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Gayton & Tiffield Community Minibus

Background

The Gayton & Tiffield Community Minibus is run by the Gayton and Tiffield Community Transport Charity (Reg No 1118339) via a team of dedicated volunteers to help with the transport needs of our rural communities. In May 1984 Northamptonshire County Council lent the money to buy the original bus to be run by local volunteers with administration carried out by NCC officers. NCC/WNC used to make an annual contribution for the running of the minibus and for its replacement. However, due to financial constraints, they were unable to continue with this so the Gayton & Tiffield Community Transport charity was established to take over the Scheme and this became effective on 1st April 2009. A new replacement bus was purchased in November 2020. Since April 2024 WNC have removed an annual support grant which has had a severe impact on our future viability.

It is now our sole responsibility to raise funds, provide administration of the bus, to provide drivers, and to keep the bus in a clean and legally safe state consistent with the need to carry passengers. We collect revenues for the use of the bus from cash and concessionary fares and private hire fees and these revenues go to the minibus bank account. We need to raise enough money annually to provide a surplus so we can replace the bus every ten years.

The Section 22 permit to provide the Community Minibus service requires that the drivers and organisers must all be volunteers. All minibus routes have to be registered with the Traffic Commissioner; we cannot deviate from those routes without due notice.

The minibus runs to Towcester and Northampton on Tuesdays and Fridays. In June 2023 the route was extended to also include Eastcote, Pattishall and Astcote.

Hire of the Bus
The Minibus is available for hire at all times outside the scheduled bus timetable and it will seat 16 passengers plus the driver. For community organisations rates are 50p/mile with a minimum charge of £15.

The minibus is available for private hire for local residents. The rate is 75p/mile with a minimum charge of £30. For further details contact Steve Jowers on 01327 350292 or 07890 764633.

Voluntary drivers are always required for the bus service. If you feel you may be able to offer some time, go to How Can I Help ? for further information.

May I travel on the bus?
The minibus is for the communities of Gayton, Tiffield and Pattishall parishes. If you live in these villages, the bus is for you. All are included. Clearly there are those among us that depend on the bus and there are some who use it when it is the most convenient way to travel to town.

Timetable

Please note, no services operate on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, or Public Holidays (except Good Friday).

Fares

Following recent Governemnt guidance all single fares are now £2 until 31 December 2024.

Travel is free for people holding a bus pass. See Bus Pass Scheme for information on whether you are eligible for a pass and how to apply.

From 1st February 2007, the ‘free’ element of the bus pass scheme will apply only between 09.30 and 23.00 hrs Mondays to Fridays, all-day Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Concessionary Bus Pass Scheme

West Northamptonshire Council run a bus pass scheme which allows residents who hold a bus pass to be entitled to free bus travel throughout Northamptonshire between 9.30am and 11pm, Mondays to Fridays and free travel all day Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

Additionally, the pass is eligible for use anywhere in England but the times of use may vary in other counties.

To qualify you must be a permanent resident of Northamptonshire and fall into one of the following categories:-

Persons born before 5th April 1950 or are in receipt of a state pension.
Persons who are blind or partially blind.
Persons who are profoundly or severely deaf.
Persons without speech.
Persons with a disability or persons who have suffered an injury which has had a sustained or long term effect on their ability to walk.
Persons without arms or have long term loss of the use of both arms.
Persons who have learning disability that causes significant impairment of intelligence and social functioning.
Persons who have been refused a driving licence or whose licences have been revoked on medical grounds.

How do I apply for a bus pass?

Bus passes may be obtained from any Northamptonshire library. You will need to take relevant proof of age or disability, and proof of residence (see below).

Evidence of Qualification

To prove age, you will have to provide ONE of the following:-

Retirement Pension Book
Birth Certificate
Passport
Driving Licence
Medical Card

To prove disability, you will need to provide ONE of the following:-

DSS Disability Pension Book.
Other relevant documentation (e.g. evidence of being Registered Blind).

Please note that medical evidence may be required in some cases.

Proof of Residence.

You will also need to provide ONE of the following:-

Council Tax Demand
Retirement Pension Book
Rent Book/Card
Bank Statement or Household Bill no more than 3 months old.

Bus Passes are renewable on a five yearly basis.

How can I help?

The County Council has no obligation to provide us or help to finance a bus service and we need to work to keep it. The most useful contribution you can make, apart from financial donations, is to be a volunteer driver. If you can drive, hold a current driving licence and are over 25 (no upper age limit) and are able to allocate most of one weekday per month to help the community, then you can help by applying to become a driver.

All drivers of the minibus have to be assessed for a MiDAS (Minibus Drivers Awareness Scheme) licence which provides the safety guidelines by which all minibus drivers must operate. This is a simple test of common sense to minibus driving and is a requirement for our insurance policy. Should you wish to have a trial drive in the bus to see if you feel confident about it, contact Steve Jowers. Remember the more drivers we have, the less frequently we all drive. All relevant training and medical expenses will be reimbursed.

Drivers’ schedules are issued four months in advance and are constructed around the availability of the drivers. This allows plenty of time to re-arrange dates where necessary. There is also a need for drivers to assist with private hirers which is more likely to involve evenings and weekends, so if you feel you could help in this way your name could be added to the list of volunteers for ad-hoc duty.

Please remember there are a number of people in the village who do not have their own transport and need to be able to visit Towcester or Northampton to shop, or to visit the bank, building society, dentist, optician or maybe just to get out of the house to see other people. So a Community Minibus means a lot to many people and being a driver is the best way to help.

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