15/09/2025
At long last, it's arrived! We are now the proud owners of a new replacement minibus. We have purchased a Mercedes Sprinter 571CDi, which is fully automatic and has boot space for luggage and shopping. The total cost of the vehicle before signage and insurance was £98,700. This was met by generous donations by YOU the public, our existing reserves, the sale of the older of our two buses, and a grant of £69,090. This grant was provided by Durham County Council's Capital Grant Funding for Community Transport Vehicle Purchases. We are very grateful for the support and guidance provided by Adam Robinson of Durham County Council. Adam officially handed over the bus on Monday 15th September 2025.
The bus is fully automatic and our training officer will be scheduling familiarisation sessions with each of our volunteer drivers to ensure the safety of the public and the new bus. We always welcome applications for volunteer drivers. We also welcome new affiliate groups. If you are involved with a social group in the area of Shildon and the surrounding towns and villages, please ask for information regarding registering as an affiliated group. This enables the group to hire one of our minibuses for social and educational trips out. For further information please contact the bus office on 01388773666 or email [email protected].
Once again, thank you to everyone who has made this purchase possible.
The attached photos were taken today and show some of our Trustees and Administration voluteers with Adam Robinson on the far right of the screen.
