IT has been announced a new bookable mini bus service is due to operate in the Berkeley Vale.

Gloucestershire County Council has revealed its scheme known as The Robin will be launching in Berkeley, Cam, Dursley and Wotton in summer 2024.

The area will receive two vehicles with officials hoping the project will improve transport links and provide a lifeline to communities.

Members of the public will be able to book The Robin over the phone, online or through an app but will have the option to pay the driver in cash or through card. 

It comes as the area in recent years has been hit by bus cuts with passengers continuing calling for more reliable bus services.

As part of the same announcement The Robin will also be expanded into Tewkesbury and the South Cotswolds. 

The project has been running already in the North Cotswolds and Forest of Dean since Autumn 2022.

Gazette Series: A map showing where The Robin is due to launch (orange) in Summer 2024 including the Dursley, Berkeley and Wotton A map showing where The Robin is due to launch (orange) in Summer 2024 including the Dursley, Berkeley and Wotton (Image: Gloucestershire County Council)

The scheme was announced in the county council's Bus Service Improvement Plan 2024, outlining its long-term strategy for public transport. 

The plan was approved by cabinet members at a meeting yesterday, Wednesday, May 15.

GCC needs to submit its plan by June 12 to receive approximately £2,209,623 from the Department for Transport.

Other approved improvements include enhancing a number of county bus services, with a focus on weekend and evening extensions. 

In addition, 58 electric buses will be ordered by January 2025, following the award of nearly £6 million by the DfT towards the funding of Zero Emission Buses. 

As a result, more than 20 per cent of Gloucestershire's buses will be electric.

Other improvements include continuing to develop transport hubs such as Stroud Merrywalks, providing 50 new bus shelters and installing new real time Information display boards.

Philip Robinson, GCC cabinet member with responsibility for buses, said: "We want buses to be at the heart of an attractive, affordable and integrated transport system,

"We are committed to making bus services more reliable and appealing, as buses are a sustainable way to travel that will help us meet our carbon emission targets."

Roads Minister Guy Opperman said: “Local people deserve a modern, reliable, and affordable public transport system.

"I'm delighted to have worked alongside the local council and local MPs to give Gloucestershire County Council over £2 million to boost its bus services this year."

You can read the full cabinet report here -  tinyurl.com/5dwwv8t7

Gazette Series: Cllr Philip Robinson standing a Robin mini bus when it was launched in the Forest Of Dean in 2022Cllr Philip Robinson standing a Robin mini bus when it was launched in the Forest Of Dean in 2022 (Image: Gloucestershire County Council)

Gazette Series: Inside one of the Robin minibusesInside one of the Robin minibuses (Image: Gloucestershire County Council)