Outlying villages in north Cumbria could be the next to benefit from a community bus service which looks set to expand.

The Border Rambler Rural Transport Service Community Interest Company (CIC), which operates in Brampton, is hoping to introduce a new route and has plans in the pipeline for other villages which don’t have a bus service.

It’s hoped a route, covering Hethersgill, Lanercost, Walton, Smithfield and Scaleby, can be up and running in September, a year to the day after the debut route launched.

Director Keith Meller said: “The people that use it, love it.

“Without a shadow of a doubt. They wouldn’t be able to get out otherwise.

“There’s one or two people, for instance, in Hethersgill who are now moving because they haven’t got any transport. We’ll soon be able to put that right but I don’t think it will be enough for them to stay.”

The first service hit the ground running and has made 55 journeys with about 1,000 passengers.

It caters for people living in Newton, Irthington, Laversdale, Watch Cross, Crosby-on-Eden, Linstock and Rickerby, who were cut off when Cumbria County Council slashed its subsidies to commercial operators, leaving some rural areas with no means of public transport.

The Border Rambler Rural Transport Service is made possible by 17 volunteers – all Midas trained and DBS approved – who are happy to put in additional hours to enable the service to expand. The same bus will cater for the existing route, along with two others.

A third service is also in the pipeline, which would pick up around the outskirts of Brampton, including Capon Tree Road, Station Road and Lanercost Road, with the potential to go to the likes of Talkin, Farlam and Hallbankgate and take passengers into Brampton.

Mr Meller said they would like to start in Hallbankgate and is working with Brampton Sustainable Transport to make it a reality.

“They will be the first few unless of course somebody pulled out of a bus route. Wherever a bus route is going to finish that’s where we would look straight away because that would be the most important to get going,” he said.

“Initially our thought was to be bigger than we are.

“We started with the one service to get that under our belt and now we’re looking at two because the second route hasn’t got any buses now at all.”

The new route will take passengers from the outlying villages to Carlisle.

There is evidence that a service is required in these areas but it is also supported by parish councils.

The current service, which operates twice a week and is almost full on every outing it takes, has never missed a day and continued throughout the floods, snow and icy weather. It’s already proved sustainable and any additional profit is used for timetabling and leafleting.

Pensioners can travel for free with a bus pass and the 14-seater minibus has wheelchair access.

Timetables are available at bus stops along the existing route and given out on the bus.

It is also available on the company’s website at www.borderramblerbus.co.uk

For people who have no means of transport or for a connection to public transport, there are also 50 voluntary social car schemes across Cumbria.

The scheme, which is run by Cumbria County Council, relies on volunteer drivers and is always looking for more.

For details or to volunteer to drive, call 07788 396194 or email integrated.transport@cumbria.gov.uk .