Charities providing vital transport to elderly people could lose volunteers and have to charge people for the service if fuel prices continue to rise, according to group leaders.

The warning comes after thousands of lorry drivers, cabbies and recovery vehicles travelled to London for a massed protest against the high cost of fuel.

Many community transport groups from across Hampshire said the hike in prices had not drastically affected them yet but they were concerned about their futures.

They believed the increase could force them to reduce the number of journeys they make, meaning elderly people may not be able to get out and about.

Rushmoor Voluntary Services provides buses for more than 230 groups in Hart and Rushmoor that have members who find it difficult getting on to public transport or who do not have access to it.

Development officer Sue Hathaway admitted the organisation had been forced to closely monitor the service since fuel prices soared.

She said the bus users were not being charged for the service but if things did not improve there may have to be a review which could lead to the introduction of fares.

“The rise in the cost of fuel has impacted highly on us,” she added. “We are finding it difficult.

“It’s not just the fuel prices but also the escalating prices in running the buses and insurance. We are monitoring the situation.”

Impact

Mrs Hathaway had noticed an increase in schools using the bus, which had helped the service.

She said: “These services have a huge impact on people. They help people in isolated areas or people who may have accessibility problems with public transport. It would be a shame if the service reduced.

“We are keeping a close eye on things all the time. It is a concern for everyone at the moment.”

Andy Whitaker — chairman of the Yelabus Association, the management committee behind Yateley’s Elderly and Less-abled Ambulance (Yela-bus) — said the increase in prices had put an extra 30% on the organisation’s fuel bills.

The organisation takes more than 50 groups from Yateley on special outings and to various clubs across Hart.

Mr Whitaker said: “It has had an effect on us but it’s not crippling yet. If fuel prices rise we will be affected. All the costs are going up at the moment and it is affecting everyone.”

Survival

Meanwhile some small local businesses are fighting to stay alive.

Last week lorry, taxi and recovery vehicle drivers from across the Mail area met in Fleet to join the fuel protest in London.

But while larger businesses were in the national spotlight, smaller organisations that rely on petrol and diesel are struggling to survive the surge in costs.  

One such business is Yateley-based Travallen Travel and Events, which for more than 40 years has been organising coach trips all over the UK.

Having to charter coaches from various companies, manager Geoff Allen said the cost of running the business had soared.

He added: “There is a vast difference between events being quoted this time last year and now. I would say there has been at least a 10% increase.

“Being a small company we have to be very careful of surcharges. We don’t want people thinking we’re using it as an excuse to rip people off because it’s not that at all.

“It is affecting our profit margins at the moment because most of our events were planned and booked up to 18 months ago.

“In our business it’s hard when an event is planned 18 months ago to change the details. In this day and age it’s only fair to offer exactly what we’ve offered and nothing else, including the price.

“It creates operational difficulties when we are losing the profit margin and creating extra administration costs because when we add a surcharge it’s more time, more paperwork and more human resources, so your profit marg-ns slide down the scale.”

Last week, Prime Minister Gordon Brown hinted at a freeze on the delayed 2p rise in fuel duty, saying it would be looked at “very, very carefully” over the coming weeks.

Blockades

But although he believed the protest had helped, Mr Allen still felt more needed to be done to force a drop in fuel prices. 
He said: “I think the sort of fuel protests going on at the moment are making people aware of the situation.

“The convoys, although small, are being noticed, but they need greater volume and much more intensity to make it more noticeable.

"Maybe it needs to resort to the full blockades that make it very difficult for the country as a whole, because people at the moment are accepting it.

"Too few people are prepared to do anything about it until it directly affects them.

“Being a small company we are in the hands of the politicians, although there is self-help as well, but we can only do so much.

“We can only pass so much cost on to customers before we lose them, which is dangerous because in a situation like this, if you lose customers it is hard to get them back.

“We have been going for 40 years and saw ourselves through the last recession by being fair and honest."