Hooray! The Wee Bus’s wheels will keep going round and round thanks to new deal with Highland Council
The future of the Black Isle’s “Wee Bus” is less bumpy now thanks to a new collaboration.
The Wee Ferintosh Bus is a six-seater, wheelchair accessible, all electric people carrier that provides residents with their own personalised single or return journeys from their homes to both local destinations and to link with frequent bus services at Tore Service Station, enabling links to and from Inverness or Dingwall.
Formerly run by Community Support & Information, Ross-shire (CSIR) then Ferintosh Community Council, it is now operated by a recently formed charity Communities in Motion CT (CiMCT) which has now signed a new form of collaboration agreement with the Highland Council that secures the highly acclaimed service.
From Monday 2 December, 2024, thanks to the long-term support of the council, CiMCT will run the Wee Bus, seven days a week, with a team of paid and volunteer staff.
This announcement coincides with Community Transport Week, a celebration of the impact of local, non-profit transport projects and services across the UK, which is being led by the Community Transport Association (CTA).
Angus Watson, chairman of CiMCT said: “It’s a real privilege to be the first chair of Communities in Motion CT as this new charity pulls together, and benefits from, all the fantastic efforts of many volunteers and organisations who have been working tirelessly over many years to introduce this essential community service.
“Specific recognition and thanks go to Highland Council’s community transport team for their unwavering support, professional guidance and belief in the vision, for our charity to further develop community transport for the community, in the community, by the community.
“As we move forward with the brilliant support of our community volunteers and soon to be appointed staff, I have no doubt the Wee Bus will go from strength to strength, continuing the critical service that our neighbours now enjoy, while endeavouring to resolve more community transport solutions.”
Councillor Ken Gowans, chairman of the council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee said: “I would like to thank everyone involved for all their collaboration and hard work to get to this exciting stage.
“Creating this sustainable transport provision tailored to meet the needs of those living in and visiting the Black Isle is a great achievement.
“The commitment of everyone involved to make this a success reflects the vibrant, community-led push to achieve a more accessible, more frequent and more sustainable service for local residents.”
Becky Richmond, chairwoman of Ferintosh Community Council said: “It has been fantastic to witness the tremendous effort from FCC and its volunteers in providing community transport for our residents.
“The establishment of CiMCT not only secures the future of the Wee Bus for Ferintosh but also provides a platform for looking at the wider transport aspirations of the Black Isle Community as outlined in the newly registered Black Isle Local Place Plan.”
Bookings for the Wee Ferintosh Bus can be made by calling 07387 364541 or through email: weeferintoshbus@gmail.com
At the beginning of April CSIR withdrew from weekday/daytime delivery of Wee Bus services, these services were replaced by a timetabled service operated by Highland Council.
However, evening and weekend services operated by Ferintosh Community Council and volunteer drivers continued to run, and some people thought the community service had been withdrawn.
Once it had been made clear that the Wee Bus was still in business, the solution reached was to set up a Community Transport Organisation as a formally constituted charity, separate from FCC and with its own board of trustees, which will take over the provision of both weekday daytime and evening and weekend services by the Wee Bus.
