West Lothian Council has decided it will not reinstate the hire of minibuses to community organisations.
The hire of council minibuses to local community groups, such as sports, uniformed or older people’s organisations, was put on hold in 2020 due to the covid pandemic.
Council staff are subject to checks and training to ensure they comply with legislation, and the council could be liable for prosecution if a non-council driver of a vehicle did not have correct licence permissions in place.
Consequently, continuing to offer a minibus hire service would risk legal action against the council in the event of an accident.
Council Executive voted recently to confirm the service would stop permanently.
Head of Operational Services Jim Jack said: “Unfortunately we are no longer able to help community organisations with the hire of council minibuses.
“The service has not been operating for over two and a half years, and the risks raised by our review makes it clear that reinstating it is not a viable option.
“Alternative solutions are being investigated, such putting in place a community benefit contract with local minibus companies which would allow reduced cost hires for community organisations.”
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