A NEW bus was unveiled at St Joseph's College to help the town's elderly and disabled people get about.

The latest addition to the Readibus fleet follows a year-long fundraising campaign of £52,000, with donations pouring in from charitable trusts and generous individuals.

More than 50 service users and bus driver Sandy Edward joined Councillor Mohammed Ayub, mayor of Reading for the ceremony on Tuesday, April 11.

Peter Absolon, ReadiBus general manager, said: “This has been a marvellous effort by all concerned to raise this sum.

“The support has been fantastic, from so many charitable trusts and from so many people. The fundraising campaign was run by Harriet Faulkner, who did a wonderful job in bringing it all together.”

The new £52,000 bus that will be serving more than 2,000 of the Borough’s elderly and disabled residents.

The ReadiBus service is a lifeline for people who cannot make their journeys by ordinary public transport.

It was the first service of its kind in the country when it was set up in Reading in 1981 and is available all week for people with restricted mobility.

Fundraising activities have included abseiling down Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, while several runners raised funds by taking part in Reading Half Marathon.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Transport, added: “ReadiBus provides a hugely valuable service for many people in Reading and this is clearly demonstrated by the level of goodwill and generosity shown in this fundraising campaign.

“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in raising the money to buy this modern new bus and I look forward to seeing it carrying passengers around Reading for many years to come.”

For more information visit www.readibus.org.uk or call 01189 310000.