A VITAL community bus service could be at risk of stopping if funding for a replacement bus isn’t found.

The Tamar Valley Community Transport Association, known as the Tamar Valley Community Bus provides a door-to-door transport service for all parishioners within Calstock Parish, mainly the elderly who would otherwise be housebound. 

The vital service provides a lifeline for the parish’s ageing population who use the service to do shopping, trips to the Post Office, and visits to the doctor’s surgery on a regular basis. The bus committee are appealing for help to raise funds for a new bus following the current bus needing constant repairing.

Aside from the scheduled trips to the shops and to carry out other errands, there are also outings and trips, which are a social lifeline to many passengers who might otherwise be subjected to loneliness and isolation.

The local service users regularly hop aboard when the bus does a regular monthly trip for a pub lunch (which is always over-subscribed, with a waiting list) and also a monthly afternoon tea. There are also outings to the seaside, neighbouring larger towns and cities, craft fairs, National Trust properties and other areas of interest.

Just under 100 people use the service. Some people use it every week, with some using it almost everyday.

The service has been running since 1989 and is now on its sixth bus. The bus committee are appealing for funding to help fund a replacement bus replacing the current bus with a new or second hand one as the current bus is requiring regular costly maintenance work.

Carol Green, Chair of the Tamar Valley Community Transport Association committee said: ‘The bus is now older than we would like and is becoming increasingly unreliable, and is off the road with ever greater frequency. It’s costing us a lot of money to keep repairing it.

‘Because it is a service that people rely on so much it’s also a huge blow to them when it’s off the road being repaired. They look forward to it. It gives the service users a reason to get dressed for the day. Then it’s a huge disappointment if I have to ring them up and say we’re not going.

‘We are a lifeline to a lot of these people.

‘The majority are people living on their own. If we didn’t take them, they wouldn’t go.’

The current bus is nearly nine years old with approximately 90,000 miles on the clock. It was a basic minibus vehicle, customised to the requirements by the coachbuilders and holds 15 passengers (if there is no wheelchair). The committee are appealing for funds for a replacement bus and have been quoted £70,000 for a new bus due to specific adjustments needed such as an automatic door to suit the group’s needs.

The bus committee are hoping to be able to gather together around £30,000 to contribute, but are appealing for funding for the remaining £40,000 or help and advice finding a second-hand bus that could meet their specific needs. At Calstock Parish Council’s last meeting, members of the committee looked to the parish council to help with their cause and are looking at grants available.

‘We’re applying to everybody we can think of’, said Carol.

‘Anybody that can give us some money we’re really grateful to.’

The group are also looking to fundraising to help them raise funds for a replacement bus with the hope of replacing the bus within the next 12 months.

‘It will become more and more unreliable and there are new disability access rules coming in, which we wouldn’t meet, so I don’t know what impact that would have on us’, said Carol.

‘We are looking at all options.

‘Replacing it is now a matter of urgency.’