General Chat

Oh dear,oh dear. Why do I have to poke into things?

The constitution has finally been e-mailed to me and it looks like the mini-bus is closely affiliated to the GCC. It is to provide transport for the'elderly and handicapped poor' of the village'.

I think I might be the first person to read the constitution in fifty years.

Seems it will need to be reconstituted or there is going to be a lot of power invested in the hands of four old ladies!

:-\ :-\ :-\ :-\ too right Sharron

Some more totally irrelevant things to ignore.

Not with my blood pessure!

We got sidetracked when you took all of us for a ride, Sharron. ;-) :-D

:-D :-D :-D :-D

Thank you everybody for your very thoughtful and helpful ideas about running and financing the mini-bus but all I really wanted to know was what idea was conveyed by the current name.

No doubt, later on, I will be after ideas on all the other aspects of operating the service although that is nothing to do with me, I am very pleased to relate.

Please, lads, don't come here expecting to avail yourself of the Good Companions escort agency.The youngest one is eighty-five.

More drivers will now be delivering groceries by now, Sharron, but as Ann and I both wrote, distancing inside a van is not easy.

(This week alone, I have seen Ocado, Sainsburys and Iceland vans in our street whereas, once it was unusual. There could have been more grocery delivery vans too but I noticed these three when my own grocery delivery arrived.)

I feel it may prove too expensive to run your community vehicle at the moment. Not only because of safe passenger numbers but the cost of internal disinfecting each time a set (two or three, I would guess at most, depending on the size of the vehicle) of passengers leave and before new ones enter.

Hopefully, it may pick up again when things change.

It could be something as simple as village transport on request but there are a lot of villages with similar. Come to think of it I have not seen our local transport mini bus around for a while maybe that has been caught by Covid, some were because of the social distancing rules a mini bus would have a much reduced capacity

If it's a New Forest thing is it subject to Donkeys kicking the side of it rather than youths during their misspent time burning and vandalising it?....

Sharron yes the name does seem to be misleading though quite what they could call it I've no idea.

Sharron - not sure which council paid, could be a New forest thing.

It is not anything like as easy to get drivers as it was for the mini-bus and fewer people use it. We know this is because of the changing nature of the village but I feel that, rather than join in with the hand wringing, we should take the problem apart and examine it, maybe take a different path.

the Covid situation has just highlighted a few things, made them worse but made them noticeable as well.

Sharron, is it just that temporarily, because of the whole covid situation, people may be reluctant to use it as there may not be enough space dor safe distancing? If that is the case, things will get better as restrictions ease.

We have gone, or been led, well off track.

The question is not what people want, that is a whole other topic,it is what people understand the Good Companions Transport Club to be.

We have the mini-bus, we have the insurance and a chairman who has been running the 'club' for a long time, and his mum before him.

We need to be sure that we are getting the message to people that the mini-bus is there for them to use and that it is not for the exclusive use of anybody in particular.

I was really not asking for any special knowledge.

Ha ha Maggie. Ask what people want! Gawd, I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of responses.

By the way, there must be a few small people-movers going cheap since covid and I am sure they would come with a driver.

I once knew a Russian who drove a lady of the night round . he was always nice to me, behaved like a real gentleman and I actually liked him. He'd come from a white Russian background so his family got out quickly. His chat was really funny. His wife, (not his client), was nice too. :-D

I think almost all of us got that. I’ m just hoping that we are not going to be barred from the area. ;-)

Really,I was just wanting to know if the name was conveying the wrong message.

The mini-bus your brother drives, will that be covered by Hampshire County Council?.

They are not constituted in the same way as West Sussex,part of whose constitution is to not owe money. They are well mean!

:-D :-D

Maybe we should all get together and have a pity party for Rollo as he seems to live in a very rough area where he is surrounded by burnt out minibuses.

Nameslessone - but maybe it could prvide more services! :-D :-D

Sharron, you know my sister runs a Youth Club and campsite, with 'C'.
'C' also used to host gatherings for the elderly, where crafts were learnt, and outings happened.

The club, campsite and gatherings were/are charities,and all 3 used the same minibus, which is usually driven by C, who is 80+.
The cost of the upkeep of the minibus was shared by all 3 groups, and money was made by hiring it out occasionally to the school, or wedding parties.
Hence my suggestion about a questionnaire.
The minibus could be used for many other things, along with shopping trips.

Strangely, the younger of my (elder) brothers, up until recently, used to voluntarily drive a minibus for the elderly of the New Forest.
When the number of volunteer drivers dwindled, the Council started paying them.
Thus, it appears, not indicating the loss of social transport stated by some.

Brother had to give it up, due to high blood pressure, but will be able to go back when said blood pressure is lower and has stabilised.
Just realised, brother is 71 this year, and he goes through the 'faff' of getting his eyes tested every year.