Bath & North East Somerset Council is proposing to improve its Passenger Transport Service by investing over £500,000 in new vehicles over the next two years.
The Council runs an internal fleet of vehicles to support children and vulnerable people with Home to School, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport and Social Services transport requirements, operating Bath dial-a-ride and carrying out other roles, as required.
The existing vehicles used to deliver the service are between six and 14 years old, resulting in various age-related maintenance issues and mechanical breakdown.
The current vehicles are not low-floor and their high steps can cause difficulties for children and people with limited mobility, who are the majority of the service users.
If approved, six new vehicles will be introduced over the next two years – two of these in the financial year 2016/17 at a cost of £180K and a further four in 2017/18 costing £360K.
Councillor Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “In order to continue the services we provide to children and people with limited mobility it is important we have the right vehicles, which they can access without difficulty.
“We have a statutory duty to provide transport for children if they meet various criteria, including distance from school, hazardous routes and special educational needs.
“The new vehicles we purchase will enhance the user experience and ensure that everyone will be comfortable. They will also be more environmentally friendly, thanks to the latest technology and will reduce our maintenance and repair costs.”
The Council is proposing to replace six Peugeot Boxer minibuses (two in 2016/17 and four in 2017/18).
Replacing these with low floor minibuses is expected to provide greater flexibility, as the current vehicles are difficult to access for older and/or disabled walking passengers.
