Public transport

The Villager currently has two minibuses available for hire. These vehicles can seat up to 16 passengers and have removable seats, allowing room for up to three wheelchairs. The minibuses have a low-floor, easy-access entrance at the front, air-conditioning and manual transmission. Who can hire the minibuses? Vehicle hire is open to any community, voluntary or charitable group based in rural Medway. Organisations based in urban Medway but with a significant proportion of their members or activites in Medway's countryside may also hire the vehicles but groups that focus solely on Medway's urban area are not eligible to join.

Before an organisation can hire one of the Villager minibuses, it must first become a group member.

Prices

Annual group membership of the Villager costs just £20. Please use the contact details at the foot of this page to ask for an application form or download a copy of the form (pdf, 139kb).To use this file, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this on your computer, please use our advice page.

Prices for vehicle hire vary depending on the length and duration of the trip. As a rough guide, prices start at £50, which includes fuel for up to 50 miles of travel. Additional mileage is charged at £1 per mile if you supply your own driver or £1.50 per mile if one of the Villager volunteers is used.

Please contact the Villager for a more detailed quotation. Regular bookings can be made and a discount may be offered.

Vehicle hire is subject to a deposit of £20, which will be deducted from the cost of hire at the time of invoicing. The deposit may be retained if bookings are cancelled at short notice.

Drivers

As a community transport scheme the Villager relies on volunteer drivers to provide its services.

If a group can supply someone to drive the minibus, the Villager will provide them with driver training free of charge. (This may not be required if they already hold a relevant qualification.) Groups who supply their own drivers are also offered a discount on every hire.

If a group does not have a driver of its own, the Villager will contact its pool of volunteers and see if there is a driver available. Please note that there may not be a driver available at the time you require, so a group is more likely to be able to hire a minibus if it can provide its own driver.

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