UPDATE: Bring back “dial and ride” say councillors.

Update 20th June 2024

Report extract

A report (click) has been prepared which responds to the loss of the City’s “dial and ride” service last year.

The report charts the history of the service

“York Wheels advise that demand for the volunteer car service has increased since Dial & Ride ended, which has further highlighted the need to recruit more drivers. But for many residents, the independence that the Dial & Ride service offered has not been replaced”

“Age UK works closely with CYC Local Area Co-ordinators who are able to identify individuals who would benefit from these services. Age UK have identified that getting to the nearest bus stop is the biggest obstacle that many older or disabled people face”.

The all party group of Councillors make the following recommendations

• . Recommendation 1 – CYC should as soon as possible take steps to ensure the provision of a Community Transport service for York residents which would fulfil the need that has been unmet since the cessation of the Dial & Ride service operated by York Wheels. This could be a service that is commissioned or run in-house
•  Recommendation 2 – CYC should ensure that funding is available – either from internal or external sources – to enable a Community Transport service to be provided. This should include (but not be limited to) looking in the round at all transport-related expenditure, such as revenue support for specific schemes, Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding and potential financial contributions from supermarkets which benefit from custom generated by Dial & Ride trips
•  Recommendation 3 – CYC should engage with neighbouring local authorities, the Combined Authority, other public bodies and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to identify opportunities for joint-working and potentially joint commissioning in the field of Community Transport
•  Recommendation 4 – In drawing up the specification for a new Community Transport service, consideration should be given to broadening the passenger eligibility criteria beyond the clientgroups previously served by Dial & Ride (older people and disabled people). Consideration should also be given to reviewing the destinations to be served by a reinstated service
•  Recommendation 5 – In drawing up the specification for a new Community Transport service, the CYC adult social care team, the CYC ‘Age Friendly York’ team and advocacy groups for older and disabled people must be consulted to ensure that the service will meet identified needs and be entirely accessible
•  Recommendation 6 – In drawing up the contract for a new Community Transport service, the needs of service users must be explicitly prioritised in the event of any service delivery issues or contract failure, and bureaucracy associated with the operation of the contract should be minimised wherever possible
•  Recommendation 7 – A strategy should be developed to effectively promote a reinstated Community Transport service among key potential client groups.

Cllr Stephen Fenton
Cllr Jane Burton
Cllr Chris Steward

The recomendations will be considered by the Councils executive

Earlier 13th March 2024

York Council facing huge loss as faulty Dial and Ride buses to be sold off to highest bidder.

The York Council has admitted that its £190,000 investment in two dial and ride buses in March 2023 has been a financial flop

Purchase reported in March 2023

A new report – presented to a private meeting – reveals that “one of the 2 new vehicles has been off the road awaiting replacement parts since spring 2023”.

The problems relate to the vehicle supplier Mellor/WN V-Tach going into administration with its coach-building assets sold off to a Belgian-owned company in December.

“The new business entity appears to hold no liability for products manufactured under the previous ownership, severely hampering the ability of York Wheels or the City of York Council to get them back in roadworthy condition or claim restitution for any resultant financial losses”

The chassis/engine manufacturer, Fiat, is liable for any warranty repairs to the engine, chassis and running gear. “However, they have been unable to provide a clear date by which the required replacement parts might be available”.

This uncertainty brought about the downfall of the Dial and Ride service in York.

The report rather begs the question of what due diligence was undertaken before the order for the new vehicles was placed.

Now the two (still relatively new) vehicles are to be sold at auction on an “as seen” basis.

There is likely to be a limited market for faulty and unreliable vehicles.

The Council may therefore recover only a small proportion of its investment.

Change to blue badge access arrangements in York City Centre

Update 29th Feb 2024 From Friday 1st March blue badge vehicle access will also be available via the Blake Street loop. Access will be via manned security barriers. The cost of manning the barriers is understood to be around £200,000 a year. Since the access via Goodramgate was opened a couple of month ago, the average number of vehicles using the option has been around 6 per day.

Earlier – Jan 2024

Three new year changes being made by the York Council which will affect the lives of some York residents.

Dial and ride bus service scapped.

Ths service, which provided door to door transport mainly for disabled and elderly York residents, was scapped from 1st January . The decision came just 9 months after two new specialist buses were provided for the service by the York Council. The service provided a valuable link to the hospital plus shopping areas and was able to access the City Centre pedestrian zone. The charity that runs the service on a day to day basis has promised to continue its car lift option, although they are activly seeking more volunteer car drivers.https://www.yorkwheels.org.uk/community-transport-in-york/ (click)

Blue badge access to footstreets

From today, blue badge holders will be able to drive their cars into the footstreet zones at any time including pedestrian hours (10:30am – 5:00pm). Access is from Goodramgate. According to the Council, “Blue badge holders will need to present a valid Blue Badge to barrier staff at the sliding bollards on Goodramgate, and have their clock card with them to display alongside their Blue Badge. They can then drive along Goodramgate, and out via the bollards at Colliergate. They can also drive both ways along Church Street and turn around at the junction with Silver Street, just beyond St Sampson’s Centre”. The scheme is costing Council taxpayers £200,000 a year to administer.

Free school meals pilots

Free school meals will be availabe to all pupils at Westfield School (lunch) and Clifton Green (breakfast) when the new school term starts. As poorer families already get free meals this will mainly affect those paremts who have higher incomes and who currently pay for their childs meals. The pilot scheme will run for one year at a cost to Council taxpayers of £100,000. NB. Around 15% of infant school aged chidren (KS1) who are entitled to free school meals opt out of the option.

The numbers taking free school meals at each York school can be found by clicking this link

York “Dial and Ride” bus service cut will hit people with disabilities

March 2023 announcement

The media are reporting that the York’ Dial and Ride bus service will close at the end of the month.

The announcement comes as a major surprise as earlier in the year the York Council – then under LibDem/Green control – made a £190,000 grant to allow the operator, York Wheels, to fund two new buses.

The operator blames difficulties with the maintenance of the buses as the reason for the cut in service.

They say that their volunteer car driver service will continue.

The volunteer car driver scheme allows customers to book a car in advance to collect them and take them to their destination.

The charge for that service depends on the distance travelled. You can book via 01904 630080.

The announcement comes after months of debate about access arrangements for car driving blue badge holders. The Dial and Ride service was advertised as a convenient option for disabled people who did not own a car and who wanted to access the City centre and other amenties around York.

It is a lifeline for those on low incomes..

There has been no reaction from the new Council leadership to the proposed cut.

Dial and ride bus dsiplaying York Council logo

Two new Dial & Ride buses delivered

City of York Council has provided local organisation York Wheels with £190,000 in grant funding to support the delivery of two new Dial & Ride buses this March.

Dial & Ride is a flexible door-to-door bus service for York residents who find it difficult to use standard buses due to age or mobility problems. The bus will take users from their homes to several popular destinations including:

• major supermarkets
• shopping centres
• York city centre

The buses are all equipped for people who have difficulty walking and are also wheelchair-friendly. The service is run by York Wheels Ltd with financial assistance from the council. 

Places are limited, so seats must be booked at least 24 hours in advance by calling (01904) 551441. Lines are open 8am to 12 noon, Monday to Friday. Bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance.

For more information on services offered and how to book a seat, visit the iTravel webpage or the Dial & Ride website.

The Chairman of York Wheels Ltd, Rob Atkinson, said: 

“We are pleased to have taken delivery of these two new buses for the Dial & Ride operation, as they will ensure that we can continue to provide a reliable and comfortable service within the city.”

“On behalf of the trustees, volunteers, staff and, most importantly, our passengers I would like to thank City of York Council for their ongoing support to the charity, providing funding for these two new buses, along with ongoing financial support.”

Councillor Andy D’Agorne, Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Transport, at City of York Council, said:

“Over the years, York has built up significant levels of bus use and we are committed to doing what we can to protect our bus services, which provide a lifeline and connection for so many in York.

“We want our historic city to be accessible and inclusive for all. Dial & Ride buses offer the opportunity for our disabled and less mobile residents to get out and about safely and comfortably.”  

York Dial and Ride fleet extended to serve Monks Cross, John Lewis etc

York’s Dial & Ride service has been expanded thanks to a new bus which gives passengers more opportunities to travel to Vangarde and Monks Cross shopping parks.

Over 15,000 journeys were made last year on Dial & Ride buses by residents who may find it difficult to use standard buses due to age or mobility issues. The new bus, with full wheelchair accessibility, will allow even more residents to get out and about thanks to the personalised service that it provides. Dial & Ride drivers are trained to give assistance to passengers tailored to their needs.

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive Member for Transport and Planning, said: “Dial & Ride allows residents who may not be able to use standard bus services the opportunity to move in and around the city easily. The addition of an extra vehicle will allow even more people the chance to use this fantastic service.”

The new bus has been funded by the  Oakgate Group, developers of the Vangarde Shopping Park

York’s Dial & Ride is operated by York Wheels on behalf of City of York Council. York Wheels’ operations manager, Ruth Potter said: “We are all really pleased to have the new bus. The extra capacity means that we can now offer runs to all the shops at Vangarde. Our new timetable also has a run to a shopping outlet or into town every day in every Ward in the City and we have also increased the choice of destinations for many wards.”

Dial & Ride places are limited and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance by calling 01904 551441. Lines are open 9am – 12 noon, Monday to Friday. Bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance.

For more information on Dial & Ride services call 01904 551441, email dial&ride@york.gov.uk or visit www.itravelyork.info/dial-and-ride

Dial and Ride seeks more passengers from Acomb

York’s Dial & Ride service has helped thousands of elderly and disabled residents travel from their door to their destination for over 20-years

Established in the late 1980s, the flexible bus service helps residents who cannot use conventional bus services, or who require extra assistance at either end of their journey, with door-to-door transport to the city centre or major supermarkets.

Dial & Ride is operated by York Wheels, a voluntary sector service.. York Wheels has a team of 32 volunteers who work for the organisation from one to five days a week

Passengers can book in advance by telephoning 01904 551441 during office opening times (weekdays from 9am until 12 noon), but a message can be left outside of these times.

To book the Dial & Ride service, residents follow these four simple steps: