Gloucestershire launches on-demand rural minibus pilot

Gloucestershire County Council this month launches its £1.35 million rural minibus pilot to make a new offer of transport in two of the county’s most rural areas.

A bespoke on-demand minibus service, called The Robin, this month launches in the southern area of the Forest of Dean with the north Cotswolds to follow shortly after.

The Robin service, run by the county council and local bus operators, fills a gap where there is currently no bus provision. Residents can book affordable journeys via an app or over the phone. The service will provide links from hamlets or village centres to local transport hubs and train stations, making existing public transport services more accessible.

During the two-year pilot trial, services will operate from 7am until 7pm.

Cllr Philip Robinson, Cabinet member responsible for education, skills and bus transport, said, “Bus transport is crucial for many people who live in rural areas. This pilot will provide imaginative and much needed support to the bus services we already have across Gloucestershire.

"It will provide greater choice in transport by helping people get around our rural communities. These brightly coloured, cheerful buses will provide a lifeline to our rural communities.”

The Robin was given a £1.35 million boost after the county council was one of only 17 successful local authorities that secured money through the Department for Transport’s Rural Mobility Fund.