Staple

Are you worried about the loss of the Sandwich Connect bus or the 541/542/544 that runs through or to/from Staple ~ if you are read on!

If this does not bother you now or in the future ~ go no further!

However there may be people locally who have no transport or have relied on the bus service to travel to the Doctors, Hospital, dentists or shopping . For these people and anyone who is heading towards being without transport we in Staple have a problem as do many other villages in East Kent.

The Parish Council are looking into possible options that could work IF there is enough interest and support in Staple. The following information is taken from the web site information of Kent Coast Volunteering who are based in Deal and are a volunteer organisation

If you want to know more go to https://kcv.org.uk

In particular they run a Transport Hub

Kent Coast Volunteering (KCV)provides an essential, volunteer-led community transport service for the Dover District, Folkestone and Hythe and Thanet plus surrounding villages. It enables residents to attend Hospital, GP and dental appointments, as well as visit relatives, go shopping or attend social events.

Unfortunately, public transport is not always an option for people. This can be because of personal circumstances, disability or simply because there is no public transport available.
KCV transport service is there to enable people living in the area to remain as independent as possible and to help prevent isolation.

How does it work?

The Community Transport Service is a door-to-door transport service for those who would otherwise struggle to get to medical appointments or become isolated within their own homes.
All the drivers are volunteers, using their own cars, who are DBS checked and referenced. They pick you up from your home and return you back there after the appointment (drivers will wait for you for up to one hour for a local trip and up to two hours for a hospital appointment). If your visit is going to be longer, you can still get a lift home, but this will be charged as a double trip and the driver will return for you later, which they will arrange with you.
What are the criteria for joining the service?
The only criterion in assessing potential users is that they have to be able to manoeuvre themselves into and out of the vehicle.  They are currently unable to assist those who are wheelchair-bound.
What is the cost?
There is a yearly membership fee of £20 to belong to the service and each trip will cost 50p per mile plus a small administration fee of £2 per trip. Please note that there is a minimum charge per trip of £5 incl. admin fee for the first one to seven miles, then 50p for each mile thereafter.

The service depends on volunteer drivers:-

Volunteering as a driver

You will need a full clean driving licence, car insurance (fully comprehensive desirable) and MOT certificate if applicable. Drivers are responsible for insuring their car insurance is valid for this type of driving.

In line with safeguarding policies, potential drivers will be asked for two character references and a DBS check (criminal records check) will be carried out.  KCV can carry this out at the hub closest to you, and there will be no cost to you.

Mileage is paid at 45p a mile and you decide how much driving you wish to do.

KCV are always looking for new volunteer drivers across all areas, as the service is always expanding.

• Drivers generally undertake local requests and mid-range requests (Canterbury, Ashford, Dover etc).
• Drivers are free to opt in, or out of, long distance requests (London etc.)
• We ask clients to give 3 days notice of their planned journey but this is not always possible in every case.

If either you are interested in transportation (for you or for anyone you know) or volunteering as a driver I would like to hear from you to see whether joining the scheme would be valid for Staple.

Please contact me at roger43@gmail.com or 01304 812306 to respond or if you have any questions; please reply before 24^th February 2023