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Take the wheel for the Sprinter
b11-665 Ivel Sprinter voluntary bus service feature. Biggleswade. JE wk 23 L-R Adrian Besant(general secretary) Alan Godfrey(driver) Andy Buckley with passengers Elaine Bettles and Doris Brunt.
A COMMUNITY bus that provides people with vital transport links is desperately in need of new drivers.
The Ivel Sprinter has been running for 20 years now – but in the last few weeks it has had to cancel some services as there was nobody to drive.
The Sprinter was initially introduced after Tempsford residents were left stranded without a good public transport system but over the years additional routes have been added and now many of the villages and towns are covered by the 16 seater minibus.
The service helps people who do not have regular access to a car to get out and about, whether to do their weekly food shop, to visit the doctors or to potter around Bedford, Cambridge or Biggleswade. Anyone can use the bus though it is predominantly utilised by older people and some mothers with young children.
To continue the service the Sprinter needs a constant supply of volunteer drivers who are prepared to give up a few hours each month to steer the bus and help others in the community.
Adrian Besant, general secretary and driver, said: “It’s mostly for the people without cars and we serve a lot of villages – it’s really a village into town service. We go down routes that the bigger buses wouldn’t be able to go down and lots of older people get on.
“We have a definite route and if you are on that route we can pick you up. It’s marginally cheaper than a normal bus and takes bus passes.
“People decide to volunteer because they realise there’s the need, they have the time and they like working for the community.”
To find out more about the Ivel Sprinter and to see the most recent timetables visit http://ivelsprinter.org.uk
You can also ring 01767 313521 to ask about the timetable. Places covered include Biggleswade, Tempsford, Blunham, Great Barford, Sandy, Langford, Potton, Old Warden and other nearby villages. The service runs from Monday to Saturday with a different destination each day.
If you would like to volunteer as a driver then you can call Trish Kleimanis, the driver co-ordinator, on 01462 701323. Anyone between the ages of 25 and 70 can help out. You will just need to have a minibus driving license. If you passed your driving test before 1997 you will probably already have this included on your license – look for the D1 sign. If not then you will have to take a test.
To read the full feature see the Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday, September 23.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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