Cheshire East Council's 'Little Bus' service is to be upgraded and extended across a wider area of the borough from August.
'Little Bus' is the name for the flexible transport service which is currently run by D&G in Cheshire East, providing an alternative means of travel for 600 regular users - including the elderly, the disabled and people who have no access to a scheduled service.
Proposed changes to the service, which were deferred last November to give the council time to assess any impact of the revised council-supported bus network, have been approved by the Council's Cabinet.
Helping people to live active, independent lives and avoid social isolation is the primary reason for funding Little Bus and eligibility for accessing the service remains unchanged. Residents that are disabled, live beyond the reach of any scheduled service or are over 80 years of age, are entitled to use Little Bus.
Core hours will be between 9.30am and 2.30pm.
Andrew Ross, Cheshire East Council's director of infrastructure and highways, said: "These proposals for Little Bus are an important step towards securing services for residents and delivering our savings plans. We have identified a genuine 'spend less – deliver more' opportunity.
"We fully acknowledge that staff at the existing operator will be affected by this decision and the council will fulfil its obligations through consultations supported by our HR personnel."
As part of the proposals, Little Bus will now be operated by the council's own transport company Transport Service Solutions (TSS) and the Council says users can expect to see newer, high-quality vehicles operating across a wider area of the borough.
Comments
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CECs forays into the specialist, professional arenas have not been good, ending in overwhelming losses.
It would be a very good idea for this Council to concentrate on doing what it is supposed to do, deliver essential services e.g. bin collections, child protection, old age care etc, and leave the professional remainder to get on and deliver services where required.
The Little Bus service is a commendable initiative - leave it to those who know & can-do.
I have met some amazing CEC staff and I see no reason why CEC staff would not be able to run this essential service effectively. After all they are already doing the administration and funding.
I hope that the drivers who wish to stay can be transferred to the CEC run service as they are likely to have built positive relationships with regular users. It seems that CEC recognise this. D&G will pick up other contracts, it’s the nature of public contracting the job could easily be given to another firm or bought in-house - it’s just business.
When the council gets it right (this may be one of those occasions) they deserve credit.
It sounds perfect for my mum.