Sustainable Transport Broker Programme Services

Introduction,
Isle of Wight Council is seeking a suitably experienced partner to support the delivery of the Access Fund Sustainable Transport Broker Programme during 2017/18, with the potential to extend to for an additional two years.
The Sustainable Transport Broker Programme seeks to support active jobseekers and apprentices in making sustainable transport choices through the provision of discounted travel, training and advice. It builds on a similar project delivered during 2016/17 as part of the Sustainable Travel Transition Year (STTY) Programme from which numerous learning points have been captured.

Sustainable Transport Broker Programme
The Sustainable Transport Broker Programme aims to transform access to employment opportunities for jobseekers and apprentices. Its specific objective is to:
• Provide active jobseekers and apprentices with discounted travel options and training in order to reduce the impact which transport costs have on securing employment.

The project will have the following key elements:

• A discounted travel solution for jobseekers and apprentices. This may include, but is not limited to bus and rail, pedal and e-bikes and car club vehicles. The project will establish a ‘self-administering’ solution for bus travel, potentially by providing unique discount codes which can redeemed against selected bus ticket products.
• Effective communication of the various offers and solutions to delivery partners, such as Jobcentre Plus and Training providers, and to beneficiaries; jobseekers and apprentices.
• Integration with other funding sources to provide maximum value for money.
• Establish a system for monitoring effective use of the transport discounts.

The most recent labour market profile data (November 2016, NOMIS) for the Isle of Wight show that there are 1,100 jobseekers and nearly 6000 ESA claimants, not all of which will be ‘active’ jobseekers.