New community bus offers villagers independence

3 hours ago

Lisa Young,Cornwalland

Tamsin Melville,in Saltash

News image — The Saltash Red Bus has begun to operate in St Dominic

BBC Two women are sitting on the left inside the community bus and a man is sitting on the right side. He is talking to one of the women across the aisle and the lady further back looks like she's listening. — The Saltash Red Bus has begun to operate in St Dominic

A new community bus service is helping to give residents of a Cornwall village independence and a chance to socialise.

The Saltash Red Bus will shuttle residents of St Dominic in the Tamar Valley to and from the town every Thursday morning at a cost of £4 for a return fare.

Resident Liz said the service meant "a lot because I'm not driving any more" and she said it had returned her independence as well as being "nice to meet up with a few people".

Director of the service and driver Mike Finch said his passengers had "said they've had a day out and they've got something to put in their diary".

A man and a woman are queuing up to step into the white community bus which has its door open. There are hills beyond the road. The man is holding a bus pass and the lady has a shopping bag hanging over her arm. The bus has contact details printed in red on the side. — Parish councillor Gillian Brown says villagers have highlighted the lack of buses

He said: "St Dominic is about two-and-a-half-miles from the nearest bus route and if you haven't got a driving licence, that's an awful long walk back carrying your shopping.

"So we fill in that sort of need, that's what it's all about."

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Saltash Red Bus service has grown from one bus to 16 varied vehicles. It has school bus contracts to help with funds and runs various community routes and services like shopping buses, theatre trips and a lunch club.

Villager Denis uses the new service and said: "This bus is giving us freedom to move on a regular basis, to be reliable and to give us more chances than we've had before - and it's really nice to have a chat."

Jennie said she was partially sighted and the bus had really helped her too.

She said: "I'm really dependent on relatives and friends, taking me to appointments and such like, and this is convenient for me to try going on my own."

Listen to the latest news for Cornwall

St Dominic parish councillor Gillian Brown said she began working to get the new service after villagers highlighted a lack of buses as a priority.

She said: "I know three people since I've moved to the village who've moved out because of the bus service, because they can't rely on it to get to the doctor's surgery.

"The community in St Dominic are very friendly and they give you lifts but that's not supporting their independence and that was really important to them."

Follow BBC Cornwall on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.