All aboard new bus service that will keep communities connected

The new Upper Wharfedale Community Bus drives over the bridge at Kettlewell.

But determined not to lose their “life-line”, a group of local residents in Buckden and Grassington leapt into action - and two farmers, a technology consultant, a retired managing director and former policeman learnt everything they could about running a bus company.

And just six months after the announcement that the service would likely fall victim to £500,000 of cuts to bus subsidises by North Yorkshire County Council, the volunteers at the Upper Wharfedale Community Bus Company were awarded the contract to run the service in December, ensuring no one in their communities would be isolated.

After many months of hard work, including the training of 15 volunteer drivers, on April 11 The Venturer will pick up its first passengers, with timetables co-ordinated to link up with existing services that running between Grassington and Skipton.

Directors, volunteer drivers and passengers on board.

Peter Vetch, one of the directors of the company, said: “The route, the number 72, was the biggest single subsidy in North Yorkshire.

“There was significant distress in the community, particularly among older people and those with young children, who wanted to use the bus. We could see the importance of the service to the community, both for people’s social lives, and the economically.”

After wining the tender, the group was awarded £25,000 by North Yorkshire County Council, and a 16-seater bus - which passengers helped to chose. The group have to fuel it, insure it, and make sure every element of running the company is covered.

“We have a paid part time administrator, but in addition to that we have people who have offered their time to help with accounts, VAT, PAYE and even producing timetables,” Mr Vetch said. “It has been a real opportunity for the community to pool its resources and come together to make it work.”

Alan Jones, one of five director of the Upper Wharfedale Bus Company at Kettlewell with passengers Muriel Raw (centre) and Mary Hurst.

Extra advice came from John Blackie, at the Little White Bus Company in Wensleydale.

Plans to cut £500,000 from North Yorkshire’s £2m annual budget for bus subsidies were first announced last spring, as the council was forced to make savings of £74m by 2019.

Despite 85 per cent of bus services in the county being ran by commercial operators for profit, subsidised services are still vital to ensure that smaller communities continued to have access to public transport.

Richard Owens, North Yorkshire County Council’s head of integrated passenger transport, said similar community-led schemes were also in place in Ryedale, Scarborough and Skipton, with scope to develop more in other communities.

He said: “Paying bus drivers to run full size vehicles simply wasn’t viable. More and more of our services, such as libraries, rely on communities getting together and doing their bit of self-help. Volunteers are a really important part of society.”