Community loan for Clare Accessible Transport (CAT)

Clare Accessible Transport aims to do more than simply move people from place to place.

Instead, it sees rural transport as a means of promoting social inclusion and strengthening community links. Its services focus on those that tend to suffer greatest when transport links are weak: people with disabilities, older people and those with mental health difficulties.

The service began life in the late 1990s as East Clare Accessible Transport, but quickly broadened its scope to include all parts of the county.

The group now employs 17 people and runs a full schedule of affordable services across the community. Thus, it helps people access essential health and social services, post offices and other retail outlets.

It addition, it provides vital connections between existing local and national bus and rail services.

The services are tailored to community need and responsive to community demand.

And usage figures demonstrate it is meeting those demands: within a short time of setting up CAT had attracted over 2,500 registered users and conducted some 3,000 passenger trips per month. A significant proportion of those users were disabled and wheelchair users utilised the service daily.

In order to expand and respond to a growing demand across the county, CAT required significant financial support in order to purchase two new, purpose-built buses.

Clann Credo provided the support as it was clear that CAT delivered major social and economic benefits to community life in Clare, providing greater opportunities for people with mobility difficulties and assisting their access to key services.

The project also provided good employment opportunities and was a model of how the ‘market’ can be fashioned to meet wider social needs.