Aims

Lewisham Community Transport Scheme exists to provide affordable, safe, accessible transport to any voluntary/charitable organisation in Lewisham and to any individual person with some form of mobility problem on a not for profit basis. We have a fleet of 6 vehicles, 75% of which are fully accessible and are available for use by the above people 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

 We aim to provide support by giving groups access to our vehicles which enables their members to fulfill many activities in life that more able people take for granted. For instance going shopping, day trips, lunch clubs, therapy sessions as well as enabling groups to go on holiday together.

A Brief History

Affordable, accessible and safe vehicle hire is much needed by many voluntary organisations within the borough. Our minibus hire makes it possible for many groups encountering social exclusion to obtain a better ‘quality of life’. Originally identified by a seminar held by Lewisham Council as far back as 1988 showed a great need and in 1991, funding was obtained through Deptford City Challenge to carry out an independent study of the issue. This was undertaken by CILT (Centre for Independent Transport in London), and the resulting 1993 report recommended that a community transport project be set up. The full report is extensive, but concludes that ‘…there is serious shortage of community transport in the Deptford City Challenge area which is affecting the efficiency of voluntary groups…’

 In December 1997, funding was secured through Lewisham Association of People with Disabilities and Bridge House Estates Trust Fund to employ a development worker to develop and initiate such a scheme. LCTS became an independent charity in 1999. By 2006, LCTS provides transport for over 200 voluntary organisations and over 30 individual members. Our statistics show that in the last year our vehicles transported over 8,000 individual people, 70% of which have some form of mobility problem. We now operate a fleet of 6 vehicles, 75% of which are fully accessible. To drive the vehicles LCTS now has over 160 volunteer drivers on the books all of whom it has trained to the nationally recognised MiDAS (Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme).  The scheme became fully independent in January 2000 and moved to it’s new fully accessible premises with off road parking in May of 2000.