On demand bus service launches in Malvern

Worcestershire County Council is one of the first authorities in the country to pilot Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), a public transport service where vehicles travel on demand rather than using fixed routes and timetables.

Malvern now has two DRT buses, operated by Malvern Community Action (in conjunction with Worcester Wheels) and LMS Travel. The service which is funded by Worcestershire County Council and Malvern Hills District Council, will initially focus on South Malvern Hills (Upton/ Kempsey) and passengers will be able to travel to points of interest (e.g. Malvern Hospital or Malvern Train Stations) outside of the zone.

Councillor Mike Rouse, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport at Worcestershire County Council said: “It’s fantastic that we’re launching the second on-demand bus service in Worcestershire following the success of the pilot service in Bromsgrove.

“We’re confident the buses will be well used in Malvern as they provide a sustainable and efficient service in a rural setting.

“We want to make public transport more attractive to our residents and demand responsive transport is the way forward and we hope to extend the service to other areas in the future.”

Councillor Tom Wells, Leader of Malvern Hills District Council added: “I am confident that this new service will prove to be extremely popular with our residents in the Upton area and I am keen that we roll the project out to other parts of the district.”

The buses run from 7am until 7pm Monday to Saturday. There’s a flat fare of £2.50 for all journeys per person, with additional passengers paying £1.25 and ticket bundles available as well as concessionary cards being accepted.

The ’Worcestershire on Demand’ app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. When someone downloads the app, they will be able to select their pick-up and drop-off location when booking a journey. The system will then direct people to a nearby ‘virtual bus stop’ for pick-up and drop-off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without any detours.

For anyone not able to download the app, they can contact 01905 846180.

The demand responsive bus service in Bromsgrove launched in July 2021 and has completed 1,250 journeys per month on average in the past few months.

On demand buses offer a bespoke alternative service to the familiar local bus. It provides a flexible, affordable, and sustainable mode of public transport. Passengers request a journey through an app or sometimes a telephone call and they are collected quickly and within a few metres of their location. Passengers share journeys with others. Journeys may involve a short walk to maximise route efficiency, eliminate lengthy detours, and replicate journey times in a private car.

DRT forms part of Worcestershire’s wider Bus Service Improvement Plan, which aims to develop solutions to provide an environmentally sustainable, accessible and fully integrated transport network.