A new community mobility hub in South Ayrshire has become the first hub in the UK to gain official recognition from the national charity for shared transport.

The Carrick Centre in the town of Maybole has been accredited by Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) for its Community Green Transport Hub.

The hub makes it easier for people to take sustainable journeys by offering a range of services including e-bike hire, electric vehicle chargers and has a community minibus.

The new hub is a collaboration between the Carrick Centre and South Ayrshire Community Transport (SACT).  

It is located beside Maybole railway station, close to a National Cycle Network route and is also served by local bus services.

Richard Dilks, chief executive of CoMoUK, said: “It’s brilliant that the Carrick Centre is setting an example for the rest of the UK by making the town of Maybole home to the country’s first accredited community mobility hub, proving that sustainable transport options can be created everywhere, not just in cities.

“We salute the efforts of staff and those at SACT for turning the Community Green Transport Hub into such a fantastic facility for local residents and visitors alike.

Accreditation was granted to the mobility hub for improving signage, surveying local residents on how local transport could be improved, and making it easier for people to hire e-bikes.

The mobility hub concept has been growing in popularity across the UK since having been widely applied in many European and North American cities.

Commenting on the achievement, Marguerite Hunter Blair, chair of the Carrick Centre, said: “Our Green Transport Hub was set up to tackle service access issues, increase active travel and encourage tourism and visitor numbers to North Carrick.

“We have an ideal location near train and bus services with café and toilet facilities, and fast charging points installed, with electric bikes, cars and minibuses for hire.

“Thanks to all this hard work we are immensely proud to have gained the accreditation.”

John Reid, manager of SACT, added: “SACT are grateful for the support received from CoMoUK, as well as all the efforts of the Carrick Centre staff and members of their board in the development of the hub.”