New minibuses for Caithness Rural Transport as demand continues to grow
Caithness Rural Transport has taken delivery of two new wheelchair-accessible minibuses at a time of increasing demand from users.
The community transport service is run by Wick-based Caithness Voluntary Group (CVG) and allows members of the public to get out and about for everything from shopping trips to medical appointments.
One of the new vehicles is fully electric and was paid for by a grant of £54,142 from Energy Saving Trust under its plugged-in communities programme.
Funding for the other vehicle came from Caithness and North Sutherland Fund (£19,979.72), RWE Camster Wind Farm Community Fund, administered by Foundation Scotland (£10,000), and North Highland Initiative (£10,000).
Caithness Rural Transport carries out an average of 686 journeys a month, with vehicles covering up to 300 miles in a single day and helping to make up for the county's limited public transport.
The new minibuses keep the overall fleet at 10, with two older vehicles now having been taken out of service.
CVG development officer Yvonne Hendry said: "We now have two electric vehicles in our fleet. Our five-year plan is to replace all the vehicles with electric ones, and help to meet Scottish Government net-zero targets, when the infrastructure is in place that allows us to do so."
Caithness Rural Transport has one full-time paid driver, Bruce Robertson, a couple of part-time paid drivers and a team of volunteer drivers. Transport coordinator Elaine Fraser and assistant coordinator Katy Malcolm manage the service from the CVG offices at Telford House in Williamson Street, Wick.
Mrs Hendry said: "There is increasing demand for the service. We are so lucky to have such committed volunteers but we're always looking for more.
"The feedback we get is that users appreciate the service and always comment on how the drivers are so nice and helpful.
"Many of our service users access Caithness Rural Transport for appointments to hospital, to the hairdresser, visiting family, attending church, meeting friends or going shopping. Our vehicles are wheelchair-accessible, so this allows people to maintain their independence and access local amenities safely.
"We take people to the renal unit in Caithness General Hospital weekly. They would otherwise find it very difficult and expensive to receive their vital treatment.
"People can't always rely on family or neighbours to give them lifts. By being able to use accessible transport, it can improve their quality of life."
She added: "It's a 365-days-a-year service – drivers take people to spend time with family members on Christmas Day."
Vehicles also go out on hire to sports clubs, dance schools and other community groups.
Kayleigh Nicolson, vice-chairperson of the Caithness and North Sutherland Fund, said: "Caithness Rural Transport plays a vital role in connecting the most vulnerable members of our community with key services, as well as providing a much-needed opportunity for its clients to engage in social groups and activities.
"Caithness and North Sutherland Fund is proud to have supported the development of the service, and I’m delighted to see the new minibuses on the road."
Katy Woodington, RWE’s UK community investment manager, said: “RWE is delighted that our Camster Wind Farm has been able to support this community transport initiative. We know just how important transport is for people living in the rural areas that neighbour our projects.
"It is great to see that by funding this project the Camster Wind Farm will help local people stay better connected by improving access to social engagements, appointments and even work."
Eilidh Coll, community funds adviser for Foundation Scotland, said: “Access to transport is one of the biggest issues affecting rural people. Caithness Voluntary Group’s solution makes day-to-day planning a little bit easier.
"The RWE Camster community panel was pleased to be able to help with the replacement of one of the fleet of vehicles servicing the area.”
All drivers are trained through MiDAS (the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme). Drivers need to have a clean licence and go through PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups), managed by Disclosure Scotland.
Anyone interested in volunteering for Caithness Rural Transport can phone 01955 605588, email transport@cvg.org.uk or call in at CVG during office hours.
