Beginnings Manchester Travel Training Partnership

Where it all began

Before the Manchester Travel Training Partnership was established, money became available from the Learning Skills Council to set up innovative projects linked to young people with disabilities and centring around transport and independence. Manchester funded several schemes such as the one at the Independence Development Service (IDS). Here a travel trainer was employed to do the one-to-one work with students that travel training requires. Many students learned successfully to get around on public transport in their own area and it proved a key aspect of them gaining more independence.

Once it became established that travel training was the way forward for young disabled people Manchester set up a working group consisting of those involved in travel training.  It was decided, after much discussion, to pool the resources, as much as possible and set up one central service.  This coincided with a review of special needs transport, where it was evident that a wider spectrum of alternatives was needed to transport students with disabilities to their place of education.

In January 2008 the Manchester Travel Training Partnership (MTTP) was set up.

It had the remit to train any young disabled person who lived and was educated in the city of Manchester and qualified for special needs transport.

The service had 1 manager and 5 trainers, to begin with, and is based at Lancasterian School with strong links with the Transport co-ordination Unit.  Lancasterian provides the management of the service and the TCU provide the referrals.

In 2014 the service changed its name to Lancasterian Travel training partnership for a time.

Thus Manchester's first city wide travel training centre was launched.