A COMMUNITY transport group is making life that little bit easier for many in the southwest of the county.

Dore Community Transport has been running since 2000 but just last year volunteer drivers did 28 per cent more journeys than they did two years ago.

To help meet the need in the community the charity, with an office at Ewyas Harold Memorial Hall, has been awarded a new minibus.

The money for the bus came from the government which released £2m worth of funding to pay for minibuses across the country.

MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire Jesse Norman officially handed the "key" to the new bus over to one of the service's regular passengers, Ben Francis, aged 32.

His mum, Pauline, said: "Thank you to all of the drivers who do so much. Without this service Ben couldn't do all of the things he wanted to do."

She lives in Ewyas Harold with her son and said he is unable to get a service bus to attend appointments etc.

Mr Norman praised the volunteers who make the transport service possible, which he said is very important to the community.

With the addition of the new minibus, there are now four wheelchair adapted vehicles and one car within the fleet.

There are 22 drivers, who are all volunteers, and office staff who take the bookings. Volunteers also drive their own cars.

Chairman of Dore Community Transport Roger Bradley said: "We are not a taxi service. We don't set out to be a taxi service.

"Thirty percent of trips are medically related - going to the doctors etc. If you add in taking people to day care centres, that takes it up to 50 percent.

"The rest is whatever people want to do - shopping, going to the hairdressers, going to the theatre."

The service covers southwest Herefordshire and last year they did 6,555 trips.

Mr Bradley said: "Still people think we only take older people and disabled people. We will do whatever people want as long as they live within our patch.

"We are trying to serve people who don't have their own transport or can't catch a bus. "

Fares are approximately 40p per mile. Herefordshire Council provides a £17,000 grant, as does parish councils and clubs.

The service costs £50,000 a year to run.

More volunteer drivers are needed. Call 08452020144 if you can help. To book a journey call the same number.