Public transport

As the name suggests, community transport is an innovative form of public transport which aims to meet the needs of small communities.

By operating with its own vehicles and volunteer drivers, a community transport scheme can provide lots of new not-for-profit bus services which existing bus companies are unable to provide. These services can also be a lot more flexible than normal buses, as the minibuses can divert from the main roads where required.

Community transport offers a great opportunity to meet the transport needs of rural residents.

Services

At the moment, The Villager (Medway's community transport service) offers two main services:

• minibus hire for community groups,
• regular excursions to a range of destinations.

The Villager is always looking for new services to provide which might be useful for rural residents. These might include:

• direct services for individual villages - for example, to nearby train stations or supermarkets in the centre of Medway;
• buses for particular needs groups, such as those with disabilities;
• school services for students living in isolated areas;
• flexible route (dial-a-ride) services to various destinations;
• evening services aimed at young people living in Medway's villages.

There are no limits to what the Villager might be able to achieve in the long term. If there are any new services which you would like to see in your village, please get in touch.

Who runs the Villager?

The Villager was established through Medway’s Rural Initiative for Transport (MERIT) and is currently run by Medway Council with support from various local organisations and parish councils.

The long-term aim for the scheme is that it will become an independent not-for-profit company which is self-supporting. This will allow The Villager to continue to provide services - and even expand - now that the MERIT funding has ended.

A project steering group meets regularly to support the development of the scheme and it is hoped that this group will eventually form part of a new management committee for The Villager.

If you would like to become involved in the operation and management of The Villager, please make contact using the details below.

^ (back to top)