CAT Bus Service for Pen

[Bruce Bower]

South Somerset Community Accessible Transport (aka the CAT Bus)

The scheme operates a door-to-door service for people who live in villages without public transport, or who live in towns but are unable to use normal bus services. We are based in Wincanton (in the Balsam Centre) and respond to individual member’s requests. All minibuses are fully accessible for those with mobility difficulties.

Individual members use the service to go shopping, to visit friends or to keep medical/hairdressing appointments.  Membership is a one off payment of £2 and the fares are very reasonable. Anyone holding a bus passes travels at concessionary rates. We have a regular run from Pen Selwood on a Thursday morning when a group of residents travel to Wincanton, but all other days and times are available.  The cost of this run to and from Wincanton, at the concessionary rate, is currently free, but from April 2013 will be £2.50p return or £5.00p return without the concession.***

The service is available between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The booking line on 01963 33864 is open 9.30am until 12.30pm, again Monday to Friday for membership enquiries or bookings. 

The minibuses are available for hire by local community groups/clubs and sheltered housing schemes, providing transport for pub lunches, shopping days out, theatre trips and scenic drives around the local beauty spots.

The CAT Bus service usually covers the area round Wincanton but we also operate a Social Car Scheme using volunteers in their own cars to take people to hospital or other medical appointments further a-field – we have taken people to Salisbury as well as Dorchester and Bristol. We have a desperate need for more drivers to spread the load due to the ever increasing demand for this service. If anyone has some spare time and is interested in helping out occasionally, you decide which journeys you are happy to undertake, please phone me on 01963 34594. A mileage rate of 50p is paid which covers expenses, and drivers are covered by the scheme’s insurance for public liability, loss of no claims bonus and the excess on their policy in the event of an accident.

The Board and staff of SSCAT would like to thank the residents of Pen Selwood for the support they have given to the scheme in the past, both in capital grants to help in the purchase of vehicles and contributions to provide revenue funding.  Both are vitally important and show, especially to other funders, how the scheme is valued by the local community.

Andy Chilton

Operations Manager

01963 34594

 

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The Parish Council agreed last November to donate £150 to the CATBUS project in the 2013-14 year.  The Parochial Church Council has agreed to cover the costs of the Thursday morning run into Wincanton and of certain other specific existing regular trips out of the Melville Family Funds for one year from 1st April 2013. You may remember that for many years Jill organised and, to a large extent funded, a weekly bus into Wincanton. (Bruce Bower - PCC Treasurer) 

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