Community transport of the future

Collaborative research designed to review the current community transport ecosystem in Australia and explore emerging opportunities for innovation, delivered in partnership with ITS Australia and the University of Technology Sydney

An elderly lady poses smiling with her yellow senior opal card

 

With a view toward forming future policy, funding, and service delivery ecosystems, Transport for NSW partnered with the following organisations to investigate systemic issues, opportunities, and barriers for overcoming transport disadvantage and enhancing community transport in Australia:

  • the University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
  • ITS Australia
  • Department of Transport (WA)
  • Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland) and
  • Department of Transport Victoria

This research included a literature review, stakeholder engagement and analysis and modelling to synthesis broad insights into the community transport sector with a view to informing government policy development and wider industry thinking about the role of community transport.   

The final report from this research found:

  • community transport is more about the ‘community’ than just transport – it provides the glue connecting users to vital services and social networks.
  • community transport is a critical element of our wider transport network that ensures suitable transport options exist for everybody, especially those with specific or more complex needs.
  • emerging technologies can improve community transport by creating new ways of planning and delivering services that have the potential to meet everybody’s needs.

Community Transport of the Future Reports

Accelerating Innovative Local Transport: Community transport of the future (PDF, 4.51 MB) - Final Report.

Accelerating Innovative Local Transport: Community transport of the future (PDF, 8.04 MB) – Executive Summary.

The report offers insight into just what the community transport ecosystem is and how technology has the potential to improve community transport by increasing access and choice for clients and providing higher quality and more responsive services.

This research was delivered in partnership with iMOVE CRC and supported by the Cooperative Research Centres program, an Australian Government initiative.