The folks around Bowraville will now have a chance for some one-on-one contact with the crew from Community Transport.
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In an industry-first, the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca Community Transport (CBNTC) has secured itself a purpose-built mobile office which will allow them to reach out to community members in more geographically-isolated areas.
“We’re a voluntary not-for-profit, or ‘for purpose’, organisation that has been going for 30 years now,” CEO Bethany Simmonds said.
“We’re one of the busiest in the state, and we try to be an industry leader, with innovations like the mobile office.”
Bethany said that the mobile office, which had its inaugural outing last week, will be stationed in Bowraville three days per week from now on.
In Bowraville, funding has been made available for anyone wishing to use the service to be able to do so for the next two years.
Bethany says she’s hoping to make that sustainable over a longer period of time, perhaps permanently, and encourages Bowraville residents to pop into the mobile office for a chat when they’re out and about.
The CBNTC organisation is staffed by 85 volunteer drivers and provides transport to 1500 clients who are aged, frail, disabled or geographically or socially-isolated.
It also employs Indigenous drivers to provide ‘culturally appropriate transport’ to Aboriginal communities.
“Transport is one of those things that you just take for granted.”
- Bethany Simmonds
“But what if you can’t just hop into the car to go down the road to the shops?
“And we offer our service for any purpose, from weekly shopping, to medical visits, to just catching up with friends.”
Regional transport manager Ross Chalmers, and regional transport coordinator Shar Goodwin from Transport for NSW helped in securing much of the funding needed for the state-of-the-art mobile office.
The office includes desks and power outlets for laptops which enables quick sign-ups, along with a fridge and toilet.
Residents of Valla and Scotts Head, Newee Creek, Tallarm and other bush and rural locations will also soon be able to benefit from the new model of fluid and flexible face-to-face contact provided by the mobile office.
The office will also soon be making stops at local festivals and events.
For more info, visit the Community Transport website or call 1300 812 504. The Macksville office is located at 22 Princess St.