TRAVELLING to hospital should become easier for people in Durham's rural communities thanks to a £740,000 boost for specialist transport services.
The county council has made a successful bid for Rural Bus Challenge funding to help patients, visitors and staff from outlying areas.
A three-year Healthy Response project has been developed in partnership with the health sector.
It aims to make travelling to hospitals and other health facilities easier by introducing a range of measures, including linking appointments with travel times, improving access and developing a response centre.
Councillor Bob Pendlebury, the council's cabinet member for transport, said: "The County Durham Healthy Response project aims to take a dynamic approach to meeting the needs of people who are unable to use conventional bus services.
"It is an ambitious project that will have far reaching implications for similar schemes across the country."
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