Blog by Jen O’Neill at the Community Transport Association
Coalfield Community Transport, an independent charity in East Ayrshire, has grown from a small volunteer-led initiative to operating a fleet of 22 vehicles serving local residents. But in recent years, soaring insurance costs and poor service from brokers became a major challenge.
Things improved dramatically when the Community Transport Association (CTA) introduced Coalfield to insurance providers WRS Insurance Brokers (WRS) and Business Choice Direct Insurance Services (BCD). Susan shared her relief:
“Insurance costs were a major shock,” explained Susan Dever, who manages transport and health and safety. “We went from paying around £20,000 to nearly £40,000, even without major incidents.”
The CTA is a UK member-based charity providing leadership, training, advice, and operational support to transport-related charities, community groups and social enterprises in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As part of their commitment to supporting the sector, CTA has partnered with WRS Insurance Brokers and Business Choice Direct to offer trusted, specialist insurance advice and cover.
In this partnership, BCD takes care of the wheels, managing the fleet and motor insurance, while WRS handles the rest, such as employers’ liability, public liability, and other vital covers for community transport organisations.
“Having someone else handle that side of things has been a lifesaver. Even just simple things like tracking down an email or answering a question quickly – WRS and BCD were on it.”
She praised the seamless collaboration between WRS and BCD, with each focusing on their area of expertise – BCD managing fleet insurance and WRS handling employers’ liability.
“Although different brokers from WRS and BCD looked after different things, it never felt disjointed. They worked together seamlessly, which actually made it easier.”
Susan also valued their proactive, future-focused approach. “They factored our plans for an electric vehicle car club into insurance discussions straight away. They even checked that insurers would be happy to cover us once we launched it.” Her advice to others in the sector: “Review your future plans at renewal. Things like adding a car club, taking vehicles off the road temporarily, or launching new projects can all affect your insurance.”
Another standout for Susan was their charitable ethos. “WRS and BCD came from Ecclesiastical roots and still put money back into the charitable sector. That tells you a lot about their values.”
The partnership has made a real difference, allowing Coalfield Community Transport to focus on what matters most – delivering safe, reliable transport for the community.
“It’s a big weight off my mind to know our insurance is sorted properly. We’re busy enough without chasing insurers for months on end.”
Susan encourages other community transport providers to start a conversation with WRS and BCD. “Even if you’ve been with the same broker forever, it’s worth a chat. They genuinely care about doing better – and that makes all the difference.”
About WRS
At WRS Insurance Brokers, we are specialists in Charity Insurance and Social Enterprise Insurance, and our team is passionate about the charitable sector. As a business with a strong social conscience, we’re passionate about helping support the work of organisations that make a difference.
WRS is proudly part of the Benefact Group, a charity-owned, international family of financial services companies that gives all available profits to charity and good causes.