ReadiBus wins award for its provision of community transport throughout pandemic
READIBUS – the charity which helps people with restricted mobility to get out and about independently – has won a national award.
The organisation has been named as one of the best for pandemic service provision at the CT (Community Transport) Awards for 2021.
Throughout the pandemic, the ReadiBus service provided a safe means for elderly, disabled and clinically extremely vulnerable people to make essential journeys, whether for food shopping, medical appointments, respite or any other reason.
The charity also worked alongside the over-stretched South Central Ambulance Service to enable local people to safely get to non-Covid-related hospital appointments, such as for cancer treatment and dialysis, helping people when they were
most in need.
The chief executive of the Community Transport Association which ran the awards, Bill Freeman, said: “Huge congratulations for the incredible work over the last year and a half – our judges were impressed.”
ReadiBus general manager Peter Absalon said: “I’m delighted that our team have received this recognition at the CT Awards.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of community transport service providers in the UK, all doing wonderful work, and to be named amongst the top three for service provided during such a challenging time as this pandemic is quite something.
“ReadiBus staff showed great commitment to keep the service available and to ensure that it was safe, especially during the first lockdown.
“People needed a safe means of getting out, whether that was to get food, to attend a medical or hospital appointment, for respite, whatever the reason.
“I’m so proud of what we did and what we achieved together.”
West Berkshire Council reduced its funding to ReadiBus by 68 per cent for 2019/20 and further reduced its funding again for 2020/21, then witheld this grant funding for the second half of the 2020/21 year when it made it a condition of its release that the council must have the right of censorship over any public statements made by ReadiBus.
ReadiBus trustees have declined to agree to this.
Nevertheless, ReadiBus was able to maintain “goodwill” service provision throughout the rest of the 2020/21 year.
Mr Absalon said: “We are still providing a service on two days per week in Newbury and Thatcham, funded through various sources including the donations from members of the public back in April and contributions from Newbury and Thatcham town councils and the Greenham Trust.
“We’re also still providing some journeys for some West Berks residents in the eastern district, including the West Berks parts of Tilehurst for example.”