Dorset Community Transport

County advice overview

There are several community transport schemes in Dorset which help to connect residents without access to conventional transport who are from isolated rural locations, to surrounding areas. These consist of Dial-a-Ride minibuses and car schemes run by volunteer drivers. 

Dial-a-Ride and Call and Go schemes provide a bookable service for people who have problems accessing public transport. For example, if you live too far from a bus stop, find it difficult getting on and off public buses, or there is no bus service nearby.

You do not need to be registered disabled or use a wheelchair to be eligible but must register for the service.

Not all Dial-a-Ride Schemes can take you to hospital appointments or day care centres. These appointments should be arranged by your doctor, the hospital or social services.

Key tips

It is important to plan your use of community transport in advance. Services are often run by volunteers and pre-booking is essential. You may wish to consider:

• Community transport providers are often in high demand, so it is best to book your journey several days in advance if you can.
• You may need to register with the service in advance of your first booking and a membership fee sometimes applies in addition to travel costs.
• At the time of booking, inform the provider of any mobility and accessibility needs you may have and which equipment you intend to travel with. 
• Some operators offer a discount or are even free with a valid bus pass, so it is worth obtaining one, if you are eligible, even if you never catch a regular bus.
• Not all Dial-a-Ride schemes can take you to hospital appointments or day care centres. These appointments can be arranged by your doctor, the hospital, social services, or you may be able to use a community car scheme.
• Community car schemes are run by volunteers and the drivers will take you to hospital and doctor’s appointments and usually wait with you for your appointment. Some community car schemes can also take you to the shops or other destinations.

Operators

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 

Sedcat BAT Bus

sedcat.org.uk

A door-to-door bus service for people who live in postcodes BH1 through to BH11. They offer a shopping service to the Sovereign Centre, Boscombe, and the Castlepoint shopping centre, Bournemouth, on Mondays. Plus, weekly social outings and a monthly service to Wimbourne.

Contact: 01202 534027 (Information) or 01202 399771 (Booking).

You must register to join the scheme. Membership costs £10 per year. Once you are a member, you pay a fare for each journey you make.

Christchurch Community Partnership Dial-a-Bus

www.christchurchcommunitypartnership.org.uk

A door-to-door bus service for residents of BH23 who have difficulty in using public transport, including a Thursday shopping service. Donations are recommended per trip.

Contact: 01202 989632

Poole Dial-a-Bus

Poole Community Transport Dial-a-Bus service offers low-floor and wheelchair-accessible transport for Poole residents. They cannot accommodate mobility scooters. An assessment will be needed in order to travel while in your wheelchair.

Journeys to Poole town centre, Dolphin Shopping Centre and supermarkets can be booked up to the day before travel.

Contact: 01202 128200

Annual membership is £10. There is no charge for each journey you make.

East Dorset

Dorset Community Transport PlusBus – Wimbourne

ectcharity.co.uk

Dorset Community Transport (DCT) PlusBus offers a Wednesday and Friday mid-morning trip from a group of neighbouring Dorset villages to Wimbourne, for shopping and appointments. Where possible, a ‘door-to-door’ service is offered. By prior arrangement, passengers travelling in wheelchairs can often be accommodated.

Contact: 01258 287 980

Areas served: From Sixpenny Handley, travelling through Edmondsham, Cranborne, Wimborne St Giles, Gussage All Saints, Gussage St Michael, Long Crichel, Manswood, Witchampton, Horton, Hinton Martell, Gaunt’s Common, Holt, Furzehill and Shapwick to Wimborne.

There is a fixed return fare of £5.00, no matter where the passenger catches the bus.

Vision Wimbourne Dial-a-Ride

A Monday to Friday service (by arrangement) open to anyone with disabilities who finds it difficult to use existing transport and who lives within a 5-mile radius of Wimborne town centre or lives in St Leonards and St Ives. You will be given a cost, based on mileage, at the time of booking.

Contact: 01202 880699

Areas served: Wimborne Minster and surrounding area including Colehill, Holt, Witchampton, Ferndown, West Parley, Merley, Broadstone, St. Leonards and St Ives.

North Dorset

NORDCAT (North Dorset Community Accessible Transport) Dial-a-Ride

Covering a large area in North Dorset, NORDCAT operates a Dial-A-Ride service in different areas of Dorset on different weekdays. 

Contact: 01258 472164 or info@nordcat.org.uk

Bus2Go

Bus2go offers low-cost community transport for trips and outings for people living in the villages around Blandford. Outings run fortnightly (weekdays or weekends depending on the destination). Trips include garden centres, gardens, shopping trips and other places of interest. Costs vary depending on destination and in some cases are subsidised.

Contact: 01258 837749

Areas covered: Blandford town, Winterborne Stickland, Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Kingston, Milton Abbas, Milborne St Andrew, Dorchester, Bere Regis and Charlton Marshall.

PlusBus Services – Blandford

Dorset Community Transport (DCT) PlusBus offers a weekday mid-morning trip to Blandford, for shopping and appointments. Where possible, a ‘door-to-door’ service is offered. By prior arrangement, passengers travelling in wheelchairs can often also be accommodated. There is a fixed return fare of £5.00, no matter where the passenger catches the bus.

Contact: 01258 287980

The services below operate on Thursdays.

‘Blandford A’ service: A weekly service to Blandford from Cranborne area via villages including Wimborne St Giles, Gussage All Saints, Gussage St Michael, Long Crichel, Moor Crichel, Manswood, Witchampton, the Tarrants, and Ashley Wood.

‘Blandford B’ service: A weekly service to Blandford from Gussage St Andrew area via villages including Minchington, Farnham, Chettle, Tarrant Hinton, Tarrant Gunville and Pimperne.

‘Blandford C’ service: This service runs on alternate Thursdays. From Bere Regis area via villages including Winterborne Kingston.

‘Blandford D’ service: This service runs on alternate Thursdays. From Stalbridge area via villages including Stourton Caundle, Bishops Caundle, Lydlinch, Bagber, Kingston, Hazelbury Bryan, Woolland, Ibberton, Okeford Fitzpaine, Shillingstone and Durweston.

East Dorset

PlusBus Services – Salisbury

Dorset Community Transport (DCT) PlusBus offers a Tuesday mid-morning trip from a group of neighbouring Dorset villages to Salisbury, for shopping and appointments.

Where possible, a ‘door-to-door’ service is offered. By prior arrangement, passengers travelling in wheelchairs can often be accommodated. There is a fixed return fare of £6. The national concessionary bus pass is accepted on the PlusBus service.

Contact: 01258 287980

‘Salisbury A’ weekly service: From Edmondsham, through Cranborne, Alderholt, Damerham and Martin to Salisbury. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

‘Salisbury B’ service (first Tuesday of the month): From Stourpaine, through Shroton, Sutton Waldron, Fontmell Magna, Iwerne Minster, Stubhampton, Tarrant Gunville, Tarrant Hinton, Chettle, Farnham and Wimborne St Giles to Salisbury. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

PlusBus Services –  Wimbourne

Operates on Fridays. There is a fixed return fare of £6. The national concessionary bus pass is accepted on the PlusBus service.

Contact: 01258 287980

‘Wimborne A’ service: From Sixpenny Handley, through Cranborne, Wimborne St Giles, Gussage All Saints, Gussage St Michael, Long Crichel, Moor Crichel, Witchampton, Hinton Martell, Gaunt’s Common, Holt and Furzehill to Wimborne. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

PlusBus Services – Sherbourne/Yeovil

Operates on selected Thursdays.

Contact: 01258 287980

‘Yeovil A’ service (fortnightly): From Okeford Fitzpaine, through Ibberton, Woolland, Wonston, Hazelbury Bryan, Kingston, King’s Stag, Holwell, Stalbridge, Bishop’s Caundle, Stourton Caundle and Stalbridge Weston to Sherborne, and then onward to Yeovil. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

‘Yeovil B’ service (first Thursday of the month): From Bradford Peverell, through Stratton, Frampton, Maiden Newton, Cattistock, Evershot, Holywell and Melbury Osmond to Yeovil. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

Purbeck

Swanage Hopper

A community-run bookable service running on Tuesday to Swanage town centre for shopping and for the Hopper Lunch club venues in the Swanage area. Minimal costs apply. Contact: 01305 228965

Wareham Hopper

Dial-a-Ride service for access to shopping, leisure and social activities. Cost: £5 – £6 (outer villages) and concessionary fares apply.

Contact: 01258 473154

Areas served: Wool, Bovington, Church Knowle, Corfe Castle, Bere Regis, Stoborough, Ridge, Carey, Northmoor, Sandford, Cold Harbour, Stoborough Green, East Stoke, Holton Heath, Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers.

West Dorset

Axe Valley and West Dorset Ring and Ride

Ring and Ride service for transport for shopping, leisure, cultural and social activities. Operates Monday to Friday (areas vary) plus some Saturday full-day trips. Shopping £5 return; Outing £6 return.

Contact: 07510 255965

Areas served: Allington, Askerswell, Beaminster, Bettiscombe, Bothenhampton, Bradpole, Bridport, Broadwindsor, Burstock, Burton Bradstock, Catherston Leweston, Charmouth, Chideock, Chilcombe, Drimpton, Hooke, Litton Cheney, Loders, Lyme Regis, Marshwood, Mapperton, Mosterton, Netherbury, Pilsdon, Poorton, Powerstock, Puncknowle, Shipton Gorge, Stanton St Gabriel, Swyre, Symondsbury, Thorncombe, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Wootton Fitzpaine.

PlusBus Services – Bridport

Dorset Community Transport (DCT) PlusBus offers a weekday mid-morning trip from a group of neighbouring Dorset villages to Bridport, for shopping and appointments. Where possible, a ‘door-to-door’ service is offered. By prior arrangement, passengers travelling in wheelchairs can often be accommodated.

Contact: 01258 287980

‘Bridport A’ service: Fortnightly on Wednesday from Thorncombe through Kittwhistle, Drimpton, Broadwindsor, North Bowood, Stoke Abbott, South Bowood, Salwayash and Dottery to Bridport. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

‘Bridport B’ service: Fortnightly on Wednesday from Catherston Leweston, through Wootton Fitzpaine, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Ryall, Chideock and Symondsbury to Bridport. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

‘Bridport C’ Wednesday service from Long Bredy, through Litton Cheney, Puncknowle, West Bexington, Burton Bradstock, Shipton Gorge and Walditch to Bridport. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

‘Bridport D’ Friday service from Maiden Newton, through Toller Porcorum, Askerswell, Loders and Uploders to Bridport. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

PlusBus Services – Dorchester

Operates on Wednesday. There is a fixed return fare of £6. The national concessionary bus pass is accepted on the PlusBus service.

Contact: 01258 287980

‘Dorchester A’ service from Bovington, through East Burton, Wool, East Lulworth, West Lulworth, Winfrith Newburgh and East Knighton to Dorchester. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

‘Dorchester B’ service from West Bexington, through Swyre, Puncknowle, Litton Cheney, Long Bredy, Little Bredy, Abbotsbury, Portesham, Winterbourne Steepleton and Martinstown to Dorchester. Other villages close to the route can be considered. 

‘Dorchester C’ service from Broadwindsor, through Mosterton, Higher Kingcombe, South Perrott, Winyards Gap, Hooke, Toller Porcorum, Maiden Newton, Frampton and Grimstone to Dorchester. Other villages close to the route can be considered.

SCAT Bus Sherbourne Community Accessible Transport

Operates on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in Sherbourne and surrounding North West Dorset villages. There is a small annual registration fee. Concessionary fares apply.

Contact: 01258 472164 or info@nordcat.org.uk

Weymouth

Weymouth and Portland Dial-a-Bus

The service operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays to take you into Weymouth town centre. You must register to use the service and to join the scheme, your application needs to be signed by a GP or professional carer. Some costs apply. 

Contact: 01305 228965

Covering Portland, Weymouth (Upwey, Broadwey, Preston, Overcombe, Osmington, Chickerell, Wyke Regis, Westham, Southill, Rodwell and Radipole), Rodden and Langton Herring. 

Travel costs

Community transport costs can vary depending on the service provided. 

Many schemes are run by not-for-profit organisations and only charge based on their actual operating costs. So, the fare you pay will be competitive with public transport costs in most cases. Fares are much cheaper than taxis and there is sometimes a reduced rate for bus pass holders.

Check with the individual provider when booking your trip, or browse their website, to receive an estimate of costs.

Special assistance

Assistance is variable for each service. Information can be found on an operator’s website or by contacting them by telephone.

When booking any community transport in your area, be clear about your mobility requirements and check in advance that the service is able to accommodate your mobility equipment.

Travelling with mobility equipment

Check with the individual community transport scheme, regarding travelling with mobility equipment. Services vary depending on the type and size of equipment that can be carried, due to space.  

Most minibuses are wheelchair accessible, although may have limited capacity for wheelchairs. 

Voluntary car schemes often require passengers to be able to transfer independently. Some can stow foldable wheelchairs and aids.