Zero-emissions travel on route to the Forest

Forest of Dean District Council has awarded over £63,000 of Rural England Prosperity Funding to help Lydney Dial-A-Ride purchase their first electric minibus and offer residents of the Forest a zero-emissions travel option. 

Cabinet Member for Economy, Cllr Johnathan Lane said: “It’s fantastic news that Gloucestershire County Council has been successful in their bid for funding from the Department of Transport and that we’re able to provide some additional funding to help provide zero-emissions travel in the Forest of Dean.

“Lydney Dial-A-Ride provide an invaluable service for many across the district and by supporting zero-emissions travel, together we can provide a greener, cleaner way of travelling for those who use the route 777 service between Lydney and Coleford.

“I’d like to thank those involved in the funding bid and look forward to seeing and using the service in the coming months.”

Gloucestershire County Council was successful in their bid for funding from the Department of Transport to support the introduction of zero-emission buses in the county. This funding is known as the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme, or ZEBRA 2 funding and forms part of the Governments ‘Bus Back Better’ campaign.

The County Council has worked with several companies across Gloucestershire, including Stagecoach, Pulhams and Lydney Dial-A-Ride to submit a joint funding application and as part of this successful bid, Forest of Dean District Council has agreed to provide £63,262 from the Council’s Rural England Prosperity Fund to provide Lydney Dial-A-Ride with their first electric minibus.

Lydney Dial-A-Ride is a friendly door-to-door transport service for those people who do not have their own transport and are unable to use public transport. They operate a fleet of fully accessible minibuses capable of carrying wheelchair passengers and other seated passengers, with the service covering Lydney, Coleford, Cinderford and the surrounding area.

Assistant Director of Communities at Forest of Dean District Council, Andy Barge said: “This is one of five projects we’re supporting with our Rural England Prosperity Funding, and it will help people access local shops, services and training or employment locations.

“To do this with a zero emissions electric vehicle is another step towards our ambition to be a carbon neutral district by 2030”.