About Us
The Story of ABILITY
ABILITY
Connecting People With Places
ABILITY Community Transport was set up as a not-for-profit community interest company, with the primary goal of reducing social isolation and loneliness. In 2018, directors Lynn and Nigel Hinch discovered a real need to connect isolated rural areas which had been left behind by the wider transport network. Years of reduced government spending and cuts to local bus subsidies had resulted in a significant reduction in the number of bus routes. Almost overnight, villages which had relied upon public transport to access essential services suddenly found themselves cut off and isolated.
The fleet continues to grow.
How it all began … SF07
Nigel says, “We understand what the issues are, bus cuts are inevitable, but it becomes a bit of a joke when we’ve got more passengers on our bus than on a double-decker that is driving past.” The project took six months to set up and went live on 1 January 2019 with one minibus. Within days, Hackleton Parish Council called ABILITY to say that their local bus service had been cancelled. As Lynn says, “We had spent six months in planning and knew where we were going and what needed to be done, so were able to start the service for Hackleton the very next day”.
Since then, ABILITY has expanded enormously and we now have hundreds of members across South Northamptonshire and North Oxfordshire, helping local communities stay connected and improving people’s mental and physical wellbeing.
ABILITY – Connecting People With Places
