Chapter 2 – Funding options

Transport costs

There are a range of transport options available to you. There are general considerations that will apply to all when establishing costs.

Walking to a local farm is a great solution to potentially high transport costs.  If your local farm is easily accessible and routes to the farm are safe, why not try walking?  You could incorporate the walk into the day’s activities, for example stopping to undertake art activities.

Some kindergartens are in an excellent position to be able to use public transport to get to their link farms. If this is an option, it might be worth contacting your local transport company to see if they are able to offer discounts for travelling groups. You may have a charitable community transport organization in your area that operates a minibus service for the local community. Typically, these organizations can provide access to transport for voluntary, community and school groups. They provide subsidized transport options for groups who couldn’t otherwise afford to pay for private transport services.

You may also find that your local secondary school can help with transport by providing a minibus and driver as part of their community outreach work. Secondary schools and colleges will often own a few minibuses, so it’s worth getting in touch to see how you can work together.

The other solution is to hire a bus. If the group is only small, you may be able to hire a minibus or half-sized coach. This should work out cheaper than hiring a full-sized coach. If you do need to hire a full-sized coach, you might think about how you can maximize its use. Premium rates are often attached to the times around the start and end of a school day when coaches are doing the morning pick up and afternoon drop off. Between these times can sometimes be quiet for coach companies, so you may be able to negotiate a cheaper rate. If this is possible, just ensure that you leave for the farm after school has started and return back before school finishes.

Checklist:

• Look to see if there are farms within walking distance to save transport costs
• Investigate whether there are any  farms on public transport routes to avoid hiring a bus
• Look out for any community groups or secondary schools that can offer a free mini-bus
• Try different coach companies as prices can vary a lot