New Argyll project offers door-to-door vaccine bus

Bus company West Coast Motors has joined forces with two other organisations to offer safe, door-to-door travel for people in rural areas who need to attend Covid-19 vaccination appointments.

The family-run firm has partnered with The Routing Company, a routing and management platform, and Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) to launch an on-demand, app-enabled service to make it easier for members of the public across Argyll and Bute to attend vaccination appointments. The service is available Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Transport is summoned using the Pingo app, available via the App Store on iOS devices or on Google Play for Android.

Alternatively, people can call the Pingo help desk on 0141 370 9262, with journeys costing £2 but free for card concession holders. The service came about thanks to the Scottish Government’s CivTech 5.0 Programme.

Colin Craig, managing director of West Coast Motors, said: ‘By using this technology, we can improve the use of existing vehicle fleets, which will help to reduce costs, widen coverage and better understand interactions between different transport services.

‘In addition, the trial could be expanded to accommodate winter flu vaccination appointments to ensure safe and efficient transport to the public to these vital services.’