Worcestershire County Council is trialling a second demand-responsive transport (DRT) service. Malvern now has two DRT buses, operated by Malvern Community Action in conjunction with Worcester Wheels, and by LMS Travel. The service, which is funded by Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Hills District Council, will initially focus on South Malvern Hills, and passengers will be able to travel to points of interest outside of the zone.
Councillor Mike Rouse, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport at Worcestershire County Council, said: “It’s fantastic that we’re launching the second on-demand bus service in Worcestershire following the success of the pilot service in Bromsgrove. We’re confident the buses will be well used in Malvern as they provide a sustainable and efficient service in a rural setting. We want to make public transport more attractive to our residents and demand responsive transport is the way forward and we hope to extend the service to other areas in the future.”
Leader of Malvern Hills District Council Councillor Tom Wells added: “I am confident that this new service will prove to be extremely popular with our residents in the Upton area and I am keen that we roll the project out to other parts of the district.”
The buses run from 0700 until 1900hrs Monday to Saturday with a flat fare of £2.50 for all journeys per person, with additional passengers paying £1.25 and ticket bundles available as well as concessionary cards being accepted, and bookable via the ’Worcestershire on Demand’ app. The demand responsive service in Bromsgrove launched in July 2021 and has completed 1,250 journeys per month, or around 41 per day, on average in the past few months.
The promotion of DRT forms part of Worcestershire’s wider Bus Service Improvement Plan, which aims to develop solutions to provide an environmentally sustainable, accessible and fully integrated transport network.
