Gloucestershire council launches rural minibus pilot

Philip Robinson said the "brightly coloured, cheerful buses are unmissable"

A council is piloting a £1.35m minibus scheme in two of its most rural areas to fill gaps where there is no bus provision.

Gloucestershire County Council launched the government-funded service, called The Robin, in the southern area of the Forest of Dean on Monday.

An area of the north Cotswolds will follow as part of a two-year pilot.

Councillor Philip Robinson said the buses would "provide a lifeline to our rural communities".

The county council was one of 17 successful local authorities out of the 56 that applied to the Department for Transport's Rural Mobility Fund.

The Robin will run on-demand services, booked via an app or over the phone.

'Crucial transport'

The council said the service would "provide a link from bus stops in hamlets or village centres to local transport hubs and train stations, making existing public transport services more accessible".

It comes as Stagecoach announced plans to cancel services in Gloucestershire from mid-November.

Stagecoach said it had to match resources to the current level of demand and that the "difficult set of challenges" were "largely outside our control".

It said the local authority was given as much notice as possible and could have put new replacement council bus contracts out to tender from mid-August.

Stagecoach, which is cutting services from November, said it had tried to engage with the local authority for months

The new minibus services will run from 07:00 until 19:00, except on bank holidays.

Mr Robinson, cabinet member for education, skills and bus transport, said: "Bus transport is crucial for many people who live in rural areas.

"This pilot will provide imaginative and much needed support to the bus services we already have across Gloucestershire."

He said it would "provide greater choice in transport by helping people get around our rural communities".

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