There are fears youngsters in Highland Perthshire will be left isolated after a youth group’s ‘new’ minibus broke down just days after it had been bought.
Aberfeldy-based Breathe Youth Project, which supports young people in Highland Perthshire, needs £5,000 to fund “urgent” repairs to the van.
The group claims it paid £7,500 to buy the second-hand, eight-seater vehicle from a private seller in Auchterarder.
During a test drive, it “drove well” and appeared in good condition.
But the group says when picking it up following the purchase, it had trouble starting – then failed to start completely once it was in Aberfeldy.
The Breathe Youth Project is described by Young Scot as being an “instrumental part” of life in Highland Perthshire.
And Franny McGrath, from the organisation, fears for the impact on youngsters who benefit from its services.
He claims the seller has blocked the group on Facebook and has failed to respond to messages since the sale.
He said: “You want to have that trust and faith in other people.
“We asked a local mechanic and he said it has either a faulty or blown head gasket, or a crack in the engine.
“In his opinion that could not have happened between Auchterarder and Aberfeldy and must have been pre-existing.
“He believes work had been done to make it passible for sale.
“A lot of young people already feel isolated in Highland Perthshire and this could add to their isolation and loneliness.”
The bus now needs about £5,000 worth of repairs.
‘Tough lesson’ for Breathe Youth Project
The group has set up an online fundraiser as without the vehicle, it says it has no other transport.
Franny said: “We’ve not been able to run our Easter holiday program to the same capacity.
“The whole point of having the bus is to be able to get to remote areas of Highland Perthshire and bring young people to Aberfeldy.
“We’re currently unable to bring them to Aberfeldy to do activities or drop-ins.
“We also can’t get young people into Perth to access training or meetings – it’s impacted what we can offer to young people.
“Since we’ve had the bus, the project has had no transport whatsoever.
“We are very grateful to people who have donated so far.
“We would encourage people people to think very carefully and carry out as many checks as possible when buying from a private seller.
“It’s been a tough lesson for us and we would not want anyone to go through something similar.”
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