INNISFAIL – The town’s brand new handivan is now on the road.
The vehicle is a brand new 2019 StarTrans Senator II model with a 12-passenger or six-wheelchair capacity.
It began service in Innisfail earlier this month, according to Michelle Honeyman, the town's director of community services.
“It’s actually been on the road a couple of weeks but we just had the (name and) decaling put on ( July 17),” said Honeyman.
The cost for the handivan was close to $86,000 with $50,000 of that coming in the form of a donation from the Innisfail Community Bus Society. The remainder was expected to come from the town’s Handi-Van Reserve and General Capital Reserve accounts.
A community contest was held to name the new handivan bus service, noted Honeyman, which received about 60 submissions.
“It was a contest that was done online (through the communications department),” she said, adding the town’s Transportation Service Review Committee reviewed all submissions and chose the name PACE Bus (Promoting Accessibility for the Community Everywhere).
The process to acquire the new handivan took several months and received approval from council last fall.
Honeyman said the handivan bus service has always been a well used and needed service in Innisfail.
“Council approved the purchase of the bus as part of the budget,” she said. “We followed the procurement process and the transportation service review committee took a look at all of (the models) that came through that were within the budget.
“This one was the size that was probably the best for what our community needs,” Honeyman concluded.
