Charging Ahead – Exploring Future Fuels for Community Transport in Pembrokeshire

Throughout May 2026, a local Community Transport (CT) Operator, Bloomfield House Community Centre NDCSA, will be participating in a first-of-its-kind feasibility study in Pembrokeshire, led by PACTO’s Accessible Transport Co-ordinator, Damian Golden, to explore how cleaner, more sustainable and accessible vehicles could work in a rural setting now and in the future.

The first vehicle to be undergoing the study will be an eight-seater, wheelchair accessible electric vehicle: the Tri Bus E Sprinter Accessible, which has been generously provided today by Stephen Haywood from EVM UK & IRL to support the pilot in partnership with Fleet EV.

By using real vehicles on real routes, the study will compare electric, fossil diesel and lower carbon fuel options while continuing to deliver essential accessible transport services.

Passengers will be invited to share their experiences, while drivers will complete a daily monitoring form to capture how each vehicle performs in everyday use.

This is especially important when trialling an electric vehicle in Pembrokeshire’s challenging operating conditions, including steep hills, narrow country lanes, longer rural journeys, isolated communities and wet coastal weather.

With the UK Government committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050, and the end of new petrol and diesel car and van sales by 2035, CT operators now need to begin exploring what future fuels could realistically work locally.