News
10th Jul 2009
Spiralling passenger numbers will see an award-winning bus service expand throughout the Sleaford area this month. The existing Sleaford CallConnect service is set to be doubled from one to two vehicles from Monday 13 July, with the area served expanded to include Metheringham and surrounding villages. Anita Ruffle, Lincolnshire County Council’s Public Transport Strategy Manager, said: “This expansion of the CallConnect service is entirely in response to the demand we have seen for the service in the Sleaford area since its launch. We are delighted that we are now in a position to expand the service and make its benefits available to even more residents.” CallConnect provides residents with a ‘dial-a-bus’ service between 7am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and can be used to travel to Sleaford or Metheringham, make village-to-village journeys and to connect with local bus and rail services in the area. CallConnect is especially important for people living in rural or isolated areas, a fact recognised during a recent tour of the county by Dr Stuart Burgess, the Government’s Rural Advocate and Chair of the Commission for Rural Communities. After travelling on a CallConnect bus himself, he said: “CallConnect is exactly the kind of innovative solution we would like to see rolling out across the country to tackle issues of isolation in remote locations. It provides a thought-provoking insight into the possibilities for the future of rural transport. “Public transport could be the lifeline for remote communities as competition for jobs increases and as more and more people have to travel to receive advice and benefits.” For more information about CallConnect, please call the Booking Centre on lo-call 0845 234 3344 (open 8.30 -17.00 Monday to Friday and 9.00 – 16.00 on Saturdays) or online at www.lincsinterconnect.com
