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Finding out about community transport

The community transport industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The passenger transport sector incorporates rail, aviation, bus and coach, taxi and private hire, light rail and metro, driver training, and UK waterways. The sector accounts for 735,000 jobs, most of which are within the bus and coach, taxi and private hire, rail, and aviation industries. The passenger transport sector includes a wide variety of roles, from pilots and transport planners, to essential support roles in finance, marketing and human resources.

The community transport industry in the UK provides a vital service to people who are unable to easily access other forms of public transport. Services include driving, passenger assistance and service coordination and planning, which are provided through cars, minibuses and coaches. A significant percentage of community transport operations are based in rural locations in order to supply better services in areas where other public transport services do not exist. Community transport work is undertaken by local authorities or by specialist organisations. Some private coach and bus operators also provide community transport services.

Key facts:

  • There are around 10,000 people working in the community transport industry.
  • There are hundreds of organisations of varying sizes; some have large numbers of employees whilst others have lots of volunteers.
  • Many positions in the industry are voluntary or part‐time.
  • 94% of companies employ at least one part‐time person.
  • Opportunities for progression within the industry can be limited.

Jobs in the industry fall into the following areas:

  • Driving – such as car, minibus and coach driver
  • Passenger support – such as passenger assistant
  • Operations management – such as operations assistant, operations manager

Entry and progression

To work in the community transport industry, there are no particular requirements for academic qualifications other than a sound basic education. It is fairly common for people to move between certain areas of work in the industry. For driving jobs, a car driving licence is required to a drive a car or small minibuses (up to 9 seats). To drive larger minibuses or coaches, the driver needs a category D licence for passenger carrying vehicles. Training can be undertaken with a company, or independently with a specialist driving instructor.

For passenger assistance roles, employers may prefer candidates who have previous experience of working in a customer service environment. Passenger assistants may be required to help passengers, so it can be helpful to be physically fit.

There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships, training schemes and vocational qualifications for those wishing to enter the passenger transport sector. Specific to the community transport industry, there are course on Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme and Passenger Assistant.

For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.

Workforce statistics

Number of UK employees: 10,000
Gender: it is a female dominated industry, but no data are available on the proportion
Age: there are a large number of older workers, but no detailed data is available

Employment trends and future prospects

The industry faces a constant shortage of funding and so is not always able to react to technological and mechanical advancements. Community transport struggles to recruit both volunteers and paid employees. Issues for recruitment of paid workers include lack of necessary skills, such as disability awareness and safety management, and problems with low pay rates. There are concerns as a large number of older workers in the industry and the industry is not attractive to younger people.

Skill requirements and shortages

The main skills gaps in the industry are:

  • Job related IT (23% of companies)
  • Management and Leadership (23%)
  • Safety/accident management (18%)

The skills most valued in the industry include: driving; customer service; communication; organisational skills; and team working. Other useful skills include: disability awareness; health and safety; first aid; and information technology.

Occupational trends

The main occupations in the industry are drivers and passenger assistants. 80% of companies do not have any other customer service occupations and 47% of companies have no senior managers.

National and regional data

[N.B. Regional data presented are for the passenger transport sector as a whole. Data derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2007.]

East Midlands – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 14% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 32% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; job related IT; and safety/accident management.

East of England – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 9% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 52% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

London – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 20% of the workforce in the region is female. 42% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 70% is 26‐49 years and 26% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; safety/accident management; booking operations; and logistics and scheduling of services.

North East – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 17% of the workforce in the region is female. 3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 51% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; and safety/accident management.

North West – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 61% is 26‐49 years and 33% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; disability awareness; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

South East – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 11% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 48% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and job related IT.

South West – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 40% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

West Midlands – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 27% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 65% is 26‐49 years and 28% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; safety/accident management; foreign languages; maths/working with numbers; and disability awareness.

Yorkshire and the Humber – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 13% of the workforce in the region is female. 18% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 30% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; job related IT; and Welsh language.

Northern Ireland – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 21% of the workforce in the region is female. Data are unavailable on the ethnicity of the workforce. 9% of the workforce is under 25 years, 74% is 26‐49 years and 17% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; safety/accident management; job related IT; and disability awareness.

Scotland – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 2% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and disability awareness.

Wales – In the passenger transport sector as whole, 18% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 54% is 26‐49 years and 38% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: Welsh language; foreign languages; disability awareness; safety/accident management; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.

Salary levels

Many positions in the community transport industry are voluntary, so salaries are difficult to estimate. The average weekly gross pay of bus/coach driver is £424.

Career paths

Further sources

Produced Sept 2010, using GoSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)

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