A DRUMCHAPEL charity has been praised for a membership giveaway initiative for the community.

The G15 Transport group offered a festive treat with a handful of memberships to those living in the area, with a push for the reward to go to local heroes.

Members will be able to use the service’s minibus to transport them to vital destinations, such as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, at a fraction of the cost of standard public transport.

The group was designed to meet a “gap” in the transport market after years of pleading for a direct bus service from the north west Glasgow scheme to the Southside hospital.

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A First Bus route from Clydebank was the closest available option for Drumchapel residents until it was scrapped around five years ago due to a lack of uptake.

The new charity bus offers transport to all major hospitals in and around Glasgow, as well as to essential places such as shops or pharmacies to help those in the area without a car.

Will Thomson, a G15 board member, said: “We’re doing well with membership and we’re doing well with the journeys, but we could always have more.

“This is our way of trying to drum up the membership and also help get the word out about what we do.

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“Last year was the first year we put rubber to the road so, we’re hoping for much more in 2022.”

Members can pre-book travel to a wide variety of destinations across Glasgow and the surrounding area – taking away the cost of a taxi or hours spent travelling via public transport.

Currently, there is only one bus driver who is making each journey, however, the team behind the charity are hopeful the new year will bring in more.

Will added: “Christmas and New Year was really the only sort of quiet time we’ve had in a wee while.

“Believe it or not, though, my driver wants to do more and we’re always hoping we can get more drivers in so we can offer as many journeys as possible.”

To sign up for a membership or to nominate someone who may benefit from one, visit the G15 Transport social media pages.