The Okehampton District Community Transport Group (ODCTG) reported a huge rise in the number of people using its services at the group’s annual general meeting this month.

Statistics showed that, despite low figures the previous year due to covid, the first six months of 2022 saw a rise in the number of passengers. From January to June this year, the group’s Ring and Ride service helped 462 passengers travel to and around Okehampton to do their shopping, with drivers covering a total of 9,433 miles.

Meanwhile, the group’s accessible scheme carried 2,894 passengers (97 in wheelchairs) on 4,994 journeys from April 2021 to March 2022.

Manager Sue Wonnacott said in her report for the meeting: ‘We have had a huge increase in the number of new clients registering for our services which in turn has increased the number of requests we are receiving.

‘We have been receiving many more requests for evenings and weekends as the hospitals try and shorten the waiting lists by utilising other facilities such as the Nightingale Hospital and private healthcare units for operations including cataracts and orthopaedic procedures.’

The ODCTG has struggled over the past two years due to covid restrictions, but Ms Wonnacott said that the group has been able to reopen all its pre-covid services this year.