Accessibility and inclusivity of bus and coach travel: Privacy notice

What is the research about?

This privacy notice sets out how your information will be used for this research into the accessibility and inclusivity of buses and coaches. 

As part of this research, the Department for Transport (DfT) has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), an independent social research organisation, to carry out research with people who have a long-lasting physical or mental health condition or impairment that affects their day-to-day life. The research includes focus groups/interviews, travel diaries, an online survey and accompanied journeys. You may only take part in one element of the research. 

Personal data collected will include contact details, geographical region, age (banded), ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability (banded into disability type categories), health conditions (banded into health condition type categories), employment status, and views on accessibility and inclusivity of bus and coach travel. The research is taking place to understand the accessibility and inclusivity of bus and coach vehicles and stops and stations. 

What is the legal basis for processing my data? 

For this study, the legal basis for processing your personal data is ‘Public Task’. For the special category personal data, the legal basis for processing this data is ‘Reasons of substantial public interest’. 

Who will have access to my personal data?

For the purpose of data protection legislation, the DfT are the data controllers. NatCen are the data processor. AECOM and Dynata are sub-processors for the research. This means DfT is responsible for deciding the purpose and legal basis for processing personal data from this study. 

Focus groups/interviews & travel diaries: NatCen will be responsible for processing the data from this study on behalf of the DfT. Participants will be recruited from the NatCen random probability panel. The research team at NatCen will have access to your personal data (such as name, age, gender etc.) as well as special category personal data on ethnicity and health conditions or impairments. The NatCen research team will record the focus group discussions and interviews. Only the NatCen research team and their trusted transcription partner McGowan Transcriptions will have access to the audio recordings. 

McGowan Transcriptions is the transcription service NatCen use to transcribe interview data. They will have access to recordings and transcriptions from all interviews and focus groups. McGowan Transcriptions is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and compliant with all of their information security policies.

CMNTY is a secure online platform provider used to host the online diary. Please note that for the online diaries, data is stored in Ireland. This transfer is made on the basis of an adequacy decision under Article 45 of the UK GDPR. The only personal data included in the diary platform is a) email addresses and b) the option to include health information. The rest of the data is stored in the UK. CMNTY is on Natcen’s approved supplier list and compliant with all of their information security policies.

Accompanied journeys: NatCen and their sub-processor AECOM will be responsible for processing the data from this study on behalf of the DfT. Participants will be recruited from the NatCen random probability panel, through AECOM’s network or through Propeller Recruitment. The research teams at NatCen and AECOM will have access to your personal data (such as name, age, gender etc.) as well as special category personal data on ethnicity and health conditions or impairments. If you are recruited through Propeller Recruitment they will also have access to this information. Propeller Recruitment is on NatCen’s approved supplier list and compliant with all of their information security policies.

The AECOM research team will carry out the accompanied journeys and record the discussions and may take pictures. Only the NatCen and AECOM research teams will have access to the audio recordings. Photos may be used in the report but will not include any identifiable information (e.g. no photos of people). 

Please view AECOM’s privacy policy here: Privacy Policy (aecom.com)

Online survey: Participants for the online survey will be recruited through Dynata’s panel and the survey will be hosted by Dynata, a data company. The survey data collected will include personal data (such as age, gender etc.) and special category personal data on ethnicity, sexual orientation and health conditions or impairments.

The data Dynata share with the NatCen research team will be pseudonymised.  This means that NatCen will not have access to your contact details. 

Please view Dynata’s privacy policy here: Dynata l Privacy Policy

How NatCen will use your information

Data will only be used for research purposes. NatCen will write up the findings in a report in a way that protects your anonymity. If you take part in the diaries, focus groups or accompanied journeys, the report may include quotes of what you have said and images taken during the accompanied journeys. The quotes and images will be labelled anonymously and any other identifiable information (for example names of towns) will be removed. Data from the online survey will be reported in an aggregated form.

NatCen will not attribute views to you but report the overall views of all the people that participated in the research. NatCen will also not tell anyone else what you have personally said, nor will NatCen include any names or personal details in the report. The findings of the research will be published externally on the Department for Transport’s website. All information collected for this study will be securely deleted 6 months after the research is complete. 

Focus groups/interviews and online diaries: You can withdraw from the study at any time prior to analysis by 31st October 2023.

Accompanied journeys: You can withdraw from the study at any time prior to analysis of interviews by 15th December 2023.

Online survey: You can withdraw from the study at any time prior to analysis of interviews by 30th December 2023.

If you wish to do so, please contact the NatCen research team on the study email address or freephone number provided below. 

Who are NatCen, AECOM and Dynata? 

NatCen is an independent social research institute. We design, conduct, and analyse research studies in the fields of social and public policy. NatCen researchers are responsible for this project and are delivering the focus groups and diaries.

AECOM is an independent research consultancy who specialises in transport planning research and is working in partnership with NatCen for this study. They are delivering the accompanied coach journeys.  

Dynata are a data company that support research projects by providing access to their online panel of research participants. 

Your data protection rights

You have rights with regards to your personal data. These include:

• The right to request copies of your personal data.
• The right to ask us to correct any personal data that we hold about you that’s inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to ask us to delete personal data that we hold about you.
• The right to object or restrict how we’re processing your personal data.

Who to contact if you have a query or a complaint?

To contact the research team at NatCen, please email buscoach@natcen.ac.uk or call 0808 281 9513 free of charge.

If you have any questions about how your data will be used, you can contact NatCen’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

If you have any questions about how your data will be used for this research, please contact DfT’s Research team at: local.evaluation@dft.gov.uk.

Under GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint about how information has been used or managed. Information can be found at the Department for Transport’s Personal Information Charter: Personal information charter - Department for Transport - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).