Grant to expand on-demand rural bus service

The Robin is an on-demand bus service for rural passengers

A bookable bus service is to be used as a case study to see how it could be expanded to help "young and underserved" communities.

Gloucestershire County Council's The Robin allows passengers in the county's rural areas to search for a journey and select a pick up and drop off time that suits them.

A £20,000 grant has been awarded to Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership (GCRP) to find out how the service could be used more widely.

"We can't wait to gather feedback and insights on how people may feel more enabled to use the Robin DRT (Demand Responsive Transport)," said Luke Goddard from GCRP.

The Robin currently operates in the Forest of Dean, north and south Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Newent and Berkeley Vale.

A single journey costs £3, with passengers picked up and dropped off at bus stops, or directly at a location if no other transport options are available.

It was introduced in October 2022 to improve public transport options in rural areas which are under-served by bus companies.

The funding was awarded by Western Gateway Sub-national Transport Body, which said: "For many who live in hard-to-reach places and without access to a private vehicle, this is a lifeline to reducing isolation and accessing vital services."

The aim of the project is to engage with local communities to increase publicity of the on-demand service and to develop strategies for future development.

GCRP said one area of study was how DRT can support access to green spaces across the south Cotswolds and Vale of Berkeley.

"We can't wait to collaborate and work alongside young and underserved communities and look forward to creating promotional materials that will aim to spread awareness of DRT and this service," added Mr Goddard.