---
title: "Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 90/100. Accounts 2025: income £5.2m · 77% on charitable activities. Reg 1160901."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/transport-benevolent-fund-cio
retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:13:53.978Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) a good charity?

Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) scores 90/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£5.2m total income, 77% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

London · UK-wide · E1 8PY |
Reg [1160901](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/transport-benevolent-fund-cio) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.tbf.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160901)

Donate

## How can you give to TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO)?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.tbf.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1160901)

## What does Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) do?

Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) is a registered charity (no. 1160901) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 77% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 14 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

Summarised from public filings — Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=transport-benevolent-fund-cio)

**In short:** TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars). 77% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

## What is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)?

Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1160901. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £5.2m, with 77% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 14 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

90/100

5★ · Exceptional

Cause spend

77%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£5.2m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

14 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
23% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) scores higher than.

Income band (£5m–£10m)88thpercentile

**Scores higher than 88% of 619 charities in its income band** · 90/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Poverty relief charities82ndpercentile

**Scores higher than 82% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 90/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources:
[Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/),
[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and
[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/).
[Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).

## What is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s Beacon report?

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 100% | 15/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 8 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts |

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

90/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 14 months · 15/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 70% | 7/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 1% · 5/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

65/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 70% | 77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 60% | 22p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 216 volunteers / 25 staff · 10/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s Clarity Score?

90/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency

90/100

Financial Health

65/100

Financial Efficiency

100/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

90/100

Reserves (months of cash)14 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth7/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

65/100

Program expense ratio77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency22p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio216 volunteers / 25 staff · 10/10 pts

## How much does Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £5.2m | — |
| Total expenditure | £5.1m | — |
| Charitable activities | £3.9m | 76% |
| Fundraising | £1.2m | 24% |

76%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £5.1m spent

- Charitable activities76% · £3.9m
- Fundraising24% · £1.2m

## What trust indicators does Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

- ✓ Accounts filed on time

up to date · last filing 24 June 2026

- ✓ Trustee board size (3–12)

8 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

25 employees · 216 volunteers (9:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Not listed as member

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

[Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 1160901

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

[View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160901)

### Trustees & officers

- ROBERT HOWARD JONES Chair · since 2015
- MICHAEL KEANE since 2019
- Ravinder Kaur Kalsi since 2019
- Stephen Dadswell since 2022
- Sharon Hilley since 2023
- Delroy White since 2023
- Olubunmi Ayoade Sutton since 2025
- Nicola Buckley since 2026

100
How we score charities
+The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

[Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.

## How have Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s finances changed over five years?

- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

## What are the key facts about Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)?

Overall score

90/100 (5★)

Income

£5.2m

Cause spend

77% of expenditure

Reg number

1160901

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

14 months

Trustees

8

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=transport-benevolent-fund-cio) [More poverty relief charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

- [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty)
- [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london)
- [poverty charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/london)

### Similar poverty relief charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [AMOS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amos-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m
- [SUFRA - NW LONDON](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sufra-nw-london) 100/100 · £1.7m
- [WILDERNESS FOUNDATION UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wilderness-foundation-uk) 100/100 · £1.6m
- [BIRMINGHAM CITY MISSION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-city-mission) 100/100 · £1.4m

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## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) a good charity? + Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 77% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) a legitimate charity? + Yes — Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1160901). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160901. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s charity number? + Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s charity number is 1160901. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.

What is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s charity rating? + Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.

Does Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO). Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 77% of Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 23% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 23% of total expenditure at Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO). The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.

How much income does Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) receive? + Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) reported £5.2m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) based? + Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO) is listed at London · UK-wide · E1 8PY and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.

How does CharityCompare score Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.

How often is this page updated? + This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Transport Benevolent Fund (CIO)'s most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.