Corlink – Gunnislake and St Germans

A Corlink demand responsive, semi-flexible bus service has been operating in the Gunnislake and St Germans areas since July 2002.  This innovative bus project was piloted through a successful Rural Bus Challenge bid to national Government by Plymouth City Council in 2001.  Both Plymouth City Council and Cornwall County Council worked together to develop, fund and manage the service which was allocated funding for a pilot period. 

Following research by Plymouth City Council in putting the initial bid together and subsequent attendance at local community meetings and passenger feedback, it was hoped that the project would develop high patronage levels that would ensure its continuance in the longer term (albeit with an acceptable subsidy element).  Unfortunately. the patronage levels on this service have remained disappointingly low despite continued improvements to the way the service is run, plus localised championing on the ground (Plymouth City Council employed an officer to specifically carry out this work on behalf of the project).  To this end, the County Council and the City Council took the decision to discontinue the Corlink service in this area from 31st March 2004. 

In the meantime, the County Council is working with the East Cornwall Rural Transport Partnership to look at the feasibility of establishing a more traditional community led alternative.  This will obviously be dependent on whether the limited journeys that people are currently making highlight an obvious trend that could be met, for example, by a taxi bus operation focused on Liskeard two days a week.  The outcomes of this research will be known shortly.

Last revised - 16th July 2004