Get on board: Plea for volunteer drivers for community bus.

AppeAl: Vital town service needs more drivers with a busy programme ahead

Volunteer drivers are being asked to hop on board the Forfar Community Bus Trust after a reversal in fortunes for the long-running local service.

For more than 35 years the Forfarian has served the town and surrounding area, ferrying elderly, disabled and other groups of people to local events, as well as outings further afield.

It was facing an uncertain future due to the retiral of long-serving committee members but people have stepped up to fill key roles.

And with the 2017 calendar looking busy, a plea has been made for additional drivers to bolster the pool of regular volunteers.

The 16-seater bus, which is also equipped to carry wheelchairs, hits the road for regular weekly trips to local clubs.

Annually it also completes around 80 extended day trips, with high tea outings and exhibition visits increasing during the summer months.

The new co-ordinator is John Oliphant with Kathleen Welsh as chairwoman, Duncan Baxter is treasurer and Bill McLeod, secretary.

Paying tribute to the work of previous co-ordinator Jim Myles, the trust’s chairman said: “Jim gave up a lot of his free time on keeping the bus in tip top condition.

“Jim and his family put in a lot of effort in fundraising to help purchase a new bus and for that we are very grateful.

“The committee would also like to give a huge thank you to Kate McFarlane, who has done a wonderful job not only as chairperson, but as a member of the committee for over 15 years.

“Kate’s commitment and fundraising efforts have made a huge difference to help keep the bus going and also in helping to purchase a new bus,” added Kathleen Welsh.

Co-ordinator Mr Oliphant said there is currently a pool of around eight to 10 drivers, but the group remains in desperate need of volunteers with the D1 on their licence.

“We can never have too many volunteer drivers. Getting drivers for evenings is not so difficult, but it can be more difficult for day time runs so we are keen to drum up more enthusiasm,” he said.

“The more drivers we have the better, and even a couple of hours a month could make a difference.”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer driver can contact Mr Oliphant on 01307 461957.

“We can never have too many volunteer drivers. JOHN OLIPHANT