Village tests volunteer-run bus for local trips
Wednesday 8th July 2026 on 08:01 in
Denmark
A silver minibus marked “Fællesbussen” waits outside the old inn in Randbøldal near Vejle, ready to ferry residents to the local microbrewery’s Friday bar. Volunteer driver Liv Thorbjørnsrød will make three round trips to accommodate the six-passenger capacity, with riders signing up via a Facebook group.
“People can have a beer or two—or three—without worrying about losing their licence on the way home,” she said. “I’d rather drive the bus than sit and drink myself.”
The bus, provided by Vejle Municipality with support from the Danish Road Directorate, is part of a two-year trial in 12 towns and rural areas testing volunteer-driven transport where regular services are lacking. Free to use, it is most often deployed for shopping trips and social events, but organisers acknowledge it cannot replace daily transport needs.
Morten Barnkob, chair of Randbøldal’s residents’ association, said three months of operation have shown that maintaining reliable, scheduled routes would demand too much from unpaid drivers. “It would require a full-time effort just to coordinate,” he said. “And that’s unpaid work turning into a full-time obligation.”
Vejle Municipality’s traffic planner, Pia Gulddahl Møller, had hoped the bus would serve fixed routes for errands or medical visits, but usage so far has focused on social outings. The municipality will evaluate the scheme after two years. If no other communities take up the offer, Randbøldal may keep the bus longer.
Steffen Damsgaard, chair of the National Association of Rural Districts, supports the volunteer buses but warns they must not replace public transport. “It can never substitute for proper bus services and flexible mobility options in rural areas,” he said. “Basic access to towns for shopping or doctors must still be guaranteed.”
The trial is funded by a 20 million kroner government pool allocated in 2024 as part of the “Sammenhæng og balance” rural policy initiative. Randbøldal is the only area in Vejle Municipality participating.