"Specialised transport" can be defined as any form of public passenger transport where eligibility rules apply: people who wish to use such a service have to meet certain criteria for ridership which apply to them and for which that transport is then made available. Such provision embraces a wide range of passenger transport service use (Nutley, 1990), including "school transport" - services to transport children to and from school; "patient transport" - services to transport non-emergency patients to and from hospital or medical-center appointments; "statutory sector transport" - services to transport individuals (typically those with physical disabilities or learning impairments) to and from facilities such as day centres; "socially necessary transport" - where services used by social groups (typically elderly and retired or unemployed people) are subsidised; and "community buses" - services to transport particular individuals and/or social groups (typically those living in communities experiencing social exclusion) to enable them to meet their social and welfare needs. Three case studies are described in this chapter: Barnsley Dial a Ride and Community Transport; Cumbria PlusBus; and a Transport Co-ordination Centre in a London Borough.
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