The Community Transport Program enabling an average of 339 people a month to remain independent in their own homes, has seen the Community Transport Program coordinated by Belconnen Community Service travel an incredible total of 327,000 kilometres this financial year.
Funded by the Health Directorate Home and Community Care Program (HACC), Community Transport is provided to medical and paramedical appointments, social, recreational and adult educational activities, shopping trips and various group activities, including social groups coordinated by Belconnen Community Service. Transport is available for the frail aged and those living with a disability and their carers living independently in our community and is focused on promoting the independence and community involvement of program participants.
Supported by a committed team of 10 staff and operating 4 BCS owned vehicles, our transport program would not be able to keep up with the demand were it not for a committed team of volunteers who donate their time and use of their vehicles to support their community. 1,000 hours of assisted shopping, 300 hours of friendly visiting and travelling 157,000 kilometres has seen volunteers donate a combined total of 7,300 hours to the program and extends the reach of our program further than any of us could have imagined possible. With transport becoming a necessity to enable people to remain engaged in their community, we look forward to the further development and growth opportunities of community transport in our region.
The Community Bus Program offers a flexible regional transport service for people who are socially isolated due to a lack of other suitable transport alternatives. Operating a Community Bus Service has opened up a whole new world of transport opportunity and community involvement for residents of Belconnen for who transport is a major issue. The program goes from strength to strength as we continue to meet the diverse transport needs of the Belconnen community. Our monthly excursions to places of interest in Canberra continue to be extremely popular and we continue to engage with local community groups to support their involvement in their community. Our regular shopping trips have become as much about the chance to go shopping as they are about the catch up that occurs on the bus as we drive around and collect everyone. Then of course there is the continued success of our Christmas Lights tours that have grown from small beginnings to 4 regular night tours. The service has travelled just over 30,000 kilometres this year and has carried approximately 5,000 passengers.