Montego Bay determined to try whatever transport the city had to offer and to document it for the SRITC community.

Within 24 hours of touching down, I’d learned the three most important things about getting around MoBay (as the locals call it) without a car: (i) be prepared to wait (ii) be prepared to haggle and (iii) in some cases, be prepared to squeeze. Let me explain.

With roughly 80k local residents, transport infrastructure in and around the city is limited to say the least - especially when it comes to roads, rail and buses. The roads are narrow and winding, so traffic is inevitable. Pavements are sporadic (or nonexistent in some areas), so it's not a very walkable environment unless you’re comfortable sharing the street with cars. The last rail service to serve Montego Bay was back in October 1992. And to top it all off, there’s no formal bus system and the ‘bus stop’ is wherever you want it to be.

Despite all this, there is still a smorgasbord of transport options. While there’s no formal bus system within the system, they seem to have every type of taxi you could imagine.

First there are the ‘Route Taxis’. These are informal shared taxis that operate on fixed routes. At first glance it seemed any car could be a route taxi, but the easiest way to recognize them is by their distinctive red licence plates and single chequered stripe along one side of the vehicle. Costing around 80p per trip (regardless of length), these are by far the most affordable and authentic Jamaican way to get around. Naturally, this became my preferred mode of transport. You simply hail them along the main roads and tell them where you’re going: they then either drive off without you if it's not on their route, or invite you to take a seat (even if you can’t see any free seats). More often than not, route taxis are 7-seater vehicles that are filled to the brim with people. Very kind people, who will somehow conjure up extra space to allow you to join the ride. If you value your personal space, this probably isn’t the best option for you. If you want to meet locals, it's quite easy when you’re basically sitting on their lap.

Then you have ‘Tourist Taxis’. Tourist taxis also just look like normal cars, but they have white licence plates with red lettering. They’ll take you door-to-door rather than along a fixed route, and are a lot more comfortable (mostly just because they’re not shared with others). I unintentionally took a tourist taxi once, and the driver immediately made sure to clarify that he was the right taxi for ‘tourists like me’ and hastily reminded me he was going to charge me the equivalent of £10 (even though I could’ve done the same trip on a route taxi for 80p). That was my first and last tourist taxi.

There are also ‘Private Taxis’ which are pre-booked only and won’t stop when hailed. These  prove to be best if you ever need to be somewhere on time (though the traffic may have another plan for you!). They are typically larger minibus vehicles and so a quick 5 minute trip can set you back the equivalent of £20.  Private taxis are especially handy if you want to have a personal driver for longer day trips & excursions. In these cases, always make sure to agree to a fee in advance, but prices quoted typically start around £120 (not including tips). 

Finally, there’s the adventure-seeker’s choice of hitchhiking. Now this isn’t something I would typically do, nor was it an option I intentionally took. Much like when we accidentally hailed a tourist taxi, we’d been standing out on the side of the road for over 25 minutes before a car finally stopped. I’ll blame the blazing heat for leading us to just hop in without asking too many questions. The driver was friendly and he was accompanied by a friend. It was only at the end of the trip when we asked him how much to pay and he took an awkward eternity to come up with a price, that we realised this probably wasn’t his typical day of business. Low and behold, when we left the vehicle we noticed a white licence plate with black lettering… should have been obvious! 

That’s all to say, travelling around Montego Bay is truly an adventure. If you don’t choose to rent a car, you’ll have to decide on your preferred mode of taxi ranging from £0.80-£20 for a short trip. Note that there’s no sophisticated digital solutions paired with these taxis - you’ll either have to street hail until you find a taxi going in your direction or call multiple numbers till you find an available driver. Apparently some areas even offer motorcycle taxis and bicycle-driven rickshaws, but I sadly didn’t come across these. I can’t actually recall seeing a normal bicycle being used anywhere (likely due to the hilly, narrow roads which explains the transport mix being so car-dominated).

For me, the lasting memory of transport in MoBay will be that of the Route Taxis. They are a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the local culture, but certainly not for the faint hearted!  I was surprised to see the use of regular saloon and MPV vehicles on fixed routes, but it makes me wonder whether the UK could take some inspiration from this as a community-organised solution for rural towns suffering from bus service cuts? Current regulations around vehicle sizes & licences for British transport services would make that tricky to implement in practice, but perhaps those regulations are worth reconsidering given the incredibly low costs per passenger which can be achieved with this sort of model.

Every individual or family has their own daily routine whether that involves the school run, the commute for work, visiting friends or family or shopping. How this routine is achieved will depend upon where the individual or family not only resides but factors including but not limited to income, availability of transport options but ultimately there is an element, large or small, of choice. 

The car is often the preferred mode in many areas as that choice can offer flexibility but not everyone can afford a car or indeed has a licence. Words that are unique to the transport sector to describe these phenomena include travel behaviour, trip chains or tours and there are many articles and journal papers exploring these concepts. 

However, one critical factor that transport planners and policy makers have little control over is the role of the weather in the UK on travel behaviour or trip chains. Weather is such an emotive issue for the British population so what impact could this have on the adoption of more integrated transport services as proposed by the concept of Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

MaaS is a complex term with no harmonised meaning but for now, imagine and visualise a Victoria sponge cake. There are many different ingredients for MaaS, but for now, the focus is on the finished product which has two sponge layers with the jam in between.

MaaS is very similar in that one layer involves the integration of transport modes such as train, bike, bus and car whilst the top layer provides additional personalised tailored services. Within the cake, the jam in the middle represents the user as they use the transport services, while the top layer uses clever data analysis tools from layer one to offer a customised journey and tailor offerings/services to the user. 

The services offered will be based upon the personalised data gathered in layer one of the cake when choosing the mode of transport.  This additionality to the user is seen as ‘the icing on the cake’ by transport operators and policy makers, assuming that the user wants these additional services!

Sticking with the Victoria Sponge analogy, assuming the public is happy to cut a slice and have a piece of cake each day when undertaking their daily routine of travel, what happens when an unexpected factor such as the weather intervenes (In 2020, the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic could be described as an unexpected factor, however for the purposes of this article we are looking at, normal unexpected factors. COVID-19 was sprung upon society whereas the weather is constant).

Disruption, delay, fear, uncertainty or all concerns for the travellers. For example, can I ride my ebike on ice, is my childs school bus operating, how will I get to work, how long will my trip take, will the bus/train be operating. All these are natural and instinctive reactions on a day when the weather intervenes.

The original choices in the mode of transport are often a sub and conscious decision in that in the UK the use of an e-bike in snow or ice is deemed very challenging even with the correct tyres, however in Finland, cycling in such conditions is normal and something I’ve witnessed. Herein lies a cultural factor which inherently affects the unexpected intervention in the UK.

With this in mind, the role that MaaS in the UK can play when weather interferes will be different to other countries.  As yet the role of unexpected interventions, such as weather, to a user’s daily routine has yet to be fully explored and addressed by those implementing MaaS solutions and technology.

For MaaS to be a dependable and desirable solution to the user (the jam), the unexpected interventions aren't the ‘icing on the cake’ but a core ingredient without which the cake won’t rise, and when baked, the slices won’t be eaten (user uptake is short lived), and ultimately the cake will be left untouched (MaaS will be a term assigned to history). 

A successful Victoria sponge does require many ingredients but like the jam, the user lies at the heart.  Without full consideration of all factors (ingredients) in the user journey/routine, we won’t be eating a nice Victoria sponge cake.