First community mobility hub receives CoMoUK accreditation
The Carrick Centre in Maybole, South Ayrshire is home to the first community mobility hub to receive accreditation from shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK).
The hub is located next to the town’s railway station, close to a National Cycle Network route and is served by local bus services.
The hub has been designed to give people access to a variety of sustainable travel options, offering electric bike hire, electric vehicle chargers and a community minibus.
The mobility hub concept has already been adopted in many European and North American cities, where they are strategically located in key travel corridors.
The new hub is a collaboration between the Carrick Centre – a thriving social enterprise at the heart of the community – and South Ayrshire Community Transport (SACT), a charity working to enhance social inclusion by making travel in the region easier.
As well as the new transport hub, the centre has a public café, a soft play for children, a food bank and pantry, and also offers a range of community activities and classes.
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.
The accreditation standard incorporates six factors:
1. Visibility and accessibility
3. Safety
2. Choice of sustainable modes
5. Practical facilities
4. Ease of switching modes
6. Visual, social and community appeal
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.’
