bact community transport has won the tender from Suffolk County Council to run rural transport in Waveney. The contract starts on June 13th 2016 and runs for 5 years. This helps to secure bact’s future and allow us to continue to provide essential transport services to our vulnerable and elderly passengers, as well as expanding into new services and new areas within Waveney.
The tender was challenging: we had to demonstrate how we could provide different services throughout the whole of the rural Waveney area whilst reducing the budget every year for the next five years. We examined vehicle and driver resources to maximise efficiency and to provide the services which we believe people in Waveney need. To prepare for the tender, we undertook surveys with the youth, parish and town councils and our existing passengers to find out what they thought worked well or not so well in Waveney. We spoke to commercial bus and rail organisations with whom we hope to work more closely in the future to give passengers better options for transport, especially as some rural bus services are disappearing.
We will work closely with colleagues in Lowestoft and Halesworth to join up services efficiently whilst maintaining as many existing services as possible. Volunteer drivers and passenger assistants throughout Waveney provide a vital service to so many people who would otherwise be isolated: we want to build on these strengths and promote what they do.
As part of the contract, from Monday June 13th Waveney will have a single telephone number for passengers to book all rural transport (except in Southwold and Halesworth, where community transport schemes continue to take their own bookings). This will simplify bookings and ensure that passengers get the most appropriate transport for their needs and at the best price.
All passengers and volunteers working under bact’s new Waveney contract will receive information over the coming months about how the services will run in the future and how to make bookings.
We are very proud and excited.
Leave a Reply