Buzza Bus used nearly 8,500 times!
Published on 15 February 2018 01:21 PM
The Age UK Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly Buzza Bus made 8,442 journeys on the Isles of Scilly in 2017.
Please read the This is Scilly February press release for more information:
The Buzza Bus is a Dial-a-Ride bus, run by Age UK Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, which runs a door-to-door service on St. Mary’s. The bus is able to transport passengers to and from the quay, providing a service for passengers from the off islands and to pick up any pre-booked passengers for journeys around St. Mary’s.
The service is open to people over 60 or with mobility problems and can be booked to suit your needs eg. trips to visit friends, to health appointments, local shops or to attend the various social groups eg. Telling Tales at the Library, Memory or Wednesday Cafes, Knit Together (knit and natter group), swimming sessions at Normandy Pool etc.
Passengers from the off-islands can travel from the quay to wherever they would like to go on St Mary's. The service has 452 registered users and was used a further 663 times last month (January).
Age UK Cornwall Director of Transport Ann Lewis said: "The journey type shows that health-related journeys are clearly the highest followed by social and shopping, with wellbeing not far behind.
"In December, social journeys were the highest by some margin but January has reverted to the more usual level. December journeys were up on last year from 598 to 625, which is encouraging at this time of year, although January has dropped a little."
She added: "The level of use remains high, which shows that the service is still popular and providing valuable support to many people who would be unable to access local services and activities so easily without the Buzza bus. The other benefit that is not so obvious is that being able to use the Buzza bus service reduces feelings of isolation and helps people to connect with their community. Creating these links not only helps the individual but strengthens the community overall."
The Buzza Bus, driven by Dave Maybrey, is part of the Better Care Fund's Access to Services Scheme, which also includes Concessionary Boat Fares. The Concessionary Fares scheme has 96 registered users and saw 4,992 journeys April 2016 and March 2017.
The Buzza Bus was rated 'excellent' in the 2017 Healthwatch Community Survey, with respondents describing it as a "lifeline" for the community.
To find out more about the Buzza Bus, please visit www.scillylink.co.uk or view our poster below!