Our focus on connecting rural places continues! Western Gateway and Peninsula Transport Sub-national transport bodies (STBs) have together awarded £110k to support the development of six innovative projects aimed at improving transport in rural Southwest places.
The schemes funded in our region are:
- A shuttle bus on Friday and Saturday nights linking Lyme Regis and Bridport, led by Lyme Regis Town Council
- A scheme combining real-time parking information with coach/tour operator collaboration to ease visitor pressure and improve sustainable access to the Cotswolds
- A project with local stakeholders to identify a range of integrated rural transport solutions rural transport in south east Dorset, led by Dorset Council.
Councillors Sarah Warren and Andy Hadley were the lead members who evaluated the rural mobility bids at Western Gateway STB.
Cllr Warren said: “After funding a successful round of pilots last year, we are thrilled that we’re able to once again fund new schemes. It’s really important that harder-to-reach places are prioritised as much as urban areas.”
Cllr Hadley agreed and added “Reliable, affordable and integrated transport systems help improve connectivity and reduce isolation, allowing people to access vital services, education, employment, and boost economic growth.”
The Western Gateway region encompasses Gloucestershire down to Bournemouth, which encompasses a large rural area home to around a quarter of the population.
Last year’s pilot scheme funding facilitated a regular weekend shuttle bus between Bridport and West Bay in Dorset, identified opportunities to improve and opened up areas in Gloucestershire through support for e-bikes and demand responsive transport.
Neighbouring STB, Peninsula Transport, has also awarded £50k to fund transport schemes in its respective region. The Peninsula Transport region includes Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay.
It’s schemes are:
- The Gateway project, Torpoint – The trial will test bus service viability, integration with ferry timetables, improved passenger information and local demand, providing data to inform future operational or commercial services.
- One Ilfracombe Project – A shared, low-carbon transport solution that directly supports unemployed residents into sustainable jobs while trialling scalable models for rural mobility. It will aim to deliver an integrated skills, employment, and rural mobility programme in Ilfracombe, designed to address two of the most persistent barriers to work: lack of qualifications and lack of accessible transport.
- Intergenerational Volunteering - Enhancing the sustainability of community car schemes. It will launch a county-wide volunteer recruitment campaign targeting under-65s, whilst also supporting older volunteers to address generational gaps in volunteering.
The pilots will be supported and evaluated by the STBs, sharing successes and the potential for replication in other rural locations.
