Ystwyth Community Transport

 

Trafnidiaeth Ystwyth Transport was established in 2004 after extensive local consultation with residents in this transport deprived area. Its services were aimed at elderly and disabled people and youth groups, providing them with appropriate transport at an affordable rate.

In 2009 the Group reformed and registered with Companies House as the Ystwyth Community Transport Group, expanded its services and area but retained its voluntary ethos. Initially, its aims are to provide a community transport service for the inhabitants of the Tregaron Uplands, who are in need of such a service because of age, sickness, disability (mental or physical), poverty or because of a lack of availability of adequate and safe public passenger transport services.  Later this coverage was extended to cover more of Ceredigion including the town of Aberystwyth. With these aims in mind, the Group works closely with advisory bodies, such as Ceredigion County Council and the Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations (CAVO).

Whilst continuing to transport a wide variety of non-profit making community groups, the Group has continued to widen its services. We developed the Bws y Bryniau, a regular Thursday service from Cwmystwyth-Pontarfynach-Aberystwyth and return. This weekly service was welcomed by residents in this area and enables elderly residents in this very remote area to access necessary services such as shopping and health care, along with providing an essential social meeting point by travelling together in a comfortable minibus with a trained and very helpful driver.

In 2011, the Ystwyth Community Transport Group commenced providing the infrastructure and drivers for the Bws Bro. A new innovative Dial a Ride service helping the elderly, disabled and people with mobility problems to access services in Aberystwyth. This service is available to people who cannot access public transport or who just need the provision of a service between their home and public transport, to take them to the Doctors, Hospital, Station, Dentist or even shopping. Every Friday it covers Clarach, Bow Street, Penrhyncoch, Llanfarian, Capel Dewi, Bow Street, Waun Fawr, Trefechan and Capel Bangor.

The Ystwyth Community Transport Group now has five minibuses serving community transport, four of which have fully accessible wheelchair lifts. Its aim for the future is to continue to help people with mobility problems to access services and to expand these services wherever possible.

 The Group has recently obtained a successful Big Lottery bid to supply transport to young people living in remote rural communities by providing the infrastructure of two lightweight fully accessible vehicles to youth volunteers over the age of 21to drive and thus enabling young people to access services, social events and activities normally denied by the lack of transport. We named this service Cynllun Ymestyn Allan – The Reach Out Project as we felt we were reaching out further to help young people. This is a fully funded service by the Big Lottery Fund (People and Places) including a full time Development Officer, for which we are very grateful.

In September 2014, we commenced a Pilot Project, Cludiant Cors Caron, for the Tregaron area fully funded by the Welsh Assembly and managed by Ceredigion County Council. This service uses an existing Social Services minibus to help transport residents of Tregaron and villages in the surrounding area to access services such as the Doctor or Hospital, shopping or even visiting friends.

We also provide our own DATS trained Midas drivers to train all our drivers up to the recognised standard. In addition all drivers for Trafnidiaeth Ystwyth Transport are DBS checked.

Our Dats Trainers are Reginald Budd and Ian Seabrook. Training is free for all voluntary drivers.

 

Structure and Governance: 

Ystwyth Community Transport Group is registered with Companies House as a Company Limited by Guarantee.

The Management Group consists of unpaid volunteers, three of which are unpaid Directors:

 

Mr. Ian Williams:           Chairman

Mr. Peter White:            Vice-Chairman

Mrs. Clare Hughes                  Director

Members of the Management Group: Mrs. Marjorie Luckhurst, Mr. Brython Davies, Mr. John Jones, Mr.Reginald Budd, Mr. Ian Seabrook

Mrs. Mavis Birch:                   Company Secretary undertakes the day to running of the organisation under the auspices of the Management Board.