Ctla
CTLA is a UK community transport charity founded in 1996 providing accessible dial-a-ride, public bus routes, and MiDAS training across four areas in the Lewes district of East Sussex, funded by local councils and the National Lottery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersLewes, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Ctla does
CTLA (Community Transport for the Lewes Area) is a registered UK charity founded in 1996, headquartered in Newhaven, East Sussex. The organization provides accessible community transport services to residents of the Lewes district, operating a portfolio of services including Dial-a-Ride across four geographic areas, Travel Club and 100 Club membership schemes, Group Hire, MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) training, and public bus routes. CTLA employs 14 staff under the leadership of General Manager Mr Shem Gardner.
The charity's business model is a hybrid of grant-funded and fare-paying operations. Revenue is derived from a combination of National Lottery awards, local council funding (notably Lewes District Council), Freemasons grants, individual donations, and direct service fees from travel clubs, group hire, and training delivery. The customer base spans individual community members (particularly those with limited mobility or without access to private transport), community groups hiring minibuses, and drivers requiring MiDAS certification.
CTLA operates within a regulated UK community transport framework that prioritizes accessibility and social inclusion over commercial returns. Its 30-year operational history has built entrenched local distribution, MiDAS training accreditation, and established relationships with East Sussex funders. The organization's strategic positioning centers on sustaining existing service levels across its four dial-a-ride zones rather than aggressive expansion, with public bus route operation and training delivery representing incremental diversification from the core dial-a-ride service.
Ctla firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ctla
- Legal name
- Community Transport for the Lewes Area
- Website
- https://ctla.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CTLA is a UK community transport charity founded in 1996 providing accessible dial-a-ride, public bus routes, and MiDAS training across four areas in the Lewes district of East Sussex, funded by local councils and the National Lottery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ctla industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Transport Services
- NAICS
- Special Needs Transportation (485991), Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (485)
- SIC
- Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)
- akta.pro primary industry
- ADA/Accessible Paratransit (Complementary to Fixed-Route Transit) (THAIAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Door-to-Door Senior Ride Services (Non-Medical) (HSABAOAB), Accessible (ADA) & Special-Needs Group Charters (THAIAIAK)
Keywords
Where Ctla is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lewes
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ctla business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Dial-a-Ride Fares: Per-trip fares for door-to-door transport services, with pricing varying by distance/zones. Fares collected by driver on boarding.
- Membership Fees: Free basic membership for service access; paid memberships include Travel Club (£15/year by post) and 100 Club lottery (£30/year)
- Travel Club Trips: Organised day trips and excursions for members with ticketed events, newsletters, and group outings
- Group and Club Hire: Minibus and driver hire for community groups, organisations, and day trips. Buses seat up to 16 passengers.
- MiDAS Training: Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme training delivered to external transport providers, schools, and community organisations
- 100 Club Lottery: Monthly prize draw lottery where members have chance to win cash prizes; half of membership fee supports CTLA services
- Donations and Legacies: Charitable donations and bequests from supporters to sustain community transport operations
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free basic membership for service access |
| Subscription | Annual | Travel Club membership with newsletter and trips |
| Subscription | Annual | 100 Club lottery membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Four Towns Dial-a-Ride fares by zone |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Eastbourne and Polegate Dial-a-Ride |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Seaford Dial-a-Ride |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Lewes Dial-a-Ride |
| Other | Multi-year contract | MiDAS Training |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Ctla product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CTLA is a registered charity delivering door-to-door accessible community transport (Dial-a-Ride) for individuals with mobility limitations across Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne, Polegate, and the Four Towns area of East Sussex. The portfolio also includes organised social day trips through Travel Club, a 100 Club lottery, minibus-and-driver group hire for community organisations, MiDAS training for transport providers, and scheduled public bus routes.
Product overview
CTLA operates as a community transport charity providing a unified portfolio of accessible transport services across East Sussex. The core offering consists of four Dial-a-Ride services (Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne/Polegate, and Four Towns) providing door-to-door accessible transport for those unable to use public transport, supplemented by minibus Group and Club Hire for community organizations. Membership programs include Free Membership for service access, the Travel Club for organized social day trips, and the 100 Club lottery. MiDAS training is offered to other transport providers. Public bus routes (123, 132, 129, 245, 249) are also operated.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Dial-a-Ride: Door-to-door accessible transport service for individuals unable to easily access public transport, available in Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne, Polegate, and Four Towns areas.
- Travel Club
- 100 Club
- MiDAS Training
Products and services
- Lewes Dial-a-Ride Pre-booked, accessible door-to-door transport for individuals in the Lewes area unable to use public transport. Operates three days a week within the Lewes boundary including Kingston and surrounding villages, with fares starting at £4 single.
- Seaford Dial-a-Ride Pre-booked accessible transport for residents of Seaford, Bishopstone, and Newhaven unable to use public transport. Service runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with alternate Monday trips to Lewes for shopping including Tesco/Aldi. Fares from £4 single.
- Eastbourne and Polegate Dial-a-Ride Door-to-door accessible transport service for residents in Eastbourne, Willingdon, and Polegate who cannot access public transport, running Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday with single fares at £4.00 and returns at £7.00.
- Four Towns Dial-a-Ride Door-to-door accessible transport across Telscombe, Peacehaven, Newhaven, and Seaford (plus East Saltdean, South Heighton, Denton, Bishopstone), operating Monday to Friday with zonal fares ranging from £4 to £8.50 single.
- Travel Club Membership Subscription-based social travel club for members that organises monthly day trips across East Sussex, including pub lunches, cream teas, and group outings, supported by a monthly newsletter with destination options.
- 100 Club Lottery Membership Annual subscription membership (£30/year) that enters members into a monthly cash prize draw with three winners, while supporting CTLA's community transport services with half of each membership fee.
- Group and Club Hire Minibus and qualified driver hire for registered non-profit community groups, schools, and voluntary organisations, accommodating up to 16 passengers for day trips, educational visits, and social meetings.
- MiDAS Training Nationally recognised MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme) training delivered to other transport providers, schools, youth clubs, and community bus services either onsite or offsite by qualified MiDAS examiners, with certification upon completion.
- Scheduled Public Bus Routes (123, 129, 132, 245, 249) Scheduled public bus routes including Route 123 (Newhaven to Lewes via Piddinghoe, Southease, Rodmell), Route 132 (Lewes Sunday service), Route 129 (Lewes town service), and Routes 245/249 (Buxted to Uckfield, Manor Park area).
Quantifiable outcome
- Door-to-door service available across multiple towns in East Sussex
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Ctla
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ctla technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Ctla partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- EBM Centre / 3Degree Catering & EventsminorVenue provider supporting CTLA Travel Club events, offering space for Bingo & Buffet afternoons and community gatherings in Peacehaven.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Ctla competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- British Red Cross Patient Transport: Provides non-emergency patient transport services across the UK, including door-to-door transport for people with mobility or access barriers to medical appointments. Closely comparable service model to CTLA's Dial-a-Ride for medical visits and similar accessible passenger focus.
- HCT Group: UK charity operating community transport services including Dial-a-Ride, Dial-a-Bus, and accessible minibus operations across multiple regions. Directly comparable to CTLA as a community transport charity delivering door-to-door accessible services with trained drivers and accessible vehicles.
- Sussex Community Transport (Age UK East Sussex): Local community transport provision operating across parts of East Sussex for older and disabled residents. Closely comparable geography and target population to CTLA, with overlapping service area across East Sussex towns.
- Driving Miss Daisy (UK): UK franchise network offering companion driving services for elderly and mobility-limited passengers, including door-to-door transport. Comparable to CTLA's Door-to-Door Dial-a-Ride service in customer segment (older adults with mobility needs) and door-to-door service format.
- Royal Voluntary Service: UK charity delivering community-based services including transport support for older people to attend appointments and social activities. Comparable to CTLA's elderly-segment, accessibility-focused transport mission with a community-based service model.
Broad incumbents
- Stagecoach South East: Major UK regional bus operator running scheduled local and interurban bus services across East Sussex. Comparable as a public bus operator in CTLA's geography, but a broad incumbent with a wide commercial route network rather than CTLA's specialist accessible/charter focus.
- Compass Travel: Sussex-based local bus operator running scheduled and accessible bus services in the region. Comparable as a regional public transport operator serving parts of CTLA's geography but operating at a larger commercial scale across mixed routes.
- Arriva (Southern Counties): Large UK bus operator providing scheduled and accessible services across the South East, including parts of East Sussex. Comparable as a broad incumbent passenger transport provider in CTLA's geography, but operating at national commercial scale rather than community-charity focus.
Others
- East Sussex County Council (in-house passenger transport): Local authority that commissions and partly delivers accessible transport services for residents in the same geography. Comparable as a buyer and potential competitor for the same accessible-transport commissioning budgets that fund CTLA's operations.
- Community Transport Association UK (CTA): National membership body representing community transport operators across the UK. Not a direct competitor, but the trade and standards association within which CTLA operates; comparable as an ecosystem participant and MiDAS scheme administrator.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ctla social profiles
Digital presenceCtla financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ctla leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ctla funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ctla M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ctla
What does Ctla do?
CTLA is a registered charity delivering door-to-door accessible community transport (Dial-a-Ride) for individuals with mobility limitations across Lewes, Seaford, Eastbourne, Polegate, and the Four Towns area of East Sussex. The portfolio also includes organised social day trips through Travel Club, a 100 Club lottery, minibus-and-driver group hire for community organisations, MiDAS training for transport providers, and scheduled public bus routes.
Is Ctla a public or private company?
Ctla is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ctla founded?
Ctla was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ctla based?
Ctla is headquartered in Lewes, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Ctla make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Dial-a-Ride Fares are the primary driver. The others are membership Fees, travel Club Trips, group and Club Hire, miDAS Training, 100 Club Lottery and donations and Legacies.
Who are Ctla's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are British Red Cross Patient Transport, HCT Group, Sussex Community Transport (Age UK East Sussex), Driving Miss Daisy (UK) and Royal Voluntary Service. Broad incumbents are Stagecoach South East, Compass Travel and Arriva (Southern Counties). Others are East Sussex County Council (in-house passenger transport) and Community Transport Association UK (CTA).
Does Ctla have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ctla.
What industry is Ctla in?
Ctla's product category is Community Transport Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAIAHAA, ADA/Accessible Paratransit (Complementary to Fixed-Route Transit), with a secondary code of HSABAOAB, Door-to-Door Senior Ride Services (Non-Medical). Its NAICS code is 485991 and its SIC code is 4100.