Chorley and South Ribble on-demand transport services given cash boost

The two authorities have each pledged £60,000 over the next three years to the groups which run the dial-a-ride facility across the neighbouring districts.

The services are commissioned by Lancashire County Council, with independent operators running them in different areas. However, the value of the contract awarded earlier this year to Lancashire Community Transport – the consortium of groups providing the on-demand lifts – fell to £375,000, just over half of what it was two years ago.

Dave Meggison, manager of Preston Community Transport (PCT) – which also operates around the Leyland area – said that the cash support would be invaluable, because of the additional costs of the precautions being taken during the pandemic.

“We’re only operating at 50 percent capacity as a result of social distancing and we’re also spending a lot of our limited budget on things like hand sanitiser,” he explained.

“But we have kept going right through the outbreak, because people still need their shopping or to get medical appointments. Life can’t completely stop because of Covid and people will have no quality of life if they’re permanently stuck at home.

“Some of our passengers are still wary, but we have been gradually getting them back on board.

“The staff have been brilliant and we make sure that we have the names of everyone who travels with us so that we can provide them to the test and trace system if required.”

PCT have also been delivering supplies directly to the doors of the shielded – an additional service which will continue as it is now specified as a condition of the council's grants. However, day trips have not restarted as they are not deemed essential while the county is in partial lockdown.

Central Lancashire Dial-a-Ride, which operates in other parts of South Ribble and across Chorley, also welcomed the “generous” council funding and wants to raise awareness of the service amongst people who may benefit from it.

“Many members are not ready to go out yet and others are waiting for their clubs to be allowed to restart,” said manager Tracy Keating.

“The main thing is we are still here and ready to provide transport for members old and new.

“Those members who have returned may be having to go on a different day or time because social distancing on the minibuses has reduced the number of passengers we can carry at one time - and we have had to build time into the day to allow the drivers to sanitise the vehicles between runs.

“The safety of the passengers who have returned is paramount,” she added.

Cllr Mick Titherington, South Ribble Council’s deputy leader, said that the transport services to which the authority is contributing are “vital to enable and sustain independent living”.

“We’re striving for South Ribble to become a fairer community where all can have access to the services and facilities which can help to boost health and wellbeing opportunities. This initiative is vital to this – having made over 32,000 trips last year across the Central Lancashire and Preston services,” he said.

Chorley Council’s cabinet member for early intervention, Bev Murray, said that the borough was ”dedicated to protecting vital services from county-wide cuts - and we’re absolutely prepared to step in where possible to make sure that doesn’t happen”.

“Dial-a-ride helps people across our community to reach doctors, dentists and clinics, social visits and shopping when usually they may not have been able to.

“It’s a community lifeline and helps to reduce isolation in vulnerable people - and we look forward to seeing it continue,” Cllr Murray said.

The funding from both councils will be provided in three tranches of £20,000 per year in each of the next three years.

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