Catriona Haston Community Transport Manager

1. Catriona Haston Community Transport Manager

3. ORIGINS • 2013 Partners for Change facilitated 3 workshops involving local CT providers, SAC, SPT and user groups • The aim was to jointly consider planning for services which met the transport needs of communities in South Ayrshire • Decision taken to create a new, pan-South Ayrshire organisation which would develop a coordinated, effective and sustainable community transport infrastructure in South Ayrshire • SACT (SCIO) launched in April 2016

4. Transport Issuesrelated to Social Isolation • Low levels of (or no) public transport resulting in limited (or no) access to services and facilities. 30% of South Ayrshire’s population lives in small villages and rural areas • Problematic orbital routes necessitating a significant number of interchanges for key journeys • The most expensive public transport in Scotland • Lack of affordable accessible transport for those with mobility issues or other additional support needs – there were NO wheelchair accessible vehicles available for hire south of Ayr • A third of households within South Ayrshire have no access to private transport

5. What do we do? • Contract runs: • Overmills Day Care Centre • Nursery Court Day Centre • Health & Social Care Partnership transport to Health Centre • Queen Margaret Academy Learning Support Unit –aiding the transition to public transport • Queen Margaret Academy College run • Scheduled Bus Service x 3 days per week Barr - Girvan

6. What else do we do? • Group hire – Stroke groups, Lunch Clubs, Refugee Group, Active Schools, MS Group, SHUs, Nursing and Care Homes, Youth Groups, Church Groups, Sports Clubs, Additional Support Needs and more • Weekly service from North Carrick villages to Lunch Clubs in Maybole • Kyle and Carrick Out & About Clubs for the Elderly and Disabled

7. Passengers Carried April 2017 – Mar 2018 & April 2018 – Mar 2019

8. Current Fleet • 2 x 15 seater wheelchair accessible VW Crafters • 2 x 17 seater wheelchair accessible Citroen Flexilite Minibuses • 1 x 17 seater wheelchair accessible Peugeot Flexilite Minibus • 1 x 17 seater Ford Transit • 2 x 9 seater wheelchair accessible Ford Tourneos • 1 x 5 seater wheelchair accessible VW Vista • 1 x 16 seater wheelchair accessible Mercedes Sprinter (with ‘Big Bus’ features)

9. Future Plans [1] - KA8 Car Club • KA8 postcode area has 11 zones in the 15% most multi-deprived areas in Scotland • Also ranks as one of the most education deprived, employment deprived, health deprived and income deprived areas of Scotland • Tandem Report indicated: “Lower prices and perhaps cars would offer a better service. Like a community run taxi firm” • Successful application to the Green Economy Fund

10. Future Plans [2] – CB8 • Have been asked by SPT to extend Barr-Girvan 3 day per week service to 6 days per week and cover any extra MyBus services from the area • Trying to find funding for an electric minibus to cover this run to reduce emissions and vehicle running costs • Means 2 – 4 new part-time jobs in an area of high unemployment

11. CT Contributes to Local Outcomes • Economic recovery, growth and employment – CT helps unemployed people access training and employment opportunities and provides training, volunteering and employment opportunities • Health inequalities and physical activity – CT helps people (including those with additional support needs) access health and social care facilities, sport and active leisure facilities • Caring for our older people – CT is a vital element in enabling the elderly, disabled and those with long term conditions to live an independent life in the community

12. “Door to Door collection is the best thing to have happened to me as I find it difficult to walk too far. This is the reason I joined the club. Do hope it will continue” – Out & About Club member “I had my third heart attack in February and since then I had hardly left the house because they took my driving license away from me. I have no family near me and my friends stopped coming round. I think they were afraid that I would have a heart attack in front of them. The social worker suggested I ring you and try going on a couple of your trips to see if they suited me. I’m so glad I found you. You go to such lovely places and I have a whole new community of friends now. I go to other things with some of them between the trips. It’s just transformed my life”– Out & About Club member “The minibus is an enjoyable experience as he feels safe while in the wheelchair on the bus and on the lift. His wife loves the fact that he is looked after and is very safe with all the equipment that we use on the bus. It also puts her at ease as she now can relax as before she herself had to … worry about the transporting him in and out the car” – Overmills Day Care Centre Driver I get a kick out of seeing people who would otherwise be at home “staring at four walls” getting out and about, enjoying themselves. I’m especially pleased to see over the past years how people, previously strangers, have become friends, exchanging phone numbers and keeping in touch between trips.” – SACT driver

13. More Info and Contact • info@sacommunitytransport.org • www.sacommunitytransport.org • https://sact-carclub.co.uk