South Ayrshire Community Transport’s (SACT) primary mission is to combat social isolation by connecting people with the places and facilities they need.
Now, in addition to their extremely well-used fleet of 10 minibus, SACT has launched a Community Car Club in North Ayr. North Ayr is an area of multiple social deprivation with low car ownership. The ca. 16,000 residents regularly report great difficulty in attending medical appointments, hospital visits, shopping and other short trips using public transport for reasons of availability, accessibility and cost. The two-year pilot scheme has been created on the back of almost £60,000 of funding from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund in 2018 and will enable people who live and work in North Ayr to use the cars to provide vital transport to medical appointments, job interviews or even just shopping.
The social benefit will be considerable. The availability of an affordable community car club will allow improved access to health care and shopping and leisure facilities for those who cannot use public transport. The significantly lower costs of running the Nissan Leaf in comparison to standard cars means that the vehicles can be hired out at a locally affordable price on a not-for-profit basis encouraging wider use. Fewer standard vehicles on the road means less air and noise pollution.
Catriona Haston, community transport manager at South Ayrshire Community Transport, said: “We are extremely proud to be launching the new electric vehicle Community Car Club for local residents. Our current transport services have been popular and it’s great that we’re now able to expand these to be able to respond to local demand. Additionally, as well as helping people in our community, the Green Economy Fund has allowed us to deliver an environmentally friendly mode of transport that encourages others in our community to start thinking about how they can help tackle climate change.”
