Transport Connections Evaluation Report - TDSA

ABCD
Department of Human Services
Transport Connections Program
Government
July 2006
1 Introduction
“An important feature of liveable communities is that they provide access to services for
people with restricted mobility, such as older people, people with disabilities, and parents
travelling with children.” Meeting our Transport Challenges 1
The Victorian Government established the Transport Connections Program (TCP) in 2003 to
address the access and mobility needs of transport disadvantaged communities and individuals
in rural and regional Victoria. The TCP is a joint initiative of the Department of Human
Services (DHS), Department of Infrastructure (DOI), Department for Victorian Communities
(DVC) and Department of Education and Training (DET).
TCP supports nine pilot projects across predominantly rural and regional Victoria. Program
funding totalled $2.1 million over three years. The nine pilot projects aim to be inclusive of the
community they support by developing flexible approaches and practical solutions for
addressing transport disadvantage.
This report is the final report of an evaluation of the three year pilot program. Complementing
this report are three documents developed by KPMG as part of the evaluation process:
• Transport Connections – Mid Term Evaluation Report (2005)
• Transport Connections Pilot Projects – Attachment to Mid Term Evaluation Report (2005),
a series of case studies on the nine pilot projects, including background information,
resourcing requirements and outcomes of each pilot project
• Data Collection Strategy (2005).
1.1 The evaluation
The Department of Human Services engaged KPMG to evaluate the outcomes and operational
effectiveness of the TCP in relation to its objectives of:
• making better use of existing transport resources through new and coordinated approaches
• facilitating dialogue between community, transport providers and local businesses to
develop tailored transport solutions
• strengthening links between the community and public transport sectors.
The operating models of the TCP were also reviewed to measure if the model is efficient and
effective, inclusive of stakeholders, responsive to issues, able to make timely decisions and
resolve issues, and able to provide timely and useful guidance to the TCP pilot project
coordinators.
To oversee the evaluation, a Steering Committee was established comprising representatives
from DHS, DOI, DVC and DET.
1 ‘Meeting our Transport Challenges – Connecting Victorian Communities’, Government of Victoria, page 58
Final Evaluation - Transport Connections Program 2006
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