THE clock is ticking on a race to save local community bus services in Tenbury.

John Driver, who runs the Tenbury Transport Trust, says that they have 15 months to find a shortfall of £24,000 a year in order to stay in business.

A triple whammy of reduced funding from local authorities, the failure of Tesco to start work on the supermarket in the town and the fact that a new bus promised under a government scheme has failed to materialise, has led to a potential crisis.

Under a planning agreement, the trust was to have received £95,000 from Tesco over three years.

“The local transport scheme was set up on the expectation of this money becoming available but it is now nearly six years since the supermarket scheme was first mooted and we have to assume it is not coming,” said John Driver, chairman of the Tenbury Transport Trust.

Earlier this year the trust was expecting a new mini bus under a government community transport scheme but John Driver says he has no idea if and when this will arrive.

“If we are to continue, and we must because so many people in Tenbury and the surrounding villages depend upon us, then we have to find a way to meet the funding shortfall,” said John Driver who estimates that otherwise the trust will not be able to operate beyond early 2017.

But because it is a charity and cannot make a profit, hands are tied. However, options could include charging an annual subscription to registered users.

There are currently about 500 passengers registered with the trust and a subscription of £10 a year would bring in an additional £5,000 which would not be enough.

In order to travel on the buses, people have to pre-book their journeys as the trust is not allowed to pick people up at bus stops like a traditional service.

The problems facing the trust also include a shortage of volunteer drivers both for the buses and involved in the car scheme, which provides transport for individuals.

“We are entering a critical year in which our finances are likely to be seriously depleted and this is largely due to the lack of decision-making by Tesco,” added John Driver.

“I was encouraged by Worcestershire County Council to set our charity up in anticipation of receiving the Section 106 money which would have amounted to £95,000 over a three-year period. We started with around 80 passengers and now have some 520 registered users on our books!

“This is amazing given the size of Tenbury and its associated villages. We are now part of the fabric of Tenbury with our busy office in the centre of Teme Street. Our need is to meet these ongoing costs of about £24,000 a year.

“Since we are non-profit making, the only way to survive is by way of grants and donations.”

He said that because the trust depends upon volunteer drivers it means that people are free to drive as and when it suits them.

“Currently we have around 30 car drivers but at any one time only six to eight are available and we would like to recruit another 10 and also at least two more minibus drivers,” said John Driver.