Alpine Travel and Xelabus are among operators that are doing their bit to expedite the coronavirus COVID-19 vaccination process by providing transport.
In North Wales, Alpine is offering complimentary transport to anyone in the community in and around its home of Llandudno and the surrounding rural areas who finds it difficult to get to their local vaccination centre, or who may be worried about using conventional public transport because they are shielding.
Xelabus is undertaking a similar project in and around Eastleigh. However, it is “reaching out far and wide to Housing Associations, sheltered housing schemes and high-risk vulnerable citizens.” If leaders within those groups contact Xelabus, it will make all efforts to provide free transport to and from vaccination points.
“Groups need to be a minimum of eight passengers that can be socially distanced on buses,” says Managing Director Gareth Blair. “We feel that this is a way we can give something back to the community. We all want to get back to a form of normality, and if this helps us to reach that goal, then all the better.”
For Alpine Travel, providing transport to and from vaccine centres represents a relaunch of its Here to Help campaign. Strict hygiene rules will be observed by drivers and for vehicles and the company’s operations team will be coordinating the effort.
Managing Director Chris Owens says that Alpine expects to see an uptake of its offer very soon. “Our intention is to help our community as much as possible. Although we do not want to take away from our commercial colleagues who offer transport solutions, we believe that there is a need for help with transport to get to vaccination clinics.
“We have been making some difficult decisions this year, but I am confident that as the troubled times pass, our business will go from strength to strength. I hope in some small way this offer of free services for the community will help.”
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