The mayor and the minibus

When his chauffeur is not driving him to functions, the long-serving borough councillor takes off his mayoral robes, hangs up his chain of office and gets behind the wheel of a Worthing Dial-a-Ride minibus.

Coun Mardell, who served in the RAF, was one of the founders of Dial-a-Ride in 1998.

Having seen how disabled people were benefiting from specialised transport services in other parts of England, he helped secure funding to set up the scheme in Worthing.

The mayor and three other volunteer drivers have since enabled dozens of people to live normal lives.

Most Dial-a-Ride clients have problems using public transport, which can turn a standard trip to the shops into an ordeal.

Users simply make a telephone call the day before they need a lift and the scheme arranges for a driver to take them to their destination.

Coun Mardell, who has two grown-up children, said: "The object of the exercise was to offer door-to-door transport for people who could not use public transport or could not carry their own shopping.

"It's a brilliant job. It is not just for older people but those who are frail and less mobile.

"We've got a special scheme at the moment. Two days a week we go to Sainsbury's and two days we go to Tesco."

All the drivers were required to take tests with West Sussex County Council before being allowed to drive the minibus and all passed first time.

Coun Mardell said: "The best part is meeting people. I have enjoyed that during my mayoralty and I'm having a wonderful time but it is also nice actually drawing out some of these older folks.

"They have got some very interesting tales to tell and are worth listening to.

"Our customers are mainly ladies. I do not know why.

Perhaps the gentlemen are not so well organised.

"A total of 20 per cent of our clients are wheelchair-bound but it is not just the immobile who use Dial-a-Ride. Some just cannot manage the steps on a normal bus because they are so high."

Coun Mardell said his fellow drivers made every effort to help him juggle his Dial-a-Ride shifts with his duties as mayor, councillor, director of the Connaught Theatre Board and chairman of the Shopmobility scheme.

He was chosen as the town's 86th mayor just ten days before starting his term of office because Worthing councillor John Livermore unexpectedly stood down when his political party lost control of the council in May.

Coun Mardell said: "It was worrying, I did not have much time. I had to talk to my Dial-a-Ride colleagues, get my clothes organised, get my wife Liz's clothes organised and sort out my life.

"I could have scrubbed driving for a year but we only have four drivers. If I had dropped out, Dial-a-Ride would have had to go through the whole process of interviewing people to get a replacement.

"I have been burning the candle at both ends with everything I've been doing but Liz and I had a fortnight break and we have both come back raring to go again."

Dial-a-Ride is run by Worthing Council for Voluntary Service and is supported by the borough council, the county council and the Community Fund.

Coun Mardell said: "In the beginning, we put a committee together to look at ways of funding it.

"The county council and the health authority said they would fund it for the first seven years if the borough picked up the tapering funding, which means the borough will eventually be paying all £33,000.

"It is always a worry that things might go wrong so we have to make sure funding is in place year after year.

"Dial-a-Ride does give people back their independence. They do not have to rely on others to do their own thing.

"They can go about their day without having to constantly keep asking friends and family for lifts."

To book Worthing Dial-a-Ride, call 01903 530053 on weekday mornings.

The service is limited to Worthing residents who want to travel within the borough.