PACTO meets with Older People’s Commissioner for Wales to outline progress of three-year Transformation Project
Members of Pembrokeshire Association of Community Transport Organisations (PACTO) recently met with the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, to outline the progress of our three-year Transformation Project, funded by the Motability Foundation.
The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales protects and promotes the rights of people aged 60 and over, and the meeting at Pembrokeshire Archives in Haverfordwest allowed Transformation Project Manager Wyndham Williams and PACTO’s General Manager Ady Poole to give a presentation detailing the impact the project has had to date.
PACTO was awarded a three-year grant of almost £1 million from the Motability Foundation to transform Community Transport in Pembrokeshire. This innovative and exciting project has presented PACTO with a rare opportunity to review and reshape the Community Transport sector in Pembrokeshire to be more resilient, with stronger governance, shared resources, and a more coherent set of services for people with mobility issues.
Bydd y fenter hon yn:
- Enhance accessibility, efficiency, and sustainability within the Community Transport sector.
- Provide five wheelchair-accessible cars and four wheelchair-accessible minibuses to expand the Community Transport fleet.
- Cyllid hadau ar gyfer costau sefydlu a rhedeg gwasanaethau.
- Create a new Community Transport strategy and delivery model based on stakeholder consultation and strategic implementation over three years.
- Serve as an example for other Community Transport operators across the UK.
As well as outlining some of Community Transport (CT) in Pembrokeshire’s key achievements in recent times, the team also explained some of the key issues that CT faces in Pembrokeshire.
Pembrokeshire’s Community Transport sector is made up of six operators: Bloomfield House Community Centre NDCSA, Green Dragon Community Transport, Manorbier and District Community Transport, Pembrokeshire Voluntary Transport, the Royal Voluntary Service and The VC Gallery.
In total, CT in Pembrokeshire has seen 4,336 beneficiaries with mobility needs in the last 21 months, as we approach the final year of the transformation project. This number includes 187 individual wheelchair users who have also benefited from CT across the county between October 2024 and September 2025.
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:
“Spending a week travelling across Pembrokeshire to meet with older people’s groups, as well as organisations providing crucial community support, was hugely valuable to see first-hand some of the activities making a positive difference to people’s lives, as well as hear directly about the challenges and barriers people are facing.
“Issues relating to transport were raised with me by older people wherever I went, and it was clear that community transport plays a particularly important role in Pembrokeshire.
“So, it was really helpful to meet with PACTO during my time in the county, to learn more about the ways they are supporting a wide range of CT services to provide innovative, flexible options that are essential to enable people to get out and about and do the things that matter to them.”
We would like to thank Rhian for taking the time to meet with us, and we look forward to working together for the benefit of CT moving forward.
Ynglŷn â PACTO
Pembrokeshire Association of Community Transport Organisations (PACTO) is an umbrella charity and not-for-profit membership organisation for Community Transport in Pembrokeshire, supporting local operators in providing accessible, inclusive transport for people with mobility needs and those in rural communities. A registered charity since 2004, PACTO works to improve access to transport for people who are isolated, elderly or disabled. Through guidance, advocacy and our Motability Foundation-funded Transformation Project, we help strengthen governance, modernise Community Transport services, and help reduce transport barriers across the county.
About the Motability Foundation
The Motability Foundation is an independent charity set up in 1977.
We fund, support, research and innovate so that all disabled people can make the journeys they choose. We oversee the Motability Scheme and provide grants to help those most in need to access it. We award grants to other charities and organisations that improve or advocate for accessible transport. Working with disabled people, government and industry, we drive innovation and collaboration to build transport equity.