Bus Drivers in Essex - Community Transport

Community Transport in Essex: Connecting People and Services

Community transport plays a vital role in Essex, providing door-to-door services primarily operated by volunteer drivers. It caters to individuals who cannot use conventional public transport due to age, disability, or geographical constraints. By offering affordable options, community transport ensures access to essential services, including health appointments, shopping, support groups, social outings, and visits to friends and family.

Key Benefits:

• Lifeline for Users: Community transport serves as a lifeline for many, preventing loneliness and social isolation.

• Independence: It helps people maintain their independence by providing accessible transportation options.

• Subsidized Service: Both individuals and groups can benefit from this subsidized service, which includes car and wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Volunteering as a Community Bus Driver

Volunteering as a community bus driver is a fun and rewarding way to help others while also gaining new experiences. Here’s why you might want to give it a try:

Supporting your local community:

• When you drive a community bus, you help people who can’t drive themselves or use public transport. This means you’re making sure they can get to places like school, shopping, doctors' appointments and seeing friends.

• You help people stay active and involved in their daily lives by giving them a ride to where they need to go.

Giving People Independence

• Helping Them Stay Independent: By driving for the community, you allow people to do things on their own and not rely only on their friends or family for rides.

• Making Life Better: Your help means people can keep doing the things they enjoy and stay connected with their friends and activities.

Helping your community

• You make sure everyone in your community can get to local events and places, making the community a better place for everyone.

• Your work helps everyone feel included and enjoy the things your community has to offer.

Personal Fulfilment & Development

• Volunteering makes you feel good because you know you’re making a real difference in people’s lives by helping them get around.

• The smiles and thanks you get from the people you help can be very rewarding and make you feel happy.

Flexibility

• Pick Your Hours: You can choose when you drive, so it fits around your other activities and commitments.

• There are lots of opportunities to volunteer locally, so you can find a role that works with your schedule.

How to get involved

Looking to do some volunteering in your spare time, Contact your local community transport provider and find out how you can start volunteering today.

Other Community Transport schemes may exist in your local borough/district, for further information contact us: passenger.transport@essex.gov.uk

Please note to be a community bus driver volunteer you must have a D1 driving license or held your license before 1997