Mayor of Hailsham Commends Volunteer Bus Drivers

A community, volunteer-run bus service has been commended by the Mayor of Hailsham for outstanding work carried out in the town and surrounding areas.

Town Mayor Councillor Paul Holbrook spoke to Cuckmere Buses volunteer drivers at their 46th anniversary social gathering held recently, to personally congratulate them on providing a valuable service to the local community for over four decades.

Cuckmere Buses currently runs a small fleet of 16-seater minibuses from its base in Berwick. It operates over 20 timetabled services each week taking people to their nearest centres for shopping, appointments, or for pleasure. The company also operates summer leisure services and offers private hire facilities for special occasions and outings, as well as the New Year’s Day Service (50) linking Hailsham with Polegate and Eastbourne.

Cuckmere Buses runs three Town Service circular routes in Hailsham several times throughout the day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Saturday mornings. All start and end in the High Street. Their routes are H1 Lion House circular, H3 Harebeating circular and H4 Western Road circular. Other services provide links to Berwick, Charleston, Hilliers, Langney, Polegate, Selmeston and Upper Dicker, to name a few.

Check out the timetables on their website (cuckmerebuses.org.uk) or pick one up from the Town Council Offices in Market Street.

“It’s fantastic to see Cuckmere Bus services running well since their launch in 1976, even more so during the height of the pandemic, albeit with reduced service capacity at the time,” said Councillor Holbrook. “Additional transport links such as these are crucial for many people living in Hailsham and surrounding villages and, by making the best use of available resources, the Town Council is delighted to underwrite these essential services.”

“Cuckmere Bus services have proven really popular and well used by residents, particularly the elderly, and its volunteers must be commended for both their time and hard work put into running its fleet of minibuses over the years.”

Councillor Holbrook added: “Hailsham Town Council will continue to work closely with local bus operators to support transport services, specifically for those who cannot access the conventional public transport network.”

Philip Ayers, Managing Director of Cuckmere Buses said: “We are pleased to provide the Hailsham Town and other services to help people reach their various destinations. Passenger numbers dropped owing to the pandemic but are now recovering slowly. We welcome all back on board.”

The company is run entirely by volunteers including 45 fully trained drivers, and demand for the Cuckmere Bus service means that additional volunteer drivers are needed.

Full training and back-up will be given. A shift is usually half a day, and you can drive as many or as few shifts as you wish in any month. Drivers do not need a PCV licence, but a D1 classification on driving licences is required.