Outwood - Rotary Bus Service

What is the service?

The Horley Rotary Club very kindly allows our village to use their venerable bus once a week (every Tuesday afternoon). There is no set fare for the return trip into Horley but most of the passengers contribute £1. The village does make a contribution to the considerable costs of maintaining and insuring the bus via a donation from the Outwood Show Committee, and there is also help from a generous anonymous donor.

The bus starts travelling around the village collecting passengers from outside their homes from about 1.20pm, and after spending around an hour in Horley for shopping or other activities, it leaves from two locations in Horley - the LIDL and Waitrose supermarkets - at 2.55pm and 3.00pm respectively, and returns the customers to their homes in time for tea. Generally we carry a dozen or so passengers (including two or three from Smallfield), but in recent times the numbers have begun to fall. Although most of our passengers have a modicum of maturity, there is no ageism on our bus and everyone is welcome (subject to our existing regulars having first option). If you (or anyone you know) would like to make use of the service, please let me know.

Most of the bus drivers are almost as mature as some of their younger passengers and inevitably we lose drivers as some move away or feel like a rest. Thus it is always useful to have willing volunteers waiting in the wings. It is hardly an onerous commitment, the bus is small enough not to require a driver with an HGV licence, and generally each driver will have to make the trip about twice every three months. Because of the need to collect and return the bus to Horley the whole exercise keeps its driver busy from around 11:30 until 4:30 and so makes a fair hole in the day. But all of us who drive the bus find it a thoroughly rewarding and entertaining task. If there is anyone who fancies the idea of being a very occasional bus driver and has enough spare time to join us on the roster please contact me.

Ian Frow (see contact details below)

Ian Frow ready for action!

Members

Role Name Telephone Email

Organiser Ian Frow 842548 ian@frow.me.uk

OUTWOOD IN SURREY "The Village with the Mill"

Rotary Bus Service