SOS Bus
ST. PATRICK'S Day celebrators will be the first to glimpse a new mobile first aid bus which is also aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour.
The SOS Bus will, from then on, be parked in St George's Square every Friday and Saturday night from 9pm to 3.30am.
It will supply a “place of safety when one is needed” during Luton’s night time economy.
The bright yellow converted single decker bus was originally donated by Arriva-Shires.
Working alongside the SOS Bus is a matching Vauxhall Vivaro mini bus which will be used to transport vulnerable people back to the SOS Luton Bus from anywhere in the town centre and High Town areas.
The SOS Luton Bus project is resourced entirely by CRB checked, uniformed, fully trained volunteers. So far 70 volunteers have been recruited, and, along with many other skills, East of England Ambulance Service will be training them all to be Community First Responders.
PS Ruth Connelly, Luton's Licensing Officer, said: “For the last three Christmas periods we have had a great response to a pilot for the SOS Luton Bus, codenamed Operation Conch, which was in St George's Square. We know the pilot has saved three lives so far so the SOS Luton Bus is going one step further by providing a permanent safe haven on Friday and Saturday nights in the town where vulnerable, injured, intoxicated or lost people can find help in arranging transport home.
“As with Operation Conch, the initiative is also aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and reducing crime and disorder. Over the last three years while Operation Conch was running we also recorded a reduction in crime by 72 per cent, with violent crime in the town centre down by 64 per cent, resulting in a 42 per cent saving in police time spent at incidents. There were also 30 less ambulance trips to hospital and 17 fewer patients required to be treated at accident and emergency and with the help of the SOS Luton Bus team we want these reductions to continue.”
On St Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17, the SOS Luton Bus will be officially launched at 2pm in St George’s Square. At the launch will be Babs from the Heart FM Breakfast show cutting the ribbon, Harry the Hatter and some Luton Town Football Club players, carnival dancers, street dance group “Unseen Shadows” and the band “Friday Nights” will be playing, along with stalls from various agencies and a “Mocktail” bar with non alcohol cocktails run by Liquid nightclub.
The SOS Luton Bus and SOS mini bus will belong and be run by the charity - the SLP, with the financial support of the SoLUTiOns partnership, Bedfordshire Police, the Criminal Justice Board, Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service, TKAP, East of England Ambulance Service, and local businesses Arriva, Vauxhall Motors, Motorbodies and Tesco.