The Lisbellaw United Youth team beside a Fermanagh Community Transport bus.
A NEW bus scheme for Fermanagh school students will allow them to attend activities across the county long into the dark winter evenings.
Fermanagh Community Transport (FCT) have launched an affordable 5pm door-to-door bus scheme for secondary and grammar school pupils over 11-years-old, which they can book to take them from the school gate to their activities and back home again afterwards.
The local charity have said they introduced the five-day-a-week scheme to improve child safety by preventing the need for the pupils to walk long distances across towns and country roads in the dark during winter. The new scheme will allow the children to attend sports clubs, music classes, stay late in libraries and other activities they may not have been able to attend before.
Stephen Crawford from FCT said: “We had some enquiries from parents about whether we could resolve transport issues their kids were having in getting home in the winter months from after-school activities. We’re now delighted to be able to develop the service offered previously in some parts of the county by Rurallift for south-west Fermanagh and extend it to the whole of the county. We will develop this service over the coming months as it will become even more valuable during the darker winter evenings.”
To avail of the scheme pupils can join the FCT for free, allowing them to book the bus up to 1pm on the day they need it. Pick-ups begin at 4.45pm. Parents and pupils can download an individual membership form from the FCT website, or by calling the office on 028 66 324260 or by emailing info@fermanaghcommunitytransport.com.
FCT provide a range of transport facilities for those living in rural communities throughout the county, such as bus hire, voucher schemes to help pay for transport, and MIDAS training. Adult membership is £20 per year. Aggie Owens, from Kinawley, uses FCT transport two or three times a week to get to activities at Lakeland Community Care, Teemore. She said: “The Fermanagh Community Transport bus service makes a wonderful difference to me as I cannot walk too far. It comes to my house and picks me up. It means that I can get out and do activities at Teemore.”
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