top of page
St Philip’s Church Minibus Outside Stone Building.png

MINIBUS

St Philip’s Community Minibus is for voluntary groups or charities that are unable to have access to other minibuses.

 

We have a Minibus Administrator, Suzanne Stammers, who helps co-ordinate the running of the minibus project.  She can be contacted by email minibus@stphilipstjames.org or through the Church Office at St Philip's.

The minibus is used by a wide range of groups both from the church and the community.  Most of the uses are for people who don’t have access to their own transport (50% young people, 19% older people), whilst the rest is for charitable purposes.

 

​

​


Groups wishing to use the minibus usually need to provide their own driver and register with the scheme.  Then they simply book with the church office.

​

The bus is overseen by a Minibus Administrator who makes sure that everything runs smoothly and that new groups and drivers are registered.  The bus is also checked regularly to rectify any faults and for it to be serviced at an established garage.  Donations towards the bus are kept in a separate fund which is used to pay for insurance, road tax and repairs.

 

​

​


Groups that use the bus must fit one of the following three criteria:

​

  • a group which is part of St Philip’s church

  • a member of St Philip’s church driving for a group of friends and acquaintances

  • a community group or church – which must be from the BANES area, voluntary aided, charitable or benevolent, and non-political​

 

Groups that do not fit the above criteria but may want to use the bus must seek approval from the PCC of St Philip’s church, stating the aims and objectives of their group.  The PCC reserves the right to decline applications.

 

​

​


It costs about £5,000 a year to insure, tax, MOT, repair the minibus and cover depreciation. If we charged, we would need £30 per usage plus 40p a mile, but instead we rely on fundraising and donations.  It now costs between £150 and £300 a day to hire a commercial 15 seater minibus and then only if you can match their tight restrictions.  Groups use the minibus irrespective of the amount they donate but it would be helpful to raise or donate as much as they can to support this community resource.  Any surplus in the minibus fund will be put aside to cover depreciation and build up a fund to buy the next one.

HOW IT WORKS

WHO CAN USE IT

FUNDING THE MINIBUS

CONTACT US

If you are interested in using the minibus, or want to find out more, contact our Minibus Administrator, Suzanne Stammers, on minibus@stphilipstjames.org.

02_boarding_minibus_enhanced.png
01_group_by_minibus_enhanced.png
03_wheelchair_lift_enhanced.png
bottom of page