A transport app which would allow users in East Lindsey to pre-order and access transport has been shortlisted in a competition.

The demand-responsive transport app will now be developed by DB Engineering & Consulting in partnership with East Lindsey District Council and the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The service would increase the take-up of sustainable transport and reduce isolation by providing shared minibus and car trips where there is no public transport alternative.

The app could be used to access healthcare services, amenities or tourism destinations.

Midlands Connect launched its rural mobility competition in February, inviting businesses to put forward ideas that could help solve the social, environmental and economic issues caused by poor connectivity in rural areas.

The three chosen projects will now share £40,000 to develop their ideas further. The other two shortlisted projects are a proposal for EV car and charging point sharing in Derbyshire and an integrated journeys app to be developed in partnership with Malvern District Council.

Once the three schemes have been further developed, the updated plans will be presented to Midlands Connect in June. The best entry will be announced at the Midlands Connect Rural Mobility conference on 20th June 2022 and the winner will receive up to £100,000 to develop the project to a point where it is ready to seek investment funding.

Simon Statham, Chief Technology Officer at Midlands Connect, said: “We know that communities in rural areas can feel cut off and isolated because of patchy public transport, and this can impact their ability to access the services and amenities they need to succeed.

“This competition aims to remove some of these barriers, using technology and innovation to find new solutions to improve mobility in rural areas across our region.

“We received three really promising ideas and have now awarded funding to these successful organisations to develop their plans in with a local authority partner. We look forward to seeing these plans take shape.”