Access to transport is a significant challenge in our area, particularly when it comes to attending essential health appointments and accessing key services. This has long been recognised as an issue for Masham and was further evidenced in our 2024 residents’ consultation.
Recent changes to non-urgent patient transport provision have added to the problem. With many facing spiralling costs to reach essential healthcare services, Mashamshire Community Office (MCO) acted to come up with a solution. We committed money from our own residual funds to establish a new local service. Working closely with North Yorkshire Council and existing community transport providers to complement current provision, residents living within five miles of Masham can now access our service.
Launched in April, the Mashamshire Community Transport Drivers Service provides a vital and affordable solution for people who are unable to drive or access suitable transport to attend health-related and other essential appointments.
Key features of the service include:
- Our friendly MCO team of staff and volunteers who manage requests and coordinate members’ journeys each month.
- A cheerful team of 15 DBS-checked volunteer drivers who receive petrol expenses in line with standard HMRC guidelines.
- Over 60 registered members have registered for free and pay a £2 booking fee per journey. Petrol expenses based on milage travelled are paid directly to the volunteer driver when the service is used.
- Arranging approximately 70 trips each month, getting people to GP, hospital, dental and other health appointments, as well as essential shopping, prescription collection, and social or day centre visits.
- A local, community-based approach, using local volunteer drivers, serving local people, helping to reduce mileage and keep costs down for members.
Feedback So Far…
Although the service has required significant investment of time and resources to establish, feedback from users shows it is already making a meaningful difference.
Service users particularly value:
- The friendly, personal approach of our office team and volunteer drivers.
- Drivers’ local knowledge, which helps users feel more confident and reassured.
- More affordable due to proximity of drivers and lower trip mileage.
- The confidential nature of the service, alongside the ability to offer additional support where needed.
- The opportunity for conversation and an exchange of local news along the way.
Volunteer drivers also report a strong sense of satisfaction, knowing that something simple for them can make such a significant difference to others in the community.
How is it funded?
In short, the service is largely unfunded.
Mashamshire Community Office is a charity and has received no external funding to establish this service. Instead, we’ve invested residual funds of our own to get it up and running.
Currently, MCO receives a £2 booking fee from members when they book and for health appointments we can reclaim £3.18 per journey. However, this income falls far short of covering the actual operating cost of delivering the service, and it is currently operating at a significant loss.
With charities facing increasing pressure and limited funding opportunities, donations and fundraising will be vital to keep this service going in the longer term. This is just one example where operating a Charity Shop will help us meet real Mashamshire needs even if they don’t match the priorities of external funders.
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