A BUDDY scheme to help people with learning disabilities use public transport has attracted national acclaim.

The Travel Buddy Service, run by Hounslow Council, employs people with learning disabilities to help others with learning disabilities become more independent.

While similar schemes exist in other council areas, Hounslow Council is the first local authority to employ people with learning disabilities as travel buddies.

The innovative scheme attracted national acclaim when it won a Community Care award recently after being judged the best in the learning disabilities category by a panel of industry experts.

The Council's executive member representing vulnerable people, Cllr Gurmail Lal, said the scheme was a shining example of the work being done to modernise social services.

"By travelling beyond traditional disability barriers, we are fostering both independence and job opportunities for people with learning disabilities," Cllr Lal said.

"Because of the high level of qualifications usually required, it can be difficult for people with learning disabilities to gain employment within the care sector. Our scheme is unique because it creates meaningful paid employment by recruiting people with learning disabilities as travel buddies.

"Through their own experiences, the buddies are best placed to talk to service users about becoming more involved in the community, and they are already experts in challenging discrimination."

Buddies undertake 60 hours of training in using buses, road crossing, and basic health and safety, before being accredited by the Thames Region Accredited Training Centre.

The scheme - led by the Council's Learning Disability Life Opportunities Service - currently employs four travel buddies to assist 16 regular service users to travel to day centres and local education sites.

"The service was very much born and bred by people with disabilities accessing various services within Hounslow," Cllr Lal said.

"Service users have developed their independent living skills, communication skills and confidence.

"One regular traveller has grown so much in confidence - and has learnt so much about keeping safe on the roads - that she no longer needs to be collected from her home, and instead meets her travel buddy at the bus stop. Feedback from the service users, parents, carers and social work professionals has also been excellent."