SOAR VALLEY COMMUNITY BUS
Picking up an elderly couple from an isolated small-holding on West Leake Lane on the way to Loughborough
On Moor Lane Normanton on Soar after leaving for service from the newly built garage
Delivery of our new vehicle to the car park of The Plough Inn Sutton Bonington.
Robin Riley driving along Victoria Embankment Nottingham for the photo shoot for the NCC 1993 calendar.
Parked in Loughborough bus station on the 03 service to Loughborough Market.
Launch of the new Mellors vehicle at The Poachers Pub, Sutton Bonington.
Our first bus low floor disabled access vehicle, with a ramp rather than steps, at the bottom of Butt Lane Normanton on Soar.
Our History
In 1979, when the Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke QC MP for the Soar Valley constituency was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the government was trying to deregulate bus services in order to encourage a wider variety of public transport in response to the withdrawal of commercial operator services from outlying villages and rural areas. It conceived the idea of allowing smaller buses to operate on a flexible local basis, using unpaid volunteers as management committees and drivers. Such a scheme could also act as a social lifeline, keeping local communities alive and thriving. Some authorities thought such an experiment would fail and took some persuading that volunteers could be efficient, organised and safe on the roads.
Nearly thirty four years later, instead of failing, our scheme has gone from strength to strength; our services and areas of operation have expanded and our drivers have been able to benefit from attending advanced training schemes. We celebrate the fact that a great many people, by dedicated hard work and commitment, have helped to relieve the disabilities of age and vulnerability and contributed to the quality of life of the whole community.
