Prince Albert gets 2 new paratransit buses

The buses replace two of the six buses in the Special Needs Transportation fleet. Merv Bender, the executive director of the Prince Albert and District Community Service Centre, which operates the paratransit service, said five of the buses have the capacity to carry seven wheelchairs and five ambulatory riders – or passengers who are able to walk.

“We took one of the vehicles that this bus would replace, came out of circulation due to failure to pass inspection in late August. And the second came out of circulation for the same reasons at the end of November, and these buses were actually put into service in early December,” Bender said. He estimates the program’s annual maintenance costs are between $40,000 to $50,000 per year.

The service is used by 582 active registrants, and it provided more than 36,514 trips in the past year. But one challenge is that Special Needs Transportation is limited to three evenings per week that it provides service. The service runs until 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday to Thursday.

“And I know, I hear from people who would like to be out on a Friday night, or a Saturday night. And so, there are those challenges. But, having said that, we just also have annual increases in operating costs, with fuel going up, with drivers’ salaries and benefits and those kinds of things.

“So, we haven’t really presented the city with a budget to increase service. At this point, we want to maintain our current level of service, and then look forward to seeing what comes out of the provincial disability strategy as a guide to Prince Albert to see where we should go in terms of potential future expansion,” he said.

Access to the paratransit buses also plays a role economically. Riders take the buses to and from work, noted Prince Albert-Northcote MLA Victoria Jurgens, who was on hand for the announcement. “So then, they increase their income, which then translates into an increased growth for our province.”

One of the service’s users, Dennis Demerais, was at the Municipal Service Centre in Prince Albert for the vehicles’ unveiling on Thursday. He has been using the paratransit service for 22 years.

Desmarais requires the assistance of a wheelchair. The buses take him to the mall, as well as to the pool to go swimming.

“It’s a godsend in the winter,” he said. “This helps me get around everywhere.”

The program has helped him “immensely,” he added. “You don’t realize what you have until it’s taken away from you. Once it’s taken away from you, it’s hard to get it back.”

He sat with another paratransit rider, Bonnie Kristiansen, who has been using the service for a year.

She uses the buses to go to the bank, the community service centre, stores and appointments. “All over the place,” she said.

In 2011, she fell and dislocated her shoulder, and she said she doesn’t have good balance as a result. She doesn’t always need the transportation service, but in the winter months, she uses the paratransit buses.

“It just helps me get out of the house,” she added.

And the upgraded fleet is a must in the winter, Mayor Greg Dionne pointed out.

“When we get a cold winter like this, we have to have good equipment. You can’t break down with disabled people on board,” he said.

The mayor is looking forward when it comes to the program’s future – while expanding the fleet itself isn’t on the horizon, expanding the service is. He said he’s hearing from people with special needs who want to attend Prince Albert Raider games, or to late-evening shows.

“Well, they can get there, because their bus runs to 8:30 [p.m.], but then they can’t get home. So, that’s a problem for us,” he said.

The City of Prince Albert is planning a “massive” review of transportation, city-wide, Dionne said. The answer to the paratransit service limitations could be moving to low-floor buses in the Prince Albert Transit fleet. “So then they could be transported with city buses as well,” he added.

It will also be looking into the creation of program that involves subsidies to the private sector to transport special needs people within the city.

“Because sometimes, it’s cheaper to do that than invest in a piece of equipment to fill in a little niche in the market,” he said, and asked residents to “stay tuned” to what could be coming after the review for all transit users, of public transit and paratransit.

“We realize that we have a shortfall in transportation and we’re going to work on fixing that.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames

by Thia James

Prince Albert gets 2 new paratransit buses

What's Trending