Devon is a beautiful county full of things to do and places to discover but it can be hard to appreciate if you don’t have the means to travel. There are many reasons why people may struggle to get out and about. Car ownership in the county is relatively high but a significant proportion don’t have access to a vehicle, while others may not be able to drive due to age, illness or disability. Even if you do have a car, rising costs and environmental considerations might be making you think twice about using it. Meanwhile public transport is extremely limited in some areas, and doesn’t meet everyone’s needs.
Fortunately, there are a host of community organisations helping people to get from A to B. Holsworthy Rural Community Transport, for example, provides a Ring and Ride service, volunteer car service and minibus hire. Its ring and ride, known as Pick Me Up, is wheelchair accessible and takes customers door to door. As well as essential shopping trips they also offer social outings. Like other ring and rides and community buses up and down Devon, they are a desperately needed lifeline for people who would otherwise be very isolated.
Julia Foster, community development worker for the charity, emphasises that the ring and ride is for all ages. She says people often mistakenly feel they’re not eligible when they could really benefit from the service. “If you’re stuck at home, you’re isolated and you’ve got no transport, that’s enough,” she says, giving the example of parents who are at home with young children and no car because their partner has to take it to work. The service is subsidised and shopping trips cost £8 return.
The charity’s volunteer car service is one of many around the county, taking people to and from medical appointments. This might be to a local medical centre or dentist, or hospitals further afield. Volunteers use their own cars and customers cover the petrol costs. This is much more affordable than booking a taxi, which is often the only alternative in areas where public transport is either patchy or non-existent.
There are also a handful of projects aimed at making cycling a more accessible alternative, such as Ride On in Exeter. The social enterprise has a mission to get more people cycling by refurbishing secondhand bikes which they sell at affordable prices, as well as offering a range of services including Dr Bike safety checks, Bring Your Own Bike workshops and rickshaw rides for people who are unable to ride a bike. They also have a free bike scheme for people referred by charities or educational establishments.
Alongside the health and wellbeing benefits of cycling, Will Page from Ride On points out that it can be much quicker and cheaper than travelling by car, especially if you live in a town. “A £200 bike can keep going for years if you look after it,” he says, and there are no fuel costs or parking charges. If you’re keen to get back on a bike but feel a bit nervous, Active Devon deliver free adult cycle confidence sessions. These can be done at a location near you, and tailored to your ability and needs.
There are many more schemes and groups to help people get out and about all over Devon. We’ve listed lots of them below but if you’re aware of any we haven’t included please let us know. Or if you or someone you know needs transport support that isn’t covered in this post, please get in touch and we will do our best to help. You can contact us via insights@devoncf.com. Many of the community transport services we spoke to are desperate for volunteers, so if you can drive and have some time to spare do consider contacting your local group to see if you can help.
Devon
Adult cycle confidence sessions – Travel Devon
Co Cars (Exeter and Plymouth)
East Devon
Budleigh Salterton & District Voluntary Car Scheme
Exmouth and District Community Transport
Ottery Help Community Car Scheme
Exeter
Exeter Community Transport Association
Mid Devon
Crediton & District Community Transport
Exe Valley Market and Community Bus
North Devon
Braunton Volunteers – Community Car Scheme
Ilfracombe Town Council Community Car Service
South Molton and District Volunteer Bureau
Plymouth
South Hams
Bob the Bus – Totnes and Rural Community Transport
Totnes & Dartmouth Ring & Ride
Teignbridge
Newton Abbot Community Transport
Torbay
Torridge
Holsworthy Rural Community Transport
West Devon
Okehampton District Community Transport Group
Tavistock Area Support Services
Funding
Individuals can apply for funding from the Devonian grant scheme towards the cost of equipment that alleviates or removes physical mobility limitations.
Our Thrive with Five grants are now open and our current priority is ”Mobilise”, focusing on funding community groups which alleviate mobility in relation to disability or ill-health. Click here for more information.
Motability provides grants for charities and organisations which support the needs of disabled people.
