There are more than thirty active community transport providers across the region operating on a not-for-profit basis. Run by volunteers, there is a great deal of variation in the service they offer, from fleets of mini-buses driven by employed staff to networks of volunteers driving their own cars. In all instances they have been set up in response to unmet local transport needs and provide a lifeline to rural residents who would otherwise be cut off and unable to access a wide range of services.

WERN currently chairs the West of England Community Transport Network which meets to exchange ideas and tackle some of the issues facing local groups. We also help to manage Chew Valley Community Transport – a voluntary car scheme helping people across a very rural area get to medical appointments of all sorts, with around 40 volunteer drivers.

We are happy to help more groups who are thinking about setting up a community transport scheme to get started. Drawing on our expertise, we can offer practical advice on a range of different considerations including legal structures to community engagement and fund raising. In our experience, the most useful support we provide is putting people in touch with other groups who share the same goals and objectives.

Please get in touch with Dick if you would like to know more about community transport and how we can help.  

Dick Whittington

Rural Projects Manager

dick@wern.org.uk