Charity responds to criticism that minibus provided for Tetbury retirees "should not be on the road"

Community Connexions, a county-wide charity based in Cheltenham, took over Dial-a-Ride services following the closure of Cotswold Volunteers (CVS) in April but, since then, some Tetbury citizens have complained about the vehicle.

Diana Melville, 83, of Wheat Hill, uses the minibus to go to Tesco for her shopping.

She said the bus  was “on its last legs”, with doors that would not shut and an inbuilt step that had been torn off.

“It's too dangerous. We now have to get in from the back of the bus and there is nothing to hold onto there,” she said.

“My vision is impaired as I have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and I have arthritis in my shoulder and back, so I walk with a stick.

“I lent my plastic stool as a replacement. Now, we have got metal steps which I don’t feel safe with. I could be the one that falls as my sight isn’t great, and there are people more disabled than me.

(Diana's plastic stool acted as a replacement step after the in-built step broke, photo: Kevin Painter)

“It is a long way down from the bus to the ground and if we can’t park at a satisfactory place, we have a problem. We tried to park near the post office last time, but there was not enough room for the steps.

“The charity has said it would cost £1,200 to replace the steps and they have not got the money.

“I live just outside Tetbury and most of us rely on Dial-a-Ride to get out and meet people.”

(When this group was asked whether Tetbury have its own community bus, photo: photo: Kevin Painter)

Bev Hemming, a spokeswoman for Community Connexions, said: “As soon as this issue was identified we immediately took steps to remedy the situation as quickly as possible. It is in for repair as we speak.

“Safety is always our highest concern and the bus has a tail-lift which is inherently safer for people with mobility issues to use, rather than negotiate any kind of step. The tail-lift has grab rails as you would anticipate.

“The bus is a ‘12’ plate and therefore relatively new. It is actually the same bus previously used by CVS and is usually driven by the same volunteers.

"It has been serviced and maintained to the highest possible standard by a local provider. All buses are necessarily, and independently, safety checked at regular intervals. It is therefore inaccurate to state it is on its last legs.

“The fare for this route is £1.50 per trip which seems reasonable for accessible transport.

"I don’t think other means of transport could compete. Of course our routes have to be sustainable. After all, the previous provider went into liquidation.

In response to passenger feedback we have introduced new door-to-door bus routes on which passengers will be able to use their bus passes, which we believe will improve on previous provision.

“No customer has approached us directly about any issue, so this has come as a surprise to us. I am sure if this person had been aware of the facts we could have reassured them.”