'It's very sad': Northamptonshire OAP bus service director explains full reason behind 'difficult' decision to close down

Ability Community Transport announced earlier this month it would cease operations from April 13.

Ability was founded in 2018 as a not-for-profit service aimed at reducing isolation by providing transport for elderly and vulnerable residents across areas including Banbury, Brackley and Towcester.

Speaking to Chronicle & Echo, Ability director Nigel Hinch said: “On February 5, we wrote to council officers asking what the proposed scheme would be so we can plan the coming 12 months. We had no reply from anybody.

"For any organisation to plan, it needs to know what funding it’s got. And there hasn’t been a scheme to apply for until they announced it last Friday.”

He added: “We haven’t been paid by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) for the journeys we completed in January, and here we are getting towards the end of March. So we have an issue about not knowing when we’re going to get paid. We have an issue about not knowing what grant funding is going to be available.

“Every month, we submit a claim and an invoice that they’re supposed to check and then pay us. Something started in December that they stopped paying us and wanting more and more detail.

“Now they want to go back all the way to April and we don’t understand why. Because every month we submit a claim and an invoice that they’re supposed to check. The relationship has become untenable.”

Alongside funding concerns, the organisation has also been told to leave its depot at Caswell, in Towcester, after the landlord served notice on all tenants.

Mr Hinch said: “That was the final nail in the coffin. Would I be able to go out and sign a lease for three years, five years, 10 years to secure premises when I don’t know what income is going to be coming in?

"Some people will say yes, but we couldn’t see a way back from this.”

The organisation formally gave notice on March 2 and began consultations with staff, with around 25 jobs affected in phases.

Nigel added: “We’re sad. Very, very sad. I’m sat with letters and emails coming in from customers that we’ve known from day one.

"We delivered last year over £800,000 worth of social value for the users because we were getting them out.”

Following this newspaper’s request for comment, WNC released the following press release.

A council spokesman said: “Having learned that Ability CIC had ceased trading and stopped its journeys, WNC recently stepped in to take swift action for its residents who may be affected.

“Since working to explore solutions to support residents affected by the company’s closure, at least two other transport providers and a parish council have expressed interest in taking on the minibuses that Ability acquired through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

“The council is co-ordinating an Expression of Interest process on behalf of the community to secure new providers for the routes or local demand that Ability previously covered.

“In addition to this WNC has also announced a £172,000 funding pot for community transport grants across West Northamptonshire and is encouraging local groups and parish councils to apply for a share of the money.

“The funding aims to increase the number of transport options available, especially in rural areas and places where there are no regular bus services.”

Reform Councillor Richard Butler, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Although Ability was not a council-run service and it was the company’s decision to cease trading, we fully understand the role it played in providing journeys for many residents in our communities and that they will understandably look to us for support, so we’ve been working hard with parishes and transport providers to explore solutions.

“It’s encouraging to see there has already been significant interest from potential providers and there is growing confidence of finding alternative support for those residents affected by Ability’s closure.

“We know how important community transport is for many residents, especially in rural areas and so this additional £172,000 investment in grants funding for schemes across West Northamptonshire will help us strengthen what is available now and also build a more reliable system for the future.”

The deadline for grant applications is 10am on April 24, 2026.