Community Transport groups receive boost from Devon County Council grant

Tavistock Community Transport Association (TCTA) and Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS) have received much needed support from Devon County Council through a grant from The Department of Transport.

The grant has allowed TCTA to purchase a low floor access community bus which will give the group a vehicle that is available to all and TASS a minibus to replace their old one which had to be scraped earlier this year.

The two groups have worked closely together to achieve this and will celebrate taking delivery of their new buses at a formal joint launch event at Bedford Square, Tavistock at 10:30am on Wednesday 23 April.

The Tavistock Country Bus is run by TCTA on a not-for-profit basis by volunteers. The group have been running local services in the Tavistock area for over 30 years and the Country Bus is a mainstay of the local community.

The new vehicle has been purchased with the help of a £60,000 grant from Devon County Council, using its Department for Transport Sustaining Community Transport Fund.

The new bus ensures the continuity of reliable, scheduled services in Tavistock, Lifton, Lamerton, Milton Abbot, Mary Tavy and other local parishes on weekdays and further afield at weekends.

Douglas Humphrey, Chairman of TCTA said;
 “We were delighted to receive this funding from Devon County Council that enabled us to purchase this Mercedes-Benz purpose built low floor minibus and to also fund TASS so that they could purchase our existing Iveco bus to replace their old vehicle. We hope that the less infirm people of Tavistock will find that our new bus will enable them to access our services more easily in the future.”

TASS is a charitable group which has been running a variety of services for the over 55s since 1985. Among the activities which they run are a memory café, out-reach services and drop-in centres and providing transport to reach these services is essential.

Andy Lyle, Manager of TASS, said;  “We were thrilled to receive the money from DCC to purchase this vehicle, which will make such a difference to Community Groups in Tavistock and outlying areas. The vehicle will give TASS a Community Vehicle that is versatile and can be used not just by TASS but also other Community Groups. TASS is also looking forward to working in partnership with TCTA in developing other scheduled routes to help people get out and about from outlying villages.”

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said; “Devon County Council is pleased to have been given specific funding by the Department for Transport to target support for community transport projects. These two community transport services are great examples of what a rural community can achieve by working together. In areas which are remote from the public transport network, they have managed to sustain community bus services over three decades to provide residents with a vital link to their local market town shops and services. I applaud their dedication and commitment.”

Local member for Tavistock, Councillor Debo Sellis said “I fully support any initiative which secures critical transport for rural areas. 
The team of volunteers whom I have met, are a fantastic team and they deserve a huge thank you. They do make a significant difference with their kindness.”

All the services which the groups offer are driven by volunteers and to develop new routes or services requires both groups to recruit more volunteers. If you can offer to drive or you want to find out more about their services you can contact TASS at 01822 616958 www.tasstavistock.org.uk or TCTA on 07580 260683 or www.tavistockcountrybus.co.uk