The project to provide and support a community bus service has been designed and developed by village residents and parish councillors to address the problems of rural isolation in an area where public transport provision is limited or non-existent. The project will cover the costs of providing regular and reliable transport into Pershore and Worcester for any village residents eager to resume normal activities including shopping and social events. The community bus will create a safe and welcoming environment for passengers who want to make regular trips out and meet friends and family members. Transport will be provided by volunteers from Pershore Volunteer Centre and Worcester Wheels (both registered charities) who support local communities with their services, and will help to promote volunteering opportunities

What we'll deliver:

• A regular community bus service for local villages

Why it's a great idea:

The funds raised will make a significant contribution towards the vehicle running costs and journey administration so that passenger fares remain affordable. A pilot exercise has demonstrated that there is already good support from village residents; it has the backing of the local parish councils and has the potential for local retailers and community facilities seeing a greater footfall. The community bus will become a vehicle for news, information and publicity, with passengers learning of local and neighbouring village events and activities on each journey, as well as current volunteering opportunities. Every journey will offer informal befriending opportunities and will help to reduce social isolation for anyone with a limited support network, creating a greater sense of community spirit and mutual support. A local councillor is actively supporting the project to ensure consistently high passenger numbers will provide evidence of need for the County Council’s transport review.

Steps to get it done:

• Liaison with transport providers to fix specific days and times for journeys to Pershore and Worcester
• Agreement of provisional routes with flexibility to respond to passenger demand
• Allocation of drivers and agreed procedures for passenger bookings and pick-ups
• Introduction of additional journeys where demand exists for flexible or extended visit times