Ring & Ride bus customers in West Dorset offered a lifeline
MP Chris Loder has met with Dorset Community Transport
A bus service allowing customers to call for a ride in West Dorset has been offered a lifeline.
Following emergency talks held last week by West Dorset MP Chris Loder, Dorset Community Transport (DCT) has now confirmed its intention to offer services to customers of the Axe Valley & West Dorset Ring & Ride.
It follows the recent news that the West Dorset arm of the Ring & Ride service was to withdraw from after Christmas due to a lack of funding.
Blandford-based DCT already operates a fleet of green minibuses across West Dorset’s towns and villages, which provide vital dial-a-ride transport services for individuals and communities.
Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, commented: “Following emergency talks with Dorset Community Transport, I’m delighted DCT has offered to provide dial-a-ride services to customers in West Dorset who use the Ring & Ride service. This is a fruitful outcome, and I would urge customers to contact DCT to see if they can help with one of their excellent services.”
Tim Christian, General Manager of DCT, said: “We know that an uninterrupted change of provider is vital to ensure continuity for those who rely on the service. With the support and efforts of WATAG and Chris Loder MP, we hope to reach out to the affected users and are confident DCT’s existing services in the region can adapt to incorporate those communities.”
Bob Driscoll, Chairman of the West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG), said: “We were very anxious about the implications of the West Dorset Ring & Ride service disappearing from West Dorset. DCT has of course already stepped in when several of the rural community services were withdrawn, which are for many communities a lifeline and the only form public transport.”
Customers of the West Dorset Ring & Ride are advised to contact Dorset Community Transport on 01258 287 987 to find out more about how they might benefit from the services on offer.