HECK! launches community bus support people and retailers

The HECK! pink minibus will be used to transport elderly residents to shops, markets and day trips, in a bid to combat rural isolation and support local businesses in nearby market towns.

The family-owned sausage and burger company is making the bus available to anyone with a clean driving licence, enabling them to transport people from local parishes to different locations each week.

The bus, funded by the company’s community fund, can also be booked by other community groups, such as local schools. 

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 HECK! says the idea for the community scheme stemmed from the time of the Covid pandemic, when it began making door to door grocery deliveries to isolated residents unable to get out to a shop themselves. 

 Co-founder Jamie Keeble said: “We realised how much rural isolation there is in our local community, so we started to look at different ways to support people after the pandemic.”

HECK! Discovered transport was high on the agenda.

Jamie continued: “We’re also hoping that by transporting people regularly to local markets, we’ll be able to support other small businesses. We’ve already got a lot of bookings from different people.” 

Reverend James Gyn-Thomas, the parish rector, said: “Many locals explained at our lunches that they struggle to get out with so few bus routes in the area. As a result, they felt very isolated, so the team came up with the idea for the pink bus to get people to markets, enabling them to shop, meet up and connect. It really is a life saver for some, especially the elderly and those living in a rural community.” 

According to research commissioned by Age UK, over 1.1 million older people rely on using public transport for company. While health and mobility issues can lead to social isolation, the legacy of lockdown, coupled with the impact of the cost of living crisis have contributed to a loneliness epidemic.

Becky Keeble and Rev James Glyn-Thomas (Image: Pic supplied)

To help combat this, HECK! Launched its minibus this week, with a trip to Masham. The company attracted support from the Mayor of North Yorkshire, local councillors and high profile celebrities, such as Peter Wright from The Yorkshire Vet. 

David Skaith said: “It’s well known that people are likely to become more reliant on public transport as they get older - we need to ensure everyone can continue to get to essential services and leisure activities. This scheme is a brilliant example of a local business supporting the needs of the local area.”

Peter Wright, the Thirsk vet who appears in the Channel 5 series The Yorkshire Vet, added: “As soon as I heard about this initiative, I wanted to support it. In my work as a vet and also on the show, we see every day how difficult transport and mobility is for some of our community.”