£10,000 grant to help keep Stortford Shuttle operator Bishop’s Stortford Community Transport on the road

Town councillors have granted £10,000 to keep the group that runs the Stortford Shuttle bus service on the road.

Bishop’s Stortford Community Transport, a registered charity, has already raised £27,000 towards the cost of a second-hand minibus and will use the grant to meet the purchase price.

It operates a fleet of three minibuses, providing not-for-profit hire for community groups in the town, including Age Concern, as well as the Stortford Shuttle. Two are reaching the end of their useful life and one of these needs urgent replacement.

The vehicles in question are used for the self-drive hire service, with customers including The Welbeloved Club, Company at Christmas, Hazel End Care Home, Birchwood High School, Albury Primary School and the Ukrainian community.

It also serves as a stand-in for the Stortford Shuttle when the bus normally used for this needs maintenance.

The application by the CIO (charitable incorporated organisation) to the Brazier Trust, which is administered by the town council, said: “Age Concern in particular is highly dependent on the reliability of the buses for its service users. Users are charged for the use of the self-drive hire service.

“The fees cover the running costs, however, the charity is largely dependent on grants for replacement vehicles when these are needed.

“The cost of a new bus of the specification required is in excess of £70,000, which the trust does not have, and so it has been decided to purchase a second-hand vehicle.”

Supporting the grant request, Cllr John Wyllie told colleagues: “It’s a very worthwhile charity and so I have no issues with giving them £10,000. Having driven some of the minibuses, I know some of them are coming to the end of their life.”