A COMMUNITY bus service has been forced to leave its elderly and infirm passengers high and dry because of a chronic shortage of drivers.

Calne Community Transport provides a vital link to the community for elderly, frail, mentally and physically disabled people living in Calne and the surrounding villages.

But the project is in danger of running aground because its regular weekly driver and its Saturday driver are off sick and organisers do not know when they will be fit to resume work.

For the past month the bus service has been forced to rely on the goodwill of volunteer drivers, but it does not have enough to honour all of its commitments.

Now the group is appealing for more volunteers to step into the breach and help it provide the much-needed service.

Calne Community Transport Service chairman, Maureen Songhurst, said: "One driver has just come out of hospital with a knee problem and the other driver has hurt his back. It's the first time we've been in this situation.

"We have really been struggling to cover the work and some people who rely on us haven't been able to get to their day centres or social gatherings because we haven't been able to take them.

"That's what really hurts us, because we have had to let them down.

"People are very disappointed and in some cases we have had to cancel four weeks in a row, but we are doing our best to cope with the situation."

The scheme was set up 15 years ago to provide a transport service for people who are unable to use cars, buses or taxis.

The buses take groups of people to social gatherings, day centres, on outings and to do their shopping.

Mrs Songhurst said the idea behind the bus service was to try to improve people's quality of life, to help them live in their own homes and enjoy a reasonable level of independence.

The organisation's two 16-seater mini-buses are specially adapted to carry elderly and disabled people, including wheelchair-users, in comfort.

The group runs a door-to-door service.

Community groups, including the Mill Race Centre, the Silver Street Day Centre and Woodlands Physically Handicapped Club in Calne, whose members regularly use the service, say the shortage of drivers has forced them to cancel trips and has prevented members from enjoying the services they provide.

"It has desperately affected our day centre for over 65s each Wednesday," said Mill Race Day Centre manager, Anita Simes.

"Normally Calne Community Transport brings in a group of very, very frail people. They can't actually use taxis as a group because some are so frail they can only get into the front of the taxi, which makes it expensive and cuts down on the time available to the group.

"If we haven't got the buses, we run late and can't provide the full service to members and some of them can't even come at all.

"It's the only chance some of these people get to go out. Some of them live alone and they don't necessarily have relatives to go out with them, but without the vehicles we can't take them out."

Calne Community Transport is a charitable company run by volunteers, which relies on public donations, fundraising events and a small grant from Wiltshire County Council to cover its running costs.

It charges a minimal fee to its clients for the use of its buses.

When the group was founded it used volunteer drivers, but it had so much work the organisation had to hire a regular paid driver.

Volunteers need to have good social skills and a lot of patience, but do not need a special licence to drive the mini-buses. They will receive some driving training and will need to undergo a police check.

Home manager at Marden Court residential home and day care centre, Jane Ridgewell, said: "It's an essential service for wheelchair users because there are no taxis adapted for wheelchair use in Calne."

For more information contact Maureen Songhurst on (01249) 812228.

adavey@newswilts.co.uk