Durham County Council has launched a set of new services called ‘Link2Work’, part of the council’s main demand-responsive service, Link2.

Link2Work is operated by Hodgson’s and is designed to enable travel to and from work at places or at times which are difficult or impossible on the main network, focused on shift work patterns. It will run to and from various locations in the county, including between Deaf Hill, the Trimdons, Fishburn and Sedgefield, and Newton Aycliffe Business Park.

As a demand responsive minibus service, it runs with a fixed time of arrival at Newton Aycliffe Business Park, but the exact time and location of the pick-ups (and drop-offs on the return journey) depend on the bookings made by the passengers. This style of operation is intended to allow the services to meet the passengers’ needs more effectively than would be possible by a conventional fixed-route service.

In time, bookings will mainly be made using a smartphone app, but pending the completion of software for that, they are currently being made through a dedicated telephone line – 0191 469 6000. The booking line is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. You can book up to 14 days in advance and up to 5:00pm on the day before you travel.

Initially at least, customers are able to travel free of charge.

Full details of the service can be found at Link2work on demand bus services – Durham County Council.