Mataura Community Board members are exploring an option that could lead to a bus service between Gore and Mataura.
A petition drawn up by Debra Lister, of Mataura, signed by 30 people interested in a service was presented at the Gore District Council meeting last month and referred to the board.
The board discussed the petition at its meeting last week.
Speaking to her petition, Ms Lister said she had found someone who was willing to drive a vehicle on a Tuesday and Thursday.
The service needed to be door-to-door to make it easier for people to carry their shopping.
Many of the older people in the town could not drive any more and needed help to travel to Gore, she said.
A commercial bus service was charging $20 for gold card customers each way to travel between the towns.
"That’s a phenomenal amount of money."
Board chairwoman Nicky Coates said the Mataura Youth Centre Trust, which she is part of, the school and softball club were discussing the possibility of buying a van and sharing it.
"The focus is to get a van through funders."
It might be possible for the van to be used to transport passengers to Gore once a week.
The project was in the early stages.
Board member Laurel Turnbull said in 2009 the former Mataura Taskforce organised a service where passengers could catch a school bus but it was not successful.
People were dropped off and collected from one place and spent all day in Gore but found it too hard to carry parcels back to the pick up place.
Board member Colleen Te Au said the Mataura Licensing Trust had shown some interest in helping.
"If there was a proposal that came they would look at it."
Recommendations were passed receiving the petition, thanking Ms Lister for making the board aware of the need and for board members to continue exploring the option of sharing a communal van.
