A new Community Bus in Freeland was launched last week to the delight of local residents. The bus service will help to fill the gap of the No 11 service that also serves the village. The service has very much been a community led initiative supported by the local District Councillor and County Councillor and will be cheaper and more convenient than Stagecoach's 11 service that runs from Witney to Oxford.
The inaugural service to Witney commenced on Thursday 6th December from the Village Hall. Freeland Community Bus will leave the Village Hall at 10am on Thursdays, stopping at the Little Free Library and also Freeland Primary School at 10:05 and 10:10am. The bus will drop passengers at Sainsbury's and Waitrose before picking up from the same locations at midday and 12:10pm.
Cllr Alaa Al-Yousuf, District Councillor and Chairman of the Freeland Community Bus said "We would like to thank the 1st Hanborough & Freeland Scouts Group for the loan of their 16-seater minibus. We welcome any passengers who are residents of Freeland so please spread the word. To help maintain and improve this service, we encourage as many of you to use it and give us your feedback."
"Six wonderful volunteer drivers have signed up so far, but we need more; so, if you are interested, please contact me for further details."
The fare for the service is just £2 for a return journey to Witney and the group have applied for funding from County Councillor Liam Walker’s Councillor Priority Fund.
Cllr Yousuf continued, "We are grateful for Cllr Walker's pledge of support for this community project. The purpose of the funds is to maintain a reserve of at least £150 for any insurance claim excess in case of an accident, to pay for an annual public liability insurance premium of about £47 and to cover any future operational costs."
Cllr Liam Walker, County Councillor for the area, said "I'm really pleased to support this project and I want to thank the group for coming forward to put this service together. I was happy to support the scheme with funds from my Councillor Priority Fund and I would like to encourage people to use it so the service can continue and improve."
For more information about the service, to volunteer to drive the bus or to get involved in the group please contact Alaa Al-Yousuf, Tel: 880689 or email: alaa.alyousuf@gmail.com.