Woking Bustler first community transport organisation in the uk to change transport fleet to electric vehicles
For Immediate release
06 October 2020
WOKING COMMUNITY TRANSPORT worked hard during lockdown to ensure it looked after the mental and physical health of the community – from delivering hundreds of food boxes to vulnerable residents who were isolating, to driving children of key workers to and from school. The not for profit organisation provided free dial-a-ride transport throughout August and September, and is now protecting the health of the local environment by introducing electric vehicles on its dial-a-ride service, making it the first community transport organisation in the UK to do so.
The organisation invested heavily in PPE for drivers at the beginning of the pandemic and ensures that all vehicles are cleaned regularly every day, as well as undertaking a deep clean once a week. The dial-a-ride service is safe with social distancing controls in place on every ride. If social distancing is difficult to manage there is only one passenger per vehicle. A Bustler driver might be the only person an isolated resident interacts with on a given day.
Guy Padfield-Wilkins, chief executive said: “We are very proud to be the first community transport company in the UK to be achieving zero local emissions with these vehicles. We have provided a transport service to the residents of Woking for almost 30 years, so it is important to us that we continue to provide transport for medical appointments and other essential journeys, such as shopping, which also helps support the local economy. Many of the people who use the service find it difficult to visit friends or their immediate family, resulting in isolation and loneliness. Our services provide a safe and comfortable means of getting out. We want to keep everyone safe, but we want to improve passenger mental health by helping to get them out. Of course, staying indoors is the most efficient way to keep safe but it’s not good for mental health.”
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For further information please contact Woking Bustler enquiries@wokingbustler.org.uk