Handi-Bus set to resume operations on June 22 (file photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Keaton Brown

Handi-Bus returns

Handi-Bus service set to resume in Battlefords this month

Jun 10, 2020 | 12:00 PM

Battlefords area residents will be happy to hear that Handi-Bus has plans to resume service later this month as Phase Three of the Saskatchewan Re-opening plan continues to unfold.

The service shut down in May due to a lack of commuters as most people were staying home and self-isolating as business across the country were shuttering their doors. There was also some concern for the driver’s health that caused them to move forward with their cancellation of service.

Transit manager Colleen Young said that they wanted to maintain the service through the shutdown but it was just not economically viable to do so.

“[Commuters] had no place to go, you know. There was just nothing for those people and we couldn’t afford to just have the bus keep running,” she said.

Young explained they are planning to have the service return to the community on June 22.

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“Now that Phase Three has gone by on the 8^th, we are going to be getting at least one Handi-Bus running on June 22,” she said.

Young said they will be running from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and they will not be operating on the weekends for the time being.

“We are not doing the weekends yet as the churches and the other runs that we have aren’t open yet,” she said.

Young explained that they will have some new guidelines for people who are using their service to follow.

“They have to wear a mask. We are going to be using our larger Handi-Bus which means we will allow two clients and two aides. So we are going to have a total of just four people for one trip,” she said.

Now that phase three of the provincial government’s plan is in effect, Young said that they have started to receive requests for rides.

“We are getting calls now. Things are opening up, phase three is looking good,” she said.

Normally, the Handi-Bus clients use the service primarily to get to doctor’s appointments or to get to the pharmacy to fill prescriptions. However, Young said that the majority of calls they have been receiving so far have been for other services.

“Everybody is doing the hair appointments. People can go shopping, they can now go to the restaurants with certain stipulations. So now it is just a matter of sanity for them. They just need to get out, and they want to get out,” she said. “Now they are feeling more comfortable and I would like them to have that service available,” she added.

Young said that her and her staff are very excited to be operating again and that they cannot wait to see their clients.

“We just love our clients because they become a part of us. They are like family, we know them by first name. I’m really looking forward to being able to get them out on the road,” she said.

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Keaton.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow