Meeting will decide fate of ring and ride

Cannock Chase Council's cabinet will decide this evening whether to continue its dial-a-ride scheme for disabled people for another year.

The scheme was launched in April after the council withdrew its previous concessions for bus journeys. The cabinet will hear from customer services manager Karen Webb that the scheme is gradually increasing in popularity.

But despite this, the number of users and journeys has been lower than expected in the first seven months.

In October there were 411 individual journeys made – an average of 15 a day.

The cost to the council from operators Shire Travel International Ltd was £7,081 or £17.23 a journey.

There are 755 members of the dial-a-ride scheme – 737 disabled and 18 over-70s.

The cabinet will decide whether it is viable to go out to tender for a contract to continue the scheme or another year.

If it does continue, the tender process will take in taxi companies as well as coach operators. The contract won by Shire Travel specified a need to be able to carry three wheelchairs, but this has never been required.

The council used to give travel tokens to the value of £53.50 to eligible disabled people and over-70s as an alternative to a bus pass. At the time that scheme was withdrawn 2,164 were receiving the tokens.

Shire Travel is also a partner with the council in providing Shopmobility scooters in Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley town centres and also operates a commercial ring-and-ride scheme.

The council budgeted £80,000 to cover the cost of the first year of operation and a similar figure has been built into the 2010-2011 budget in case the scheme is extended.