Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community (SIRTC) BYOC Cafe: Thursday 24 September 2026

During the September 2026 Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community (SIRTC) BYOC Cafe event, Dr Jenny Milne reported on:

- Focus Action Group meetings : Scotland Beyond Net Zero.
- Calls for evidence: fuel prices and aviation.
- 26 November virtual cafe on mini-Switzerland in the Peak District.

Nicola Budge, Hoy Development Trust reported on:

- The Orkney island of Hoy has nearly 400 inhabitants served by a health centre with ambulance.
- Recent move to Demand Responsive Transport and weekly bus from the remotest community of Rackwick.
- Ferries at Lyness and Moaness to the Orkney mainland where the hospital is located.

David Kelly, Community Transport Association reported that just over 200 members are trying to plug gaps in the transport network, particularly for access to public health and social services and predominantly in rural areas. They are delivering more than half a million journeys annually, and 39% of users say they would otherwise have been unable to travel. Only 5 out of 14 NHS Boards are complying with their duty under the Transport Act to deliver community benefit, 2 out of 14 to work with Community Trust, none with their duty to report progress. CTA are seeing progress, but 6 Boards continue to show no compliance : might proposed NHS mergers yield improvement against a background of shrinking resources and increasing demand? 26% of CTA members are not confident that they will survive the next three years, and 53% report driver shortages.

Dr Milne is trying to set up a Cross Party Group on rural accessibility in the Scottish Parliament for which she needs five MSPs.

Report by John Yellowlees