Frequently Asked Questions / Cwestiynau Cyffredin

What is a Borrow Bus? / Beth yw Bws Benthyg?

A Borrow Bus is a collection of things other than books, on a mobile library, that are loaned out to members of the community like books traditionally have been. The Bus might loan out kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment, electronics, toys and games, art, science and craft equipment, musical instruments, recreational equipment, and more – anything that you might want to have access to or the use of, but not necessarily to own.  

What’s the difference between a Borrow Bus and a hire shop? / Beth yw'r gwahaniaeth rhwng Bws Benthyg a siop llogi?

There are various differences between a hire shop and a Borrow Bus:

Is Borrow Bus the only thing that Resource does? / Ai y Bws Benthyg yw yr unig beth y mae adNewyddu yn wneud?

reSource has lots on offer, see our website for more information.

Where is the Borrow Bus? / Ble mae'r Bws Benthyg?

The Borrow Bus visits a number of locations in Llangollen, Denbigh, Mold and Ruthin. See our Locations page for details.

See also the Contact page.

Can I volunteer with the Borrow Bus or reSource? / A allaf wirfoddoli gyda'r Bws Benthyg neu'r adNewyddu?

We welcome new volunteers. Please see Contact for more information.

Where do you get the things from? / O ble ydych chi'n cael y pethau?

The great majority of the items in the Bus have been donated by kind individuals or organisations. A small number we have bought in charity shops or acquired at Swapshops. Some items are on loan from their owners who are allowing us to have them in our catalogue while retaining ultimate ownership.

Do you need more things? / Oes angen mwy o bethau arnoch chi?

We are always trying to extend the range of what we can offer, so please do ask us if we would like an item that you are willing to offer to us. However, we do not aspire to meet all possible borrowing needs and there is also a limit to the space we have to store things. If you can offer us a better quality item than one on the inventory, or one in better condition, that would always be helpful – to us and to those who borrow from us.

If you have suggestions of other items that you think we should consider having, please let us know.

Do you accept donations? / Ydych chi'n derbyn rhoddion?

Money: Yes we do. We are always happy to accept financial donations as the expenses of the Bus, though not great, still, need to be covered – see ‘Why do I have to pay to borrow things?’ below.

Things for the Bus: see ‘Do you need more things?’ above.

What can I do to support the Borrow Bus? / Beth alla i ei wneud i gefnogi'r Bws Benthyg?

Become a member. You can borrow. You can volunteer in many ways. You can donate money or ‘things’. You can spread the word about the Bus, follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe you can find us sources of funding or suggest ways to extend the reach of the Bus. 

How else can I support your aims of reducing waste and consumption? / Ym mha ffordd arall y gallaf gefnogi eich nodau o leihau gwastraff a defnydd?

We are in favour of attempts to waste less, or move towards “zero waste”. Beyond using the Bus you can support our mission in your own life by making efforts to consume fewer things and waste less. 

Can you help me set up a Borrow Bus where I live? / Allwch chi fy helpu i sefydlu Bws Benthyg lle rydw i'n byw?

We have talked to a number of people from across the country who want to set up their own Borrow Bus. Please get in touch and we’ll help if we can. 

ABOUT MONEY / AM ARIAN

Why do I have to pay to borrow things? (Why isn’t it free like a book library?) / Pam fod rhaid i mi dalu i fenthyg pethau? (Pam nad yw fel llyfrgell lyfrau am ddim?)

Public book libraries are free at the point of borrowing but they are paid for in your Council Tax. We are working to find funding to cover our costs (including paid Project Coordinator and Bus Driver, rent, repairs, spare parts, consumables, replacements, etc). We would love to have enough secure funding to offer cheaper or even free hires in the future, but at the moment, charging for hiring things is an important part of enabling us to exist.

How do you set your prices? / Sut ydych chi'n gosod eich prisiau?

We aim for all of our prices to be affordable. When setting prices we take into consideration the replacement cost, what an item might cost you to buy, how often we might need to repair or maintain it, and our need to have enough income in aggregate to be able to continue the Bus – as well as to grow it.

If you think we are charging too much, or too little, please do let us know and we will consider whether to adjust the price; remember, we are still quite new and still learning. 

How do I pay for my items? / Sut ydw i'n talu am fy'n eitemau?

You pay when you come to collect your item. The online catalogue has an integrated payment system; you can also use this to pay for your loans. We also take cash and credit or debit cards.

ABOUT BORROWING / AM FENTHYCA

Do I need to become a member? / Oes angen i mi bod yn aelod?

If you want to borrow anything, you must join. Go to https://bwsbenthyg.lend-engine.com/register/ to do this. The registration process takes only a couple of minutes. (Note: our catalogue and membership program is GDPR-compliant.)

How do I renew my membership when it expires, or cancel it before it renews? / Sut mae adnewyddu fy aelodaeth pan ddaw i ben, neu ei chanslo cyn iddo adnewyddu?

You will receive reminders about the renewal/expiry of membership when it’s coming up. To renew (or cancel), go to your account (top right) and select the appropriate option. Thank you for renewing!

How do I reserve an item? / Sut mae archebu eitem?

Go to https://bwsbenthyg.lend-engine.com/ and follow the link. Use the Search bar or Categories to find out if we have what you want and whether it is available when you want it. Choose the item, reserve it, and then click on Reserve to confirm.

How many things can I borrow at one time? / Faint o bethau y gallaf eu benthyca ar yr un pryd?

There is no set limit to how many items you may borrow at one time, but we’ll probably question you if you reserve a large number of items.

Do I need to bring anything with me when I borrow items? / A oes angen i mi ddod ag unrhyw beth gyda mi pan fyddaf yn benthyca eitemau?

The first time you borrow from the Bus you will need to bring photographic ID and proof of address.

How long can I borrow things for? / Am ba mor hir y gallaf fenthyg pethau?

The loan period for most items is seven days. You can reserve and borrow for longer, but it of course costs more. 

Exceptions to the 7-day norm are the kind of items that in our estimation are generally only needed for a shorter period – and are generally more expensive – such as a carpet cleaner, pressure washer, gazebo and so on. You will see the specified borrowing period (and the charge) next to their entry in the catalogue.

Can I borrow things for an entire university term? / A allaf fenthyg pethau am dymor prifysgol cyfan?

This is not currently in the working model of the Borrow Bus.

What if I can’t return my item on time? / Beth os na allaf ddychwelyd fy eitem mewn pryd?

We do like things to come back on or before the date they are due back; as the item may have been reserved by someone else. If it has not been reserved, you can extend your loan period by renewing it online, or asking us to renew it for you. Technically if you simply fail to return your item on time there is a daily overdue charge of double the daily loan rate (e.g., an item that costs £10 for seven days, will incur a daily charge of £2.86, reaching £20 after a week). However we know that things go wrong, or unexpected things occur and we try to be reasonable; please let us know if you are having trouble getting it back to the Bus on time and we will discuss the options.

Will you show me how to use my item? / A wnewch chi ddangos i mi sut i ddefnyddio fy eitem?

Please tell the bus operator if you are unsure how to use your item. We will usually ask if you know how to use it, (we may check with you that the item you have chosen is the right one and will actually do what you want it to do). In many cases (electrical items etc.), a hard copy of the instructions will be issued alongside the item. Of course, there are many videos online that give guidance on tool use etc. We intend to find presentations we think are good, so please do let us know if you find anything useful.

Does it come with everything I need to use it (consumables etc.)? / A yw'n dod gyda phopeth sydd ei angen arnaf i'w ddefnyddio (nwyddau traul ac ati)?

In most cases yes, in others not. The entry in the catalogue will tell you. We will advise you on what you will need and will always be helpful if we can, e.g. with drill bits and so on. We may ask you to pay a bit extra to borrow items such as goggles or ear defenders.

Is this thing guaranteed to work? / A yw eitemau a logir allan yn sicr o weithio?

All electrical items are PAT tested for safety, before they go out. In addition, as far as possible we test items to see if they work before they are added to the catalogue. We loan items in good faith believing they work as intended. That said, things sometimes fail or we may not spot an imperfection. In such cases, we will apologise and refund you.

What happens if the item breaks while I’ve borrowed it? / Beth fydd yn digwydd os bydd yr eitem yn torri tra byddaf yn ei benthyca?

That depends. Did you misuse or abuse it?  We ask you to be honest with us about the conditions under which the item broke and will discuss with you. 

We aim to have an approximate replacement cost of each item with its entry in the catalogue and will discuss with you whether you should pay some or all of the replacement cost. Please bear in mind, Borrow Bus is a community action group, not a commercial rental business.