Cumbrian community bus service makes plea for volunteers

Volunteer driver Stephen Higgs said many drivers pulled out after the pandemic

Community buses in rural Cumbria are desperate for volunteers to keep services running.

The Border Rambler, which serves the area around Carlisle and Brampton, has seen driver numbers drop from 30 to 12 since the pandemic.

Many commercial services in Cumbria have been cut recently, leading to more demand for community-run routes.

Southern Lake District's service, the Friends of the X112, also said it is now "very hard to find new people".

Stephen Higgs, a trustee and volunteer driver for the Border Rambler, said: "We had about 30 [drivers] on our rota before the pandemic and we are down to 12 or 13.

"I think there's unfortunately been a bit of a loss of confidence among some people who used to volunteer. After the lockdown and the gruesome experiences that we all remember during that time, they were reluctant to come out again and pick things up," he said.

A spokesperson for the community group said it had bought a new bus, which could enable more services if volunteers could be found.

The Border Rambler group has bought a new bus, which is being run alongside its existing bus

A spokesperson for the Muncaster Microbus in West Cumbria - a third volunteer bus service - said it was experiencing a similar problem.

The group's secretary, Liz Clegg, said: "We're desperate for drivers and we're also short of trustees.

"We would like help either to drive or run the charity," she said.

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The Friends of the X112 operates in the south of the Lake District and Furness peninsula.

It uses a commercial contractor rather than volunteer drivers but needs trustees to help run the charity.

"Numbers have dwindled for all sorts of reasons and it's become very, very hard to find new people to help us," said its treasurer Roger Harris.

On Tuesday passengers who use Stagecoach's 93 route, between Anthorn and Carlisle said they will fight for it after doubt was cast on its future.