The Carrick Centre in Maybole has become home to the first community mobility hub in the UK to gain official recognition from the national charity for shared transport.
The centre has been accredited by Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) for its Community Green Transport Hub.
The hub makes it easier for people to take sustainable journeys by offering a range of services including e-bike hire, electric vehicle chargers and a community minibus service.
The facility is conveniently located beside Maybole railway station and close to a National Cycle Network route, and is also served by local bus services.
Mobility hubs bring together a range of transport options and community services in a single, attractive place, making it easier for people to travel without using private cars.
Placed strategically in key travel corridors, they seamlessly connect schemes such as shared bikes, e-scooters and car clubs with public transport and other active travel options.
The concept is already widely applied in many European and North American cities and is increasingly growing in popularity in the UK.
The new hub is a collaboration between the Carrick Centre and South Ayrshire Community Transport (SACT), a charity working to enhance social inclusion by making travel in the region easier.
The Carrick Centre is a thriving social enterprise at the heart of Maybole’s community.
As well as the new transport hub, it has a public café, a soft play for children, a food bank and pantry, and also offers a range of community activities and classes.
The two organisations worked towards achieving accreditation for the mobility hub by improving signage, surveying local residents on how local transport could be improved, and making it easier for people to hire e-bikes.
CoMoUK, which is responsible for accrediting shared transport schemes and mobility hubs across the UK, drew up guidance for community mobility hubs in 2022.
The guidance is designed to ensure that accredited hubs achieve a minimum set of standards for users, but also recognises that community-led projects will have less resources than larger ones led by councils or developers.
Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “It’s brilliant that the Carrick Centre is setting an example for the rest of the UK by making the town of Maybole home to the country’s first accredited community mobility hub, proving that sustainable transport options can be created everywhere, not just in cities.
“We salute the efforts of staff and those at SACT for turning the Community Green Transport Hub into such a fantastic facility for local residents and visitors alike.
“Mobility hubs reclaim space for sustainable, green and convenient modes of transport that is usually taken up by private cars, helping to cut traffic congestion and carbon emissions in the process.
“They also make it far easier for people to get around by creating seamless links between public transport and schemes such as shared bikes, e-scooters and car clubs.
“It’s great that South Ayrshire is leading the way in this area and we hope the new hub inspires other community groups with similar plans to follow suit.”
Marguerite Hunter Blair, chair of the Carrick Centre, said: “Everyone at the Carrick Centre is thrilled to hear that we have been recognised and accredited by CoMoUK as the first community mobility hub in the UK. The Carrick Centre, in partnership with South Ayrshire Community Transport, has worked hard to create this fantastic service for local people and visitors.
“Our Green Transport Hub was set up to tackle service access issues, increase active travel and encourage tourism and visitor numbers to North Carrick. We have an ideal location near train and bus services with café and toilet facilities, and fast charging points installed, with electric bikes, cars and minibuses for hire. Thanks to all this hard work we are immensely proud to have gained the accreditation.
“Access to services is a big issue for over half of the population of North Carrick and this contributes to high levels of social isolation and loneliness. The Green Transport Hub is part of the solution to these problems and will also help to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality. The hub also has the potential to reverse the harmful trend towards sedentary lifestyles, social isolation and health inequalities.
“We extend our thanks to all our partners, funders, and contractors, CoMoUK, SACT, Cycle Scotland, Energy Saving Trust, Jamieson Plant Hire, Owen Kerr, ADK, GreaseMonkey, and Electro Installations who have supported us on our sustainable travel journey.”
John Reid, manager of SACT, said: “South Ayrshire Community Transport are delighted to have worked in partnership with the Carrick Centre and CoMoUK in the development of the UK’s first accredited community mobility hub, which will assist with the development of future opportunities around active travel and shared transport in the Maybole area.
“SACT are grateful for the support received from CoMoUK, as well as all the efforts of the Carrick Centre staff and members of their board in the development of the hub.”