New travel arrangements introduced as part of City of York Council's on-going review of its community transport services are already set to deliver savings in excess of £50,000.

The review, which is being carried out by consultants Northgate Kendric Ash, covers transport arrangements for vulnerable children and adults, children travelling to and from schools and people with disabilities.

One of the first stages was to introduce more cost-effective travel arrangements for adults with special needs who attend work placements at the Brunswick Organic Nursery and Greenworks schemes. This meant reducing the reliance on taxi services and making better use of the council's own fleet of vehicles so that groups of people can travel together. Not only has this reduced costs, but people have also found the vehicles more comfortable and have been getting to their destination sooner. Overall, the feedback received from services users, and their parents and carers has been very positive.

Simon Wing, who is co-ordinating the review on behalf of the council's newly-formed York transport provision team, explained: "We are working closely with service users and their families to iron out any teething problems, which you do get when you introduce change, but everyone has been extremely supportive. This is about improving services and ensuring that we are making the best possible use of the council's resources."

The next step will be to review transport arrangements for users of adult day care services. Again, the focus will be on making better use of the council's existing fleet of vehicles to get people to and from the community-based services and activities that they attend.

These initial changes are expected to save the council in the region of £52,000, although the total saving is expected to be much greater as the review is still in its early stages. In the coming months Northgate Kendric Ash will look at how school transport can be improved and made more cost-effective, as well as entering negotiations with taxi firms to draw up a comprehensive list of preferred suppliers. The initial response from taxi drivers has been encouraging, with 36 providers submitting bids to be preferred suppliers.

Funding for the community transport review was obtained from the Regional Assembly and the Regional Centre of Excellence. An initial analysis of the current arrangements showed that there is significant potential for improvement and greater efficiency. This initial study also looked at the scope for collaborative work with other partners, such as East Riding of Yorkshire Council and NHS Trusts.

The work being carried out by Northgate Kendric Ash is being overseen by the council's Director of Housing and Adult Social Services, Bill Hodson, and will be implemented during the next two to three years.