Lerryn Area Minibus Association (LAMA)
LAMA, supporting local people and local organisations in the Lerryn Area (which encompasses Lerryn, St Veep, St Winnow, Boconnoc, Lostwithiel and the districts that surround them).
We provide community transport for local people. Our minibus is not available for private hire (eg, weddings), taxi services (eg, airport runs) or business use (eg, works outings). For more general advice and information on public transport and car hire, please have a look at the Local Links and Local Businesses sections of this website.
Passengers: we can give you a wonderful day out (read on below).
Local Organisations: we can loan our 17 seater minibus to you (scroll down the page).
Supporters: we greatly appreciate your help (click the [Read More] button near the bottom).
If you just want to talk to someone, please see our "Who You Gonna Call?" section immediately below.
LAMA What's On |
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LAMA Trips June 2023 |
RC Show 10th June Dartmoor 22nd June |
LAMA Trips May 2023 |
May Special Trip 19th May 2023 |
Who You Gonna Call ?
Passenger Trips
Minibus Loans
General Enquiries
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Passengers
LAMA is for You. LAMA’s minibus is your community minibus. As a not-for-profit community service, we try to offer you a little more help and support than would a typical commercial bus operator. We are not allowed to carry just anyone, but if you register as a passenger or become a LAMA member, then we can keep you abreast of everything we have planned.
What LAMA Does. Volunteer drivers take our community minibus from Lerryn via Lostwithiel to local towns, shops, garden centres and places of interest. LAMA typically runs weekly shopping trips to Bodmin and monthly to Truro. The minibus is also used for collecting prescriptions from Lostwithiel Surgery for Lerryn residents and for undertaking periodic wellbeing trips to places of interest and special events. Fares are very modest.
Who may Register as a Passenger. To use the LAMA service, you need to be a resident within the Lerryn Area, which encompasses Lerryn, St Veep, St Winnow, Boconnoc, Lostwithiel and the districts that surround them. You may also use the minibus if you become a member (see supporters section below).
How to Register as a Passenger. Registration is not complicated and is free. Either collect a form from the driver when you first use the minibus or else download a form below. When complete, return the form to the address shown in the passenger summary.
Passenger Summary Passenger Registration Form and Privacy Policy
How to Use the Minibus. Once you are registered as a passenger, the details of each month's trips will be sent to you. Details of LAMA's monthly trips will also be advertised on local noticeboards, in local newsletters and on local websites. When you are ready to travel, simply phone our booking clerk to book your place and pick-up point (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above). Under the terms of our operating permit, you must pre-book for each trip.
How to Pay. Please pay the driver in cash as you get on the minibus. The driver does not carry a cash float, so please bring the correct money if you can. The fares for each journey are detailed in our monthly trip schedules. Children travel half price.
Minors as LAMA Passengers. Minors (defined as young people under the age of 18) travelling with a registered adult do not, themselves, need to be registered as a LAMA passenger. However, they do need to be booked for any journeys they wish to undertake and they must pay half the adult fare. Minors who wish to travel on their own must register as a passenger in their own right and their application must be supported by a letter signed by a parent, guardian or carer.
Rules for the Carriage of Dogs. Floor space within the LAMA minibus is limited and corridors, entrances and exits must always be kept clear to permit safe egress in an emergency. Consequently, only small dogs may be carried in the minibus, but an exception will be made for assistance/service dogs. Anyone wishing to bring a dog onto the minibus must first obtain the driver’s permission. The dog must be clean and kept under control at all times. The dog must not be allowed to sit on a seat, although it may sit in the footwell or on someone’s lap. If a dog causes a nuisance to the driver or any passenger, then the dog and its handler may be required by the driver to get off the bus and they will have to find their own way home. The driver’s decision in this will be final. No charge will be made for carrying a dog on the minibus. Medium and large sized assistance/service dogs will need to occupy the footwell of an adjacent seat and so they must be booked to travel for each trip they undertake.
In the Event of an Emergency. Should you need to contact the minibus driver in the event of an emergency, please phone 07707 797399. Please note that this phone will only be switched on when the minibus is being used and that drivers will not be able to answer the phone when they are driving. The phone will be switched off when the minibus is parked up in Lerryn. Please do not try to use this number for booking a trip.
COVID Restrictions. Thankfully, the impact of COVID on our lives is diminishing, but it is not completely gone away. As many of LAMA's passengers are vulnerable, some COVID restrictions may still be required when using the minibus. Based on prevailing conditions, the LAMA committee will declare one of the COVID Risk Levels shown below. The risk level actually in operation will be displayed in the window of the main passenger door. Please click on the links below to see the restrictions that you will be expected to observe for each risk level.
COVID Risk Level Red COVID Risk Level Amber COVID Risk Level Green
The current COVID Risk Level is: GREEN
Local Organisations
Minibus Loan. Local not-for-profit organisations that provide benefit to the community, such as a school, institute, playgroup, church, association or club, may register as an authorised organisation in order to borrow the minibus for their own activities. Nearby organisations that are based outside the Lerryn Area may also loan the LAMA minibus if their usual community transport provider is unavailable for any reason (eg, their minibus is already booked for another job).
Register as an Authorised Organisation. It is a good idea to register now so that when you do want to borrow the minibus, you will not be delayed by having to complete the registration formalities first. This is a one-time only activity. The registration process is described fully in the loan summary document below. To register, download and complete the registration and privacy form below and return it to the the address shown in the loan summary.
Loan Summary Registration and Privacy Form
Vehicle Loan Agreement. Once your registration is accepted and you are ready to borrow the minibus for a particular activity, simply phone our booking clerk to check whether the minibus is available (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above). If so, ask the booking clerk to make a provisional booking and then complete the loan agreement form below and return it to the training officer at the address shown in the loan summary above. When the loan agreement is approved and signed by the training officer, then the booking clerk will raise a journey sheet for use by the driver who will be responsible for the minibus throughout the period of your loan.
Our minibus loan rates are only £1.50 per mile, subject to a minimum charge of £35 per day, which includes fuel and vehicle insurance |
How to Pay. We ask you to pay the minimum daily charge as deposit when you complete the loan agreement. Until the deposit is paid your booking is not secured. Cheques submitted with your loan agreement form will be cashed when the loan form is countersigned and the booking thus confirmed. Deposits may also be paid by bank transfer (details below). On completion of the loan journey, the total amount owed may be calculated on the journey sheet and paid in cash (less the deposit) when the minibus keys are returned. Alternatively, the balance owed will be calculated by our treasurer and an invoice will be sent to you. The invoice may be paid by cheque or bank transfer as follows:
Bank Transfer: Lloyds Bank, sort code 30-97-28, account number 01577601 (please include the name of your organisation and/or invoice number as your payment reference if possible). Cheques: make payable to “Lerryn Area Minibus Association” and post to “The LAMA Treasurer, Lanwithan View, Silverlake, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0JP”. |
Supporters
If you are interested in helping to keep our minibus on the road, possibly as a driver, committee member or fund raiser, then please click the [Read more] button below or call our chair (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above).
Drivers, Fund-Raisers and Members, please click the [Read more] button below for more details on how LAMA is managed and run.
How to Donate. If you are unable to donate your time, but would still like to support LAMA, then you may wish to make a financial donation to our association. Donations may be made by cheque or bank transfer as detailed below, or by cash at one of our fund-raising events. We are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority as a mutual society and we are treated as a charity for tax purposes. Consequently, your donations may be gift aided, thereby allowing us to claim back the tax that you have already paid on your donation. You must, of course, be a tax payer for us to do this, but if you are then we invite you to please complete a gift aid form and return it to our treasurer as follows:
Single Donation Gift Aid Form This and Future Donations Gift Aid Form
Bank Transfer: Lloyds Bank, sort code 30-97-28, account number 01577601 (please include your name as a payment reference if possible). Cheques: make payable to “Lerryn Area Minibus Association” and post to “The LAMA Treasurer, Lanwithan View, Silverlake, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0JP”. |
Drivers
Drivers are the lifeblood of our operation. They require a particular licence entitlement to drive the minibus and they must be assessed by our training officer to ensure that they have all the necessary skills. Regular drivers are also encouraged to participate in the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS). If you think that you might like to join us as a driver then please speak to our training officer (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above). To give you a good idea of what might be involved, the complete contents of our drivers pack is linked below, together with the main forms that will be used by our drivers:
Fundraising
To keep our minibus on the road, the committee organises a wide range of fundraising events. We are grateful to the residents of the Lerryn Area for their generous support in previous events. Do keep an eye out for the posters advertising forthcoming fundraising events on this website as well as around Lerryn and Lostwithiel. If you would like to help with raising funds for LAMA then please speak to our fundraising officer (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above).
Members
Keeping a community bus running requires planning and commitment. If you could give some time to help with this, then please join us as a member. Members meet twice a year to monitor current operations, to set policy for future use and to plan for replacing the minibus. Some members meet more often as part of the LAMA Committee to manage day-to-day activity, including passenger bookings, vehicle maintenance, timetabling, publicity, fund raising, driver training and regulation compliance. If you are interested in helping then please speak to our chair (see "Who You Gonna Call" section above) or complete and return the Membership Form below.
Member Summary Membership Form
Rules and Regulations
Lerryn Area Minibus Association was formed in 1987 to provide transport services to benefit the community and is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The rules and regulations that control how LAMA may operate are linked below:
LAMA Management: LAMA is managed by its members at general meetings. In March every year, an annual general meeting (AGM) is held to receive the accounts for the previous year and to decide auditing arrangements for the current year. The AGM will also elect a treasurer, a secretary and working groups as required. The principal working group is the LAMA committee which meets regularly to manage day to day minibus operations. The minutes of all recent LAMA meetings may be found at the bottom of this webpage.
Risk Assessment: Please click on the link below to see the risk assessment for the day-to-day operation of the LAMA minibus in both normal circumstances and under COVID restrictions.
Objects: The Association shall have the object of operating transport services for the benefit of the community to:
- Improve the wellbeing of all individuals who reside within the Lerryn Area, or who are temporarily resident with someone who resides within the area, particularly those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
- Maintain and enhance the sense of community that exists within the Lerryn Area, particularly with regard to relieving loneliness and in supporting people to help one another.
- Enrich people’s understanding and appreciation within the Lerryn Area of both their own and other people’s heritage, culture and religion.
- Support those people within the Lerryn Area who are in full-time education or who are undertaking a recognised training programme or who are furthering their personal development through part-time study.
- Assist with the personal and social development of young people within the Lerryn Area through the provision of opportunities for leisure activities, voluntary engagement and non-formal and informal learning.
- Encourage people’s participation in amateur sports or games within the Lerryn Area which promotes health by involving physical or mental skill or exertion.
- Facilitate recreation and other leisure time occupation that: benefit people within the Lerryn Area, are altruistic in character and improve people’s conditions of life (2000-08 – The Recreational Charities Act 1958, Charity Commission Section 1 Guidance (RR4) refers).
- Support other charitable purposes being undertaken within the Lerryn Area.
- Enable other not-for-profit organisations within the Lerryn Area that benefit the community to both support these aims and also to further their own aims.
- Cooperate with nearby volunteer community transport operators to support one another in fulfilling each other’s objects.
Operating Permit: Under the Transport Act 1985, we are not allowed to carry members of the general public, but under Section 19 of the Act, we are allowed to carry members of LAMA and other particular classes of persons as follows:
- Class A - members of the body holding the permit.
- Class B - persons whom the body exists to benefit, and persons assisting them.
- Class C - disabled persons (as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) or persons who are seriously ill and persons assisting them.
- Class D - pupils or students of any school, college, university or other educational establishment and staff or other helpers accompanying them.
Upcoming events
Tuesday 30th May 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Tuesday 6th June 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Friday 9th June 09:30 - 15:00 LAMA Truro Shopping Trip
Monthly shopping trip to Truro, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Truro at 2:00pm.Saturday 10th June 08:30 - 16:30 LAMA Royal Cornwall Show Special Trip
Enjoy a day out at the Royal Cornwall Show at WadebridgeTuesday 13th June 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Tuesday 20th June 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Thursday 22nd June 09:30 - 17:30 LAMA Dartmoor Special Trip
Enjoy a day out on Dartmoor, visiting the Dartmoor Prison Museum and Burrator ReservoirTuesday 27th June 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Tuesday 4th July 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Tuesday 11th July 09:30 - 13:00 LAMA Bodmin and Supermarkets Shopping Trip
Weekly shopping trip to Bodmin and supermarkets, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Morrison's at 11:50am.Friday 14th July 09:30 - 15:00 LAMA Truro Shopping Trip
Monthly shopping trip to Truro, leaving Lerryn at 9:30am. Return trip departs Truro at 2:00pm.LAMA General Meetings
>>> | >>> | March 2023 | September 2022 |
March 2022 | March 2021 | March 2020 | March 2019 |
LAMA Committee Meetings
>>> | >>> | March 2023 | |
November 2022 | September 2022 | July 2022 | |
March 2022 | January 2022 | November 2021 (2) | November 2021 (1) |
September 2021 | August 2021 | June 2021 | May 2021 |