Daventry Action Community Transport (DACT) has recently taken delivery of a Tucana II which will provide accessible community transport in Daventry and surrounding areas.

An order was placed following a successful week-long trial owing to the Tucana II incorporating many of the key features that DACT required. A key benefit was the low weight of the Tucana II which means that DACT’s volunteer drivers don’t need specialist licenses in spite of the heavy equipment required for passengers with limited mobility.

Based on the Volkswagen Transporter chassis, the Tucana II hosts a variety of features including rapid sliding door and two manual rear doors which provide access to the fold out ramp. The vehicle has seating for up to 15 passengers, all age seatbelts and Webasto climate control ensuring passenger comfort and safety.

Rob Kinning, Chief Executive for DACT, said:

“This is the first time we have done business with Mellor. We needed a good 15-seater passenger vehicle which can be driven on a standard category B licence and still able to carry passengers in wheelchairs. The VW Tucana with low-floor entry fits the bill very well.

“Steve at Mellor has given excellent support during the build process and we look forward to proving the reliability of this new low-floor bus as a long-term solution to complement the rest of our fleet. The feedback in the first couple of weeks has been encouraging so we look forward to developing our relationship with Mellor.”

Pictured (L-R): Rob Kinning, Chief Executive, and Tony Doyle, Operations Manager for DACT which has taken delivery of a new Mellor Tucana II

DACT, a registered charity in the UK, was established in 1993 to provide community transport amenities to the district of Daventry, an area that covers 250 square miles, and has become the principal provider of these services.

Its network of volunteers offer a variety of other services to residents in the locality who would otherwise struggle to make use of traditional transport methods including social trips and days out, mobility hire and Ring & Ride. As well as this, DACT also offers MiDAS-standard minibus driver training not only for their own drivers but also external individuals and organisations.