History
Buchan
Dial-a-Community Bus (DACB) is a growing social enterprise focussing
on reducing social exclusion through the provision of high quality
community transport delivery and support services. It is a community
owned Company Limited by Guarantee and Scottish Charity which
has been operating for over 15 years.
Originally
DACB operated as a weekly service utilising a borrowed social
work minibus, driven by off duty police officers. Since then,
we have evolved into a major transport provider in the Buchan
area and currently run 8 services locally including Demand Responsive
Transport (DRT), shopping services, patient transport, youth
transport, library visits, community group use as well as shopmobility.
We operate 5 minibuses under S19 permits and a community car
scheme.
None
of these services are commercially viable but all provide an
essential link for rurally and socially isolated people in Buchan.
During 2006-07 we provided over 27,500 passenger journeys for
people who would not have been able to travel to their destination
for a variety of reasons without the aid of DACB’s services.
DACB
aims to provide the very best services achievable whilst adhering
to the utmost levels of quality.
Vehicles are maintained to the highest standards including 6
weekly inspections, lift services / tests, regular and intensive
maintenance etc.
Staff and volunteers are trained to the appropriate levels and
our administration systems comply with all expectations/requirements.
We are founder members of the Aberdeenshire Community Transport
Forum and regular attendees of the Aberdeenshire Bus Forums
where we have built excellent relationships with the local bus
operators.
We
strive to be an exemplar of best practice in all areas of our
operation, a fact that that has been recognised by The Scottish
Executive and the Community Transport Association among others,
and over the past few years we have regularly mentored new and
growing Community Transport projects.
Due
to the nature of our industry, volunteers and staff work very
closely together and the transport team of DACB is made up of
the volunteer Directors/Management committee and the staff,
backed up by other volunteers who assist with the actual work
of driving, escorting etc.
DACB
currently has 9 staff, 4 volunteer Directors and a Company Secretary
as well as a volunteer management committee of 6; all of who
are skilled at multi-tasking. Thus the manager is qualified
to drive the minibuses, the lead staff driver is a MiDAS trainer,
one volunteer Director is also a MiDAS trainer and our MiDAS
for MPV’s and cars observer and PATS trainer and another
is our second Passenger Assistant (PATs) trainer.
The
Board represents a cross section of the community and each Board
member brings specific skills to the table;
One DACB Director is a serving police officer. Grampian Police
allow him the time necessary to conduct training and other DACB
related activities; including management, strategy work and
mentoring.
We also have a council Area Officer and registrar, a retired
Administration/Accounts manager, A Health and Safety manager,
a representative from Community Learning, two retired teachers
and a retired Health care manager etc.
All these people represent a part of our organisation since
they all do specific jobs within DACB; from driving or administration
to fundraising. Therefore they bring specific points of view
to the table as well as their own expertise and an overview
of the company.
We
have recently opened a subsidiary community interest company
which will operate to make profits which will then feed in to
the DACB charity and therefore work towards reducing our dependency
on grant funding.
This
company has a separate Board, comprising of 2 members of the
DACB board, a business accounts manager who is currently studying
for her PHD in Psychology and a Director of one of Scotland’s
Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP). There
are also approximately 50 + more volunteers working for DACB
in a wide range of capacities eg; car and minibus drivers, passenger
assistants, fundraisers, administrators and Shopmobility assistants.
We
work closely with partner organisations such as Grampian Police
and Aberdeenshire Council. As
mentioned earlier, one management committee member is the local
Community Learning Worker and is a vital link to local youth
forums and expertise.
In
2004 the partnership that we have with Aberdeenshire Council
enabled us to be part of the pilot A2B DRT project funded by
the Scottish Executive; operating the buses in Peterhead and
Fraserburgh for the council. This service has just been extended
when the council and DACB signed a Service Level agreement taking
them through to 2010.
Shopmobility
Peterhead is managed under SLA to Aberdeenshire Council’s
social work department.
The
training that DACB offers all staff and volunteers is extremely
thorough and has been instrumental in maintaining our unblemished
safety record. All our volunteers and staff access training
through our MiDAS programmes. However due to the role that the
previously mentioned Director has within Grampian Police, since
2004 we have been able to add regular road safety presentations
from the Force’s Road Safety Unit.
This allows the volunteer to integrate both his professional
and volunteer roles for the good of both organisations.
In
early 2005 we divided the management committee into sub committees
with specific roles and responsibilities e.g.; fundraising,
staff management, disclosures, finance etc. This allows us to
use the specific skills and interests of each team member for
the benefit of the company.
This
team work approach to handling tasks ensures effective on-going
communication throughout the organisation. This works well with
the Directors, Management Committee, and staff all functioning
together to create a vibrant and successful transport business
which continues to grow steadily for the benefit of the community.
Should
you wish any more information about Dial-a-Community Bus please
call 01771 619191 and we’ll be happy to help you.
