(File photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Update to town council

Handi-Bus sees ridership increasing

Apr 19, 2022 | 5:40 PM

The Battlefords Handi-Bus service is seeing more ridership, based on the latest report by Battlefords Transit System.

Manager Liana Clinton gave an update on the latest findings during her presentation at the Town of Battleford’s council meeting this week.

Clinton said in the month of March, the handi-bus saw a good uptake of ridership, she attributes to milder temperatures and the province’s COVID-19 restrictions lifting.

She added the handi-bus also receives a great deal of input from those who use the service.

“I receive a lot of positive feedback from riders…,” she said.

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Clinton said a new handi-bus will be on the way this summer, funded jointly by Transit Assistance for People with Disabilities Funding (TAPD) through the province, along with a cost share arrangement with the City of North Battleford (70 per cent) and the Town of Battleford (30 per cent) as part of their operating agreements.

Currently, three buses are in rotation for the service. Another bus that has low mileage but many electrical issues will be sold in the near future. The operation also has an additional handi-bus that is used as a back up.

At the present time, two buses are running Mondays to Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. As soon as more staffing is in place, three buses will be servicing the area again. The operation will start to offer medical trips to Saskatoon or by request for special events, depending on staff availability.

Clinton said the service could potentially run three buses on some weekdays in the summer, and three buses all week Mondays to Fridays in the fall.

Clinton pointed out the operation will not be asking for any more capital funding for more handi-buses for the next several years, now that it is already getting a new handi-bus this year.

Mayor Ames Leslie appreciated hearing a report on the operation, saying the town has been asking for information for awhile.

Deputy Mayor Judy Pruden, who chaired the meeting, asked to see a report about ridership numbers specifically for handi-bus runs starting or ending in the town for the future.

Clinton will look into pulling the data for the town to view.

“I do at some point plan to expand marketing, and getting people more aware. And, that would apply to the town a lot, because we do both,” she added. “The transit already is in the city, so I really want to get more people from the Town of Battleford aware of this service.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow