Community bus service, hoppa, is on the road to reducing its carbon emissions by installing satellite navigation equipment into 21 of its minibuses.

A registered charity, hoppa has so far raised more than £7,000 to fund the project which will see vehicles routed more efficiently to pick up and drop off passengers.

Steve Forward, hoppa’s general manager, said: “We are very keen to run our services as smartly as we can and modern sat-nav, designed especially for public transport providers like us, can help us do that.

“We offer a flexible service to our customers, picking them up and dropping them off wherever they need. Our drivers use their excellent local knowledge to plan the best routes, but they can’t always foresee traffic jams or keep on top of road works.

“The new equipment will direct drivers round the most efficient routes on every journey while still making sure we can collect and drop off our passengers safely and conveniently.”

Steve hopes the new sat-nav system will have environmental benefits as well as making financial savings. He continued: “Saving on fuel by using more efficient routes has obvious financial benefits for us through lower fuel costs and reduced wear and tear on our vehicles but there are important environmental benefits too.

“Community transport does not need to be part of the climate change problem. Simply by driving fewer miles and spending less time with engines idling means we can reduce our carbon footprint and our impact on local air quality.”

Hoppa’s sat-nav project has so far benefited from donations from The Farnham Institute Charity, the Community Foundation for Surrey, Tesco and Waitrose.

The charity’s door-to-door and scheduled bus services provide a vital lifeline to passengers across Waverley, many of whom are elderly and may otherwise be unable to get to medical appointments.