This project is currently being worked up under the management of the Rural Community Development Section, based in the Carmarthenshire County Council offices in Nant y Ci, Carmarthen.

The aim of the project is to provide a fully inclusive, demand responsive rural transport service for all identified service users, operating in the Teifi Valley, between Newcastle Emlyn in the west, as far as Llanybydder in the east.  Current public transport is limited to buses that travel on the main arterial routes of the A475, A484 and A485, that follow the Teifi River Valley between these two towns – the main problem to be solved is to find a way of connecting people who live in the numerous villages and hamlets to the north and south of this route, to get to the main roads where they can join the regular transport service, and then make their way either east or west, or possibly north into Ceredigion, or south into Carmarthenshire. Current provision is limited to private users, with some voluntary and public trial scheme initiatives, but those without the funds necessary to utilise such are subject to both rural isolation and social exclusion – if a way can be found to fill the gaps and tap into both known and newly identified resources within transport provision, then the project may be of great benefit to the local and county areas by helping to address economic, social, health, education and business issues.

It is proposed also, that a credit system be developed that recognises the volunteer time of participants such as drivers of the link-buses, via an electronic credit card system. The accumulated credits will then hopefully be utilised by the holder to gain access to Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion Councils’ facilities, such as leisure centres, swimming pools, cinemas and theatres. Full training will also be provided for participants, that will then provide further links to Job Centre plus and other initiatives that address Economic Inactivity and Capacity Building issues.
 
To date, various meetings have been held to identify current provision and stakeholders, to try to avoid duplication of effort, and also to find out what research has been done on the subject previously. We now have the interest of Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion County Councils, (the elected leader of Ceredigion County Council is part of the stakeholder group), as well as officers from both Councils’ departments such as Social Care & Housing, Education, Youth, I.T. Services, and Transport, and of various external voluntary agencies through both CAVS and CAVO, groups such as Llandysul Pont Tyweli Ymlaen, Ymlaen Ceredigion, the Department for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks (DEIN), and the Section for Transport Policy from the WAG in the University of Glamorgan.