Young people with disabilities in the Birmingham area can get around more easily and have more fun this summer using a brand new service called Ring & Go.

If you are already 60+ you are automatically entitled to a free travel pass.

Following intensive trialling at the Wolverhampton depot last year, wmsnt has placed a large order for Ford Transit minibuses for both Ring and Ride and other accessible transport work.

wmsnt is putting together a promotions pack aimed specifically at younger people and their families/carers to highlight how the new service can benefit them.

wmsnt is now part of a Government backed scheme to encourage more people to cycle to work. The scheme allows employees to buy a new bike, via the Company, from their pre-tax wages.

Every month around 5,000 trips are cancelled by passengers. It is recognised that there is generally a good reason why someone has to cancel their journey and that it cannot be avoided. However....

Whilst wmsnt’s main aim is to help individual people with limited mobility maintain their independence through its Ring and Ride service, the success of its Accessible Transport Services in both education, health and social care continues to expand.

Centro, the West Midlands PTE, is to provide funding of £12million a year for the next three years to support the region's Ring and Ride service, operated by wmsnt Ltd.

wmsnt is radically reforming its booking system to provide a better and more flexible service for its passengers. wmsnt is introducing a new computerised system to its Ring and Ride service, allowing more passegners with limited mobility to travel and allow last minute changes to bookings.

When Ring and Ride users get on board Ray Pickering’s mini bus they can sit back and relax, safe in the knowledge they are in good hands.

Birmingham City Council’s Community Options Team have launched their new DVD promoting their travel training programme which enables adults with learning difficulties to use public transport independently. The event took place at the Council House on the 1st October and was opened by the Lord Mayor Cllr Michael Wilkes.

Following the success of last year‘s competition, both the Driver and Non Driver of the Year 2009 competitions are running between the 1st May and 31st October 2009.

The aims of the competition are to acknowledge the valued work carried out by all staff throughout the year and to visibly reward Staff members for their efforts during the 6 month period over which the competition runs.

Last year Birmingham Education Department requested that our Education Drivers on the Mayfield School contract undertake an NVQ Level 2 in Road Passenger Vehicle Driving as part of a pilot scheme.

A golfing day held on Tuesday 23rd June was organised by Steve Keene and employees of wmsnt in memory of Steve Devlin who passed away suddenly in April 2008.

wmsnt would like to wish Cheryl Roberts, Rowan Pilson and Jean Webb all the best when they will all be taking part in Race for Life.

Congratulations to Deena Nelson who has recently joined the wmsnt Training Team as a Driving Instructor and NVQ Assessor having previously driven for our Ring and Ride service in Walsall.

A group of friends, including wmsnt's John Gidlow, from the West Midlands biked round the Isle of Man TT course the hard way last week using pedal power. The dedicated trio, who caught the 2.15am sailing from Heysham on Thursday 9th April, spent five hours completing a circuit of the 37.73-mile course before boarding the return ferry at 7.45pm — all to raise money for the Joey Dunlop Foundation (JDF).

People of all ages with limited mobility can now go further afield with Ring and Ride after the reintroduction of services that cross the Walsall, Wolverhampton and Coventry boundaries into surrounding boroughs.

The cross boundary services, which were suspended just over two years ago because of funding difficulties, were relaunched on May 4th as part of a new three-year business plan agreed by West Midlands Special Needs Transport (wmsnt).

wmsnt's Head Office current site, at Windsor Street in Nechells, which is also where North Birmingham Ring and Ride is based, is no longer able to meet the needs of the service and restricts its future development. The new Head Office, (pictured), is located in Park Road in Aston, Birmingham.